Shadow of the Colossus
Still in Ico’s shadow
Tags: Shadow of the Colossus Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Jake McNeill on Nov 21st, 2005
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Colossus (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Platformer | No | ||
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One would be remiss to talk about Shadow of the Colossus without first talking about Ico. Released all the way back in 2001, Ico is still to this day one of the most cited examples of how videogames have come into their own as an art form. Unlike the big, flashy titles that tend to dominate the industry, Ico was quiet, subtle, and lonely. It radiated with ethereal brilliance, and its story was relayed largely through observation rather than narration, often leaving the specifics of the plot just out of grasp, in and of itself a mystery to be solved. The gameplay merely tasked players with making their escape from a massive castle, and rarely was the player made to rush or break the game’s absolute serenity, save for the occasional appearance of formless enemies, to remind you of the castle’s menace.
While met with massive critical acclaim, the game made a resounding thud in sales. Still, Sony must have seen the merit in director Fumito Ueda’s vision, so they gave him free reign to create another title. Ueda, realizing the first game’s poor sales, must have made a conscious effort to give its spiritual successor more immediate appeal on the retail shelves, and much like the game’s overarching themes, Shadow of the Colossus is an endeavor in sacrifice, losing one thing to attain another.
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As a result, this title is one that shares much in common with Ico. The massive locales, the overpowering sun that drenches everything it touches in a surreal light, the underlying themes of light and darkness, the ancient ruins that hint at what might have existed here ages ago, and even some familiar details all make it perfectly clear that Shadow of the Colossus takes place in the same world as Ico. However, this game is very different.
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As you probably know by now, the central focus of the game is the various colossi that inhabit the lands. The game’s protagonist (the credits in the back of the instruction manual call him Wander) has traveled great lengths to come to this secluded and seemingly long-abandoned kingdom, bringing with him, on his trusty steed Agro, the body of a young woman he seems to care deeply about, although the game remains vague on what relationship the two had or what affliction she fell to. The protagonist has heard legends of a being that resides here named Dormin, capable of bringing back the dead. Speaking with the voice of Dormin in the temple in the center of the landscape, Dormin instructs you to defeat the sixteen colossi spread throughout the land, suggesting that doing so will somehow help you to revive the girl (although, he warns, at great sacrifice).
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It is with these vague instructions that you begin your quest to hunt for the Colossi. This is generally a task comprised of two parts, and before you can even begin to fight the massive creatures, you need to find them. This is accomplished by holding your sword up to the sunlight, which will shine a beam that will focus when pointed in the direction of the colossus you’re looking for. Then, it’s a matter of riding your horse across the lands in search of the creature. It should be noted that the controls for horse riding here are very similar to riding Epona in Zelda 64.
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Upon finding the colossus, you engage in what can best be described as a boss battle of epic proportions. The various colossi range from “really big” to “the size of a skyscraper”, and their sheer size is perhaps one of the most impressive feats to ever be accomplished on the PS2. Often, they’re so big that fighting them is less of a duel and more of an attempt to climb them in search of their weak point. Needless to say, they don’t take kindly to this, and in addition to running, flying, swimming, and crawling around the massive landscapes at high speed, they’ll do their best to shake you off of them, bucking and flailing while you flop around like a rag doll.
Each colossus is distinctly different, and each offers its own unique challenges. On your side of things, you have little more than your sword, your bow and arrows, your horse and your wits, and often it will take a great amount of cunning to take these massive beasts down, as a large part of each boss fight is trying to figure out just how to defeat the colossus, making for a massive, moving, scalable puzzle. For a game that many have described as “a series of big boss battles”, the battles themselves are some of the best boss fights in videogame history, often so cleverly-devised that Miyamoto himself would be proud.
It should be noted that, while the graphics are what will draw the most attention here, the game’s sound is phenomenal, conveying the massive size of the colossi, enhancing the ethereal nature of virtually everything in the surreal lands of the game, and backing everything with one of the best soundtracks of the year, ranging from the quiet, beautiful opening theme to the exciting, fast-paced music that accompanies the game’s battles.
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Unfortunately, the game is hampered by some technical issues. In particular, the framerate often suffers very noticeably, and for a title that intends to be immersive, this is very distracting. There are also issues with pop-up and some blurry textures, although considering the size of the environments, this is probably to be expected. More concerning is the game’s camera, which seems more concerned with emphasizing the size of the environments and colossi than helping you actually play the game.
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However, probably the one thing that truly keeps this title from surpassing its predecessor is that its gameplay often seems at odds with its theme. While Ico was quiet and methodical, fully giving you the chance to absorb its majesty, Shadow of the Colossus is loud and fast-paced, and when you’re not fighting for dear life on the back of a furious colossus, you’re riding at top speed to get to the next one. This makes the title lose much of the artistic beauty and serenity that made Ico so memorable, and while it’s definitely still there (all you need to do is stop and look around to see it), you’ll usually be too busy to notice.
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When the game’s more serious tones get the chance to shine through is when it’s truly brilliant. For example, just about everyone notices that the colossi are perhaps the most tragic victims in the game’s story, and that your quest may not be the noble cause that it initially appears to be. Unfortunately, the game’s focus on the action draws much of the attention, and as a result moments like these are far more rare in this title than they were in Ico.
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Still, don’t think for a second that this means this title isn’t worth getting. What few flaws the game has are far outweighed by the absolute brilliance of the battles with the colossi, the amazing originality of the premise, and the sheer beauty flowing throughout virtually every facet of the game. This is, without a doubt, a must-have title, although I would still argue that as a piece of art, Ico is still unsurpassed.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
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+ The environments and colossi are humungous, and the game as a whole is absolutely gorgeous + The sound is also quite wonderful + Fighting the colossi makes for some of the best boss battles in videogame history |
8.8 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- The framerate is often brought to its knees - The camera often seems more interested in showing off the game's scale rather than making it playable - The gameplay's focus on action often steals attention away from the subtle beauty that made its predecessor so unique |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| There are a few problems here and there, but all said and done this is one of the most enjoyable and memorable titles on the PS2. Just don't expect something more artistically profound than Ico. | |
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Tags: Shadow of the Colossus
Posted by Jake McNeill on Nov 21st, 2005 and is filed under PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
