Shadow of the Colossus may be seen as a relic of the past to many, as it doesn’t have the same polish as current open-world games, but as it was one of the first, the game holds up very well today, and I strongly recommend everyone to give this game a shot, not only to appreciate how SOTC took a step in the right direction for future open world games, but also for the fact of how well this game is as a whole.
Shadow of the Colossus starts with Wander riding his horse Agro into a forbidden land, in order to revive a woman (not sure if it’s his girlfriend, or just good friends) named Mono, who was put into an eternal slumber due to a cursed fate. In order for Wander to revive Mono, he must kill each of the 16 colossi that roam the sacred lands. Now without going into spoilers, the story, while it is told mainly through the mask that assigns Wander with this monstrous task and the ending cutscene, Shadow of the Colossus offers enough of a story to feel satisfied when the game is finished, while also leaving plenty left for the player to theorize about, which makes for an unforgettable method of storytelling.
Aside from the great story, Shadow of the Colossus has so much going for it. The game is only boss fights, so in order to keep the player from feeling bored, the game designers made each boss feel unique and different from each other. From the puzzle to solve with each boss, the design with the boss, the size of the boss, where the weak spots are, how you climb the boss, all of those aspects keep the game from being monotonous, and instead, fresh, motivating the player to not only see what the next boss is, but also to revive Mono.
Now speaking of boss fights, I should address an aspect of the game that many may find as a hindrance: the controls. Bluepoint kept the controls from the PS2 game, and it does function well, but they may not be accustomed to new players who didn’t grow up with the PS2 or PS3 versions. I can see why they kept the controls, maybe to keep that PS2 era feel to Shadow of the Colossus, but even though it can be annoying sometimes, it’s not a big problem, since you can easily get used to them.
I can go on and on about the little things of Shadow of the Colossus, and how it forms into this wonderful game. For example, the music in the game is super dynamic. The music is very grand, with some pieces feeling very emotional, while others feel very dramatic and loud. Even with the extremely contrasting songs in the game, each still feel very fit for a giant, no matter who you’re fighting. In addition, the overworld is very beautiful. Bluepoint did a phenomenal job remastering/ remaking the world, from the desolate sandy deserts, to the lush green forests and vegetation. Also, even though there aren’t any NPCs or side quests in Shadow of the Colossus, there are collectables and secrets scattered throughout the world. I find the secrets and collectibles to be done very well. There the perfect amount of stuff to find to make the world feel dense with stuff to find, but not so cluttered that there’s too much to collect.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Shadow of the Colossus. The game may not have aged well with its controls, and could hamper one’s experience, but that is far from an excuse to not play this masterpiece of this game. I recommend anyone who respects and appreciates where gaming stood back in the day, you should give Shadow of the Colossus a whirl not only for the impact it made on gaming, but also just to experience a juggernaut of a game, especially blind, if you can help it.