[Timgt5]

After I posted my review of Ico, I was asked about its successor, Shadow of the Colossus. So with out further adieu, here is my take on Shadow of the Colossus.

Shadow of the Colossus, published by the same developer as the critically acclaimed Ico, came out in 2005 exclusively for the PS2. The game is not a direct sequel to Ico, but rather a different story that takes place in the same world as Ico.

The Premise: Our story opens with a young man (he is not given a name) riding on horse. He is carrying the prone body of a young woman (the relationship between the two is never actually revealed but one can safely assume they were lovers) She is apparently dead. Out of desperation our hero enters a vast forbidden land, with the intent on locating a divine entity that can resurrect her. He crossed a huge stone bridge over a vast chasm and into a derelict temple. He places the girl on an altar (beautifully animated scene) and is started by a massive chorus of voices coming from the ceiling of the temple. He has found the entity residing here. Our hero learns that indeed it is capable of returning his love to life, but first he must perform a great task. He is instructed to go forth locate 16 creatures called Colossi and slay them. Once they are all destroyed the girl would be brought back to life. Our guy mounts his horse and rides off in search of the mysterious creatures. One should however be careful about who one makes these kind of bargains with.

The Game play: This game dispenses with the normal conventions of action gaming, there is no army of minions you must engage, or fetch quests, its all boss battles. Once he is given his task, our hero sets out in an enormous world to locate the mysterious colossi and kill them. He is armed with sword and bow with an unlimited amount of arrows. The sword serves two functions; the first is obvious, as a primary weapon, the second as beacon to help him locate the beasts. He points the sword upward and it catches the sunlight, as he rides in the right direction the light from the sword becomes more focused and then to a point. Once the monster is located he has to find one or more weak points on the creature and then attack those spots. Any other attacks against these beasts are useless, especially since some of them are the size of a small office building. The first few are straightforward, as you find each one the strategy to expose and attack the weak points becomes more sophisticated. Each of the creatures and its environment act as a living puzzle. In some cases the player has to utilize the landscape and elements in the environment to overcome the colossi. Once the beasts are slain our guy is rendered unconscious and returned to the temple, where he is assigned his next colossus. The entity gives him clues as to the beast’s whereabouts and its nature. Each of the colossi is represented by a statue, which then explodes as each one is killed. The game actually allows you to work at your own pace, if you would rather ride around for a bit and take in the scenery you are free to do so without consequence and about 95 percent of the forbidden land is accessible right off the bat The game mechanics for the most part are pretty smooth and the character animation is very natural. The controls can get a bit wonky at times but not enough to seriously affect game play.

The Graphics: Like its predecessor, Ico, this game possesses a unique beauty that borders on art. The world is a vast open landscape with lakes, caves, mountains, waterfalls and a few scattered ruins of a distant and ancient civilization. The whole thing is streaming so there are no area load screens. There is a deliberate lack of color that gives on almost ethereal quality to the whole presentation. There is also very little in the way of traditional animal life other than the occasional lizards or birds. The character models are a bit more detailed than Ico and the horse and its movements are well animated, the real stars of this game however are the colossi themselves. They are rather diverse, some are human-like bipeds, armed with primitive weapons, others are quadrupeds, one burrows in the sand like a worm, a couple are water animals, and one is a giant bird( He is my favorite its number 5, you fight him over a lake.) The Colossi range in size from hippos (the smallest one or two) to gigantic creatures, the last of which is over a hundred feet tall. They are all terrifically drawn and their animations are first rate. Sound wise there is not a lot going on here as the environment is rather desolate, the effects for the colossi are well done though and the really big ones thunder with each step. The opening theme music is gorgeous blend of strings and chorus. Once a colossus is engaged the background orchestra kicks in rousing music representing the three phases of battle, Approach, Conflict, and Victory. It’s all beautifully integrated into the game play.

Kid’s corner: The game is rated Teen for violence, the colossi sort of bleed when the weak spots are stabbed, but it looks more like oil than actual blood. There is no sex or nudity in the game and the language again is a sort of bizarre take on Japanese, so no issues naughty words here.

Overall: Shadow of the Colossus is a unique gaming experience and for an adventure gamer worth owning. It will not be everyone’s cup of tea but for me it was a great experience.

PS: If any of you buy this and get stuck on killing a colossus PM me and I will help you out.

[Timgt5]

I found a much better clip