Shadow of the Colossus
October 28,2005 -

There are times as a game reviewer when you hate assigning numerical values to the categories on the left of this paragraph. In many ways, putting a number from one to ten on these game mechanics is somewhat superficial. The overall score, ala the really big bold number most people look at instead of reading our spiels, is often lowered beyond the reviewer’s personal opinions based on the calculations of the score from the ratings given to the individual categories. Shadow of the Colossus is one of those games; a game that is so well crafted and artistically impressive that it’s brutal giving the game anything less than a 9.4 overall score. Yet, because of some control issues with the game’s gameplay and the admittedly vast, but ultimately washed out visuals, the final verdict is lower than desired.

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Shadow of the Colossus takes you on a visual and emotional adventure. The game’s narrative is in many ways pretty thin, but the emotional investment in the involved characters and your hero’s quest completely enraptures you in the experience. This nameless young man is on a journey to resurrect a young woman. It is believed that if you conquer this particular land that a person’s soul can be restored. Upon entering the large temple, the young warrior lays the girl on a table near the entrance and is greeted by a celestial voice. This voice of unknown origin tells your character that in order to resurrect whom he wishes he must defeat the sixteen colossi that rule the land. The voice warns him of the danger and about possible consequences of his journey.

It is after this quite lengthy introductory cutscene that you saddle up on your valiant steed named Agro. Controlling Agro can be a bit difficult at first, since it requires the use of both analog sticks—one to control the direction and the other to direct the camera’s focus—and the X button to order the horse to giddy up. Throughout the entire adventure you will use the horse as your mode of transportation and in many ways you begin to build a bond and sense of comradery with him since he travels with you on your entire journey. Agro can travel through shallow water and hike somewhat steep but flat terrains. If you press X at the edge of relatively small sized hill, Agro can leap from them safely. Still, there are several areas that are unreachable to your horse, and the game often forces you to leave him behind to ultimately reach your target colossus.

The main objective of the game is to reach the next colossus mentioned by the celestial voice. After you defeat one, spiritual arms pierce your body, causing you to black out and awaken in the heart of the temple with shadowy figures standing over your body representing the colossi you’ve defeated. Upon awakening, the voice briefly describes the next colossus you must face along with a vague hint at its location. Once again, you ascend onto the back of Agro and venture out toward the horizon.

When you reach sunlight, you can lift his sword which, when pointed in the correct direction, reflects a beam of light in the direction of the next colossus. The stronger the beam, the more accurately you are pointing it and as you look to the left or right of that central position the beam spreads out into an array, notifying you that you are either moving away or closer toward your desired location.

There are no small infantry units or minions to kill in Shadow of the Colussus; only you and your incredibly massive opponent. Once you enter the area of the colossus, the game begins a short cutscene showing off the enemy you are about to face. To say these experiences are "breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and terrifying" are vast understatements. Rarely do games urge you to think, let alone verbally exclaim, “Holy crap!” but SotC accomplishes this and in ways no other game before it has come close to replicating.

The first few colossi you face are relatively easy to take down, at least in contrast to the later foes. The first couple of colossi make you think, “How do I take out this beast’s legs so that I can start to climb it?” Conversely, the colossi later in the game have you completely dumbfounded and thinking, “How the hell can I get on this thing?” The mindset with which you enter these showdowns completely changes after the first couple of colossi which you believe simply entails injuring its lower extremities, causing it to collapse and become climbable. Later in the game, you have to completely rethink this entire approach, instead focusing on how to take advantage of its minimal weaknesses which will allow you to cling to its fur so that you can begin to climb. Most of the time, it simply comes down to outsmarting your enemy; making it lower itself to find you, tricking it into believing you’re somewhere you aren't, or forcing it over a natural element in the environment which will do the job of knocking it down for you. Shadow of the Colossus is essentially a giant puzzle game, and figuring out how to get onto the colossus is more of a challenge than the platforming required to reach it.

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