Simply put, Shadow of the Colossus is a masterpiece of interactive art. It is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience, despite some technical problems here and there, and if I were asked to list some of the most incredible things I’ve done in a game, several of them would be from Shadow of the Colossus. That said, it does have a few problems that hold it back from perfection as a game. These problems, however, are pretty minor compared to the rest of the incredible adventure that awaits anyone who plays it.

The game begins slowly. Your character, the Wanderer, is seen riding his horse, through forests, valleys, and alongside rivers, clearly on a long journey of some sort. In his arms is a dead girl. After much travel, the trio reaches an ancient temple. The Wanderer sets the girl down on the alter and a voice explains that bringing life back to the dead is very difficult and do to so he’ll need to slay the 16 colossi that inhabit this land. That’s the gist of it, anyway. Despite the minimalist approach to storytelling, the plot eventually becomes one of the highlights of the game - although it doesn’t really kick in until the end, so I can’t give any details.

Until then, the Wanderer has quite a task on his hands. The flow of the game is very simple. Hop on your horse and raise your sword into the air. The sun will reflect off of it and guide you to your next colossus battle. From there, it’s just a matter of riding there. You won’t encounter any enemies on the way or any puzzles to solve. It’s a peaceful ride to the next battle; sometimes they take 30 seconds and sometimes 5 minutes. I’m personally torn on the idea of these rides. The landscape is most certainly a sight to behold, and as you ride, the camera swings low and to the side for a very cinematic perspective. That said, if you happen to get lost on your journey, which did happen to me on two or three occasions, it becomes very boring.



It’s when you reach the colossus that the game truly shines. The colossi range in size from as small as a van to as large as a tall building. Some are humanoid, while others clearly have animal inspirations. They’re almost all very different, though, and only once or twice did I feel like I was fighting a similar opponent. The way to bring the beasts down is always the same; find the vital points on their bodies and stab them. That’s easier said than done, of course.

Fighting each colossus is like a puzzle. Most of them won’t simply bend over and let you climb all over them, so you’ll have to figure out how to get up there. Your only equipment is your horse, sword and a simple bow. Sometimes you can use the environment to assist you, but sometimes it will be assisting the colossus. Once you’ve figured out how to defeat the creature, I found it was usually pretty easy to take down. The challenge comes in figuring out exactly how to defeat them.

The thrill of being hundreds of feet up in the air, clutching to the hairs of a colossus while he thrashes about as your grip strength is just about to run out cannot be understated. The game took me about 8 hours to complete, and during those 8 hours, I experienced more “Holy crap!!” moments than probably any other single game. With the exception of one or two, every single colossus battle is freaking incredible.

The visuals, as mentioned before, are simply beautiful. The colossus designs are ridiculously well-made. They truly create a sense of size and power. They also sport some truly impressive hair effects. On the other side of the spectrum, the peaceful rides with your horse are equally impressive - although for obviously different reasons. The camera, while somewhat troublesome to control at times, has a sort of motion-blur thing going on that adds to the intensity of combat. The only real downer with the visuals is the unsteady framerate. It does get distracting sometimes, but never truly interferes with play. Likewise, the audio shines. During battle, it ramps up at just the right moments and truly adds something to the experience.

So, the problems. As mentioned before, the framerate is a bit shaky and the camera can be tough to manage. The longer horse rides can become tedious, and the game is pretty short. There’s some replay to be had, with a hard difficulty (that really really should’ve been open at the start...) and some time attack modes. There’s some other extra stuff to collect and some secrets to be found, too. And, of course, anyone who liked Ico should play this one through, as the numerous ties to that game will surely lead to many thought-provoking discussions.



Article By: Sarah Themel