Title: Shadow of the Colossus
System: PS2
Genre: Adventure
Overall Score: 10/10
When not playing this game, you’ll daydream about playing it.
Story: 10/10
What some people don’t know is that Shadow of the Colossus is actually a
sequel to the game ICO which was not as popular a title. The game opens
with a familiar horned hero, now older, carrying a fair maiden on the
back of his horse. He brings her into a monstrous temple where he
invokes an ancient spell to restore her soul and bring her back to life.
However, in order for her soul to be restored, there is an enormous
price. Sixteen Colossi must be hunted down and killed. When all sixteen
are dead, her soul will be restored.
But do not expect everything to go quite according to plan. No
good story goes straight from A to B, now does it?
If you are not familiar with ICO at all, the story might seem sort of
strange and the ending even stranger. But even non-ICO familiars should
be content. A large part of this game’s charm is the enigmatic world it
creates. Just let loose and go with it and you’ll have an excellent
time.
Gameplay: 10/10
The controls in the game are extremely easy to master. You start the
game with all the abilities you will need, so there is in no real
“leveling up” or “learning” system in this game. However, your grip
strength and ability to hold your breath under water do gradually
improve every time you defeat a colossus.
The gist of the game is simple: search and destroy. You receive a small
clue about the next colossus’s whereabouts, and then you hop on your
horse and hunt it down. There are a total of 16 Colossi to fight in the
whole game, which makes it sound like an easy task. But what you don’t
hear about in reviews on other sites is the actual hunting process. The
battles with the colossi take long enough, but hunting them down is a
task in itself. There are no individual levels in Shadow of the
Colossus. There is just one very, very, very, very enormous world. I
have never seen a world so vast in a video game before. I was literally
in awe. For a while, I didn’t even hunt the Colossi down. I just
galloped around, marveling at the astounding size of the world.
Unfortunately, the world is so incredibly huge that, in the beginning,
it is very easy to get lost if you haven’t learned how to navigate yet.
Fortunately, you do have a map that displays your current location in
the world, the direction you are facing, and a very rough topography of
the landscape. Also, if you are in the sunlight, you may hold up your
sword and the sunlight will reflect in the direction you need to go
next. However, there are usually obstacles in the way, so it’s not as
easy as just following the light. Prepare to spend as much time
exploring and searching as fighting. But don’t worry, the world is so
jaw-dropping that the hunting process is anything but tedious.
Battles with the Colossi start off fairly simple and the earlier Colossi
are easier to find. So you may find yourself doubting the value of the
game at first. But as the Colossi become harder to find and the methods
for defeating them grow more complicated, you will find yourself biting
your lip, staring at the screen with bloodshot eyes, and scouring the
fantastic lands for just one more colossus... maybe just one more after
that... or two... is it really four in the morning?
Graphics: 10/10
There are no impressive CG cutscenes or anything, but the in-game
animations and movies are very high quality. I was extremely impressed
with how detailed the horse’s animations and AI were. You can make the
horse travel at several different gaits, every pull of the stirrup is
realistically animated, and when you leave the horse, it continues to
act realistically. At one point, I dismounted the horse near a pool of
water and when I turned to remount, I saw the horse walking over to get
a drink. Also, if you whistle for the horse and then leap from a high
place, the horse will run underneath you and you can land on it and ride
away, just like in the movies! It’s possible that I am far too amused by
these things, but it’s just a good example of how generous they were
with the details. The world is full of other decor to make you ooh and
ah. Beams of light breaking through shady forest canopies. Furry animals
with absolutely no purpose in the game other than to add realism will
scurry across your path and dart up a tree. Occasionally, a hawk may
swoop down over your shoulder. But most impressive is just how
everything in the game is so HUGE. Or perhaps I should say COLOSSAL.
Replay Value: 10/10
Even after tromping around the fantasy world for hours in search of
these mythical giants, the world is so huge, I still feel like I haven’t
seen it all. On top of that, the colossi make for some very fun (though
sometimes very frustrating) battles. True, once you solve the mystery of
how to defeat them the first time, part of the game’s charisma dies. But
the fights are still a challenge and still fun. Also, after beating the
game, you have the option of starting a new game in hard mode and also
the option of battling the colossi in Time Attack Mode.
This game is a 10/10 and a must-play. And if possible, a must-own. Or so
says this gamer.
—Reviewed by GenoForPrez
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