Retro Review: Shadow of the Colossus

There are some games that go beyond fun and entertainment. They aim to illicit feelings within the player, choosing the ability to invoke an emotional response rather than focus on precise and crisp gameplay. Team Ico's Shadow of the Colossus is one of those games.






Released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Shadow of the Colossus stood apart from not only other games at the time, but from all games across the industry's lifespan. Unlike other adventure games where players must destroy armies of lesser creatures in order to confront the boss of the level, Shadow focuses only on the boss. There are no minor enemies, only bosses.

The story is quite simple. Wander travels into the Forbidden Land — a vastly unpopulated land — to slay 16 colossi as a means to bring his dead girlfriend back to life. And that's about it. But what is surprising is the depth to this basic story.

Hardly any dialogue and narration are within the game. Everything is about hunting down each colossi in the large open world and defeating them, all with the help of your faithful horse, Agro. But the story is more than just a simple cliche.

The colossi are titans, putting any other game's boss battles to shame. They are a mixture of organic, inorganic and architectural elements, who tower over the beautiful and diverse landscape of the Forbidden Land. Yet, despite their sometimes monstrous appearance, there is a subtle vulnerability to them that makes each one stand apart from the others.

When the player finally tracks a colossus down, he or she must first figure out how to scale the titan. After doing that, they must traverse the titan's body in order to track down its sigil, or weak point. This is really where the battle heats up. Depending on the colossi, the player may have to stop traversing in order to hold on to the titan's fur as it shakes, spins in the air or dives in the water. Players have a limited amount of time that they can grip a colossus before they fall off, so finding the time to rest is limited.

Most of the colossi requires that the player use part of the environment to expose its sigil. In this way, Shadow has been described as a puzzle game. But the most important aspect to the combat is its ability to further the narrative.

There is a strange dichotomy that happens within the player when confronted by one of the colossi. At first, the player is filled with the drive to expose the creature's weakness and then exploit it by repeatedly stabbing a sword in its sigil until the colossus falls. Often times, the camera is panned in such a way that the player can see the face of the titan as he or she is killing it. It's the killing blow where the player is faced with the game's truism.

These beautiful — and sometimes defenseless — colossi are all unique and once one of them falls, the world will never know the sight of them again. It is up to the player to realize the impact of their actions as they see life leave the eyes of each fallen colossi. After death, a statue that represents each colossi shatters, further showing how the creatures will fall into legend and mythology.

At some point in the game, it is up to the player to feel remorse and be saddened by the selfish actions of the protagonist. Wander is an antihero. His purpose is noble, but the ends do not justify the means. Or do they? Perhaps it is up to the player to decide after all. One thing is for sure, the game's narrative revolves around the player's emotions, not the characters'.

For me, Shadow of the Colossus is a tragic and beautiful game. Amidst these epic encounters lies a sad truth that waits to be awakened in the player. It is this emotional connection that is the essence of immersion. The scale of the colossi, the manner of exploration and the impact of the story on the player all make Shadow stand apart from any other game. It's not only one of the greatest games in the PS2's library, but one of the greatest of all time. There will never — nor should there be — another Shadow of the Colossus.