You've probably heard this game called "true art" more than enough by now, but it really is staggering how self-assured, intelligent and emotionally vulnerable this game was able to be in 2005. A lot of my favorite games came out then, but nobody would ever accuse something like Halo 2 of being emotionally resonant and introspective.

Well before Spec Ops: The Line came around, well before anyone ever uttered "ludonarrative dissonance," gaming's true auteur, Fumito Ueda, was helming a spiritual successor to Ico that would become one of the greatest and most instantly iconic games ever made.

There's no one thing to point to about Colossus that makes it great, but the entire experience. The soundtrack. The way the colossus' fur floats and sputters in the wind. The true awe you feel when you encounter a new one for the first time. The pangs of guilt you feel when they topple. The quiet beatitude of the Forbidden Lands and the encroaching feeling of unease the further and further you get on Wander's forlorn quest. It's one of the simplest setups imaginable, it works in any language, and yet it hits with a mythic power possibly never before seen in gaming. I could keep going for a thousand more words and still not fully capture what makes Colossus not only the best game on the most popular console ever made, but the best adventure game ever created and one of the truly great pieces of art in recent human history.

Every now and then I think about how for a certain crowd of people, Spec Ops: The Line has grown out of favor and gotten a reputation of pretension, but this game is still viewed as an artsy masterpiece, despite them essentially doing the same thing.

shrug

5 stars, I like them both.

Um dos maiores significados de jogo arte, é uma experiencia única, é uma das maiores comunicações indiretas da mídia, você sente cada experiencia do lugar, inimigos, o lugar que eles vivem, a realidade da vida naquele mundo, o jogo te diz tão pouco mas você sente tudo.
Um dos maiores ícones de level design, desde o visual, a criação daquele mundo, a coloração, tudo conversa com o personagem e o jogador de uma forma melancólica, mas principalmente, de suas lutas, é perfeitamente intuitivo, todas as ocasiões o jogo te sugere, mesmo sem te dizer, perfeitamente sua ação, descobrir o ponto fraco do inimigo é realizador.
A frase "a frente do seu tempo" define para o quesito técnico, seu mundo enorme, a movimentação do personagem e do cavalo, resposta do colosso em relação a cada lugar que você se movimenta, é impressionante esse jogo ser desse console.

Forewarning: It's basically impossible to talk about this game in any detail without spoiling key aspects of it, so if you want to experience it for yourself I recommend staying away from this review (or others) until you've played it.

My brother, at one point in our childhood, managed to get ahold of a PS2 and a stack of games to go with it. The end result was the two of us coming into contact with a great many experiences that had eluded us due to only owning Nintendo devices previously. This included series like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy and Grand Theft Auto. Of all the games we had managed to accumulate, though, one particular 2005 release titled “Shadow of the Colossus” really seemed to command his attention. I tried it for myself and ended up spending one lonely day bathing in its pale golden rays. There were times when I kind of wanted to tear my hair out… But I kept on regardless. Those eight or so hours have stuck with me for a long time.

The tale Team Ico is telling here is as simple as they come. A youth named Wander has entered a cursed and forbidden land with three things in tow: A valiant mount named Agro, an enchanted blade, and the lifeless body of a girl. He brings this body to an ancient shrine and is approached by a spirit known as Dormin. Wander asks if the girl can be brought back to life. Dormin suggests it is possible, but only on one condition – Wander must scour the Forbidden Lands for sixteen colossi and slay each one. Only then will Dormin have the power to grant Wander’s request. The boy unflinchingly accepts. Led by a mysterious light emanating from his sword, he sets off to fulfill his end of the bargain. There are hints that nothing here is quite so straightforward as it seems, and while some of the shadows surrounding this narrative are dispelled with time, just as much is kept obscured.

Every aspect of the game feels intentional, even when there’s fair reason to assume otherwise. Wander is a skilled rider and bowman, which is translated through gameplay. What is also translated through gameplay is that the poor fellow has clearly never held a sword for more than a few minutes, wielding his ancient blade with all the finesse of a child playing with a handsome stick found by the creek. A shame, then, that flinging what may as well be toothpicks at your towering targets will predictably avail you of naught. And Agro, while being as trusty a steed as they come, is clearly of different stock than the gravity-defying horses that inhabit the province of Skyrim. You’re going to have to get up onto that walking tower under your own power and give it a good stabbing if you want to have any hope of bringing it down. What follows is a gut-wrenching dance wherein you desperately seek an opening to clamber up to that glowing weak spot, striving to avoid being crushed like a bug or flung unto the hard and uncaring earth. Each move the colossus makes causes your controller to vibrate violently, and even the Playstation 2’s hardware seems to falter beneath the utter weight of the tragic monstrosities it endeavors to display. All the while, a sweeping orchestral soundtrack swells from menacing to triumphant as you slowly but surely manage to accomplish the impossible. The staggering sense of scale and the accompanying drama have rarely been matched by other games in the past two decades.

And as you would probably expect of any deal with the devil, this exercise involves no small amount of pain. The Forbidden Lands, while eerie and beautiful, are also barren and lifeless, save for a few decrepit structures and a light sprinkling of flora and fauna. Every new mark seems more distant and difficult to reach than the last, and you will become intimately familiar with each empty stretch of this realm in your travels. You really feel Wander’s relative weakness and scaling each boss can be a deeply frustrating task, which is in no way helped by the awkward controls and combative camera. Nothing quite boils the blood like getting shaken off one poke away from felling your foe. If the sheen of the spectacle wears off somewhere between scene one and scene sixteen, there isn’t much left for you here. Aside from one or two little secrets, this world is just as empty as it feels. Thus, if the idea of exploration for exploration’s sake doesn’t grab you, then you will find very little reason to persist. And as previously suggested, the framerate does chug at times. I doubt this will be too much of an issue for most, but it is worth mentioning.

What will probably make Shadow of the Colossus hardest to stomach for some, though, is the moral ambiguity surrounding its protagonists and the nature of your charge. Wander is not some righteous and just warrior facing off against an unquestionably dangerous villain. Dormin may or not be a benevolent entity and is decidedly not a beloved one. The religious enforcers that pursue you might seem to be wantonly zealous at worst, but what if they have very good reasons for rushing to stop Wander? As to your targets - the sixteen colossi seem perfectly content to exist in perpetual solitude, peacefully milling about until you arrive. Even then, some of them only seem to attack out of animalistic instinct, some pay you no heed at all until you actively threaten them, and some outright flee from you. Video games have long been centered around the simple task-reward structure of giving you a treat and a pat on the back for completing your objectives before urging you on to the next stage. This transactional nature is very much present in SotC and is mirrored in the narrative, as each titan you topple puts you one step closer to saving a life in addition to making Wander just a touch more able. However, the intrinsic feeling of triumph that is typically associated with these experiences can potentially be snuffed out by the tragic tone that underscores each encounter. While you might be capable of understanding your character’s loss and their desperate desire to right what has gone wrong, you might find it much harder to accept that the ends justify the means. You are not a hero in this tale. You are a hunter. You may end up questioning if any of this is truly worth the blood you’ve shed. You might wish for an alternative.

Maybe you don't need to slay the colossi at all. Maybe you can abandon your quest, find a nice patch of grass and quietly sit with Agro while taking in the bloom and gloom. Maybe you can eke out a living riding to and fro and subsisting off fruit and lizard tails. Maybe you could just turn off the console. Loss is a natural part of life. Your beloved is gone. Shouldn’t you accept that and move on? Shouldn’t you leave this forbidden land - the denizens of which are seemingly guilty of no crime under man or god – to continue to exist forgotten and undisturbed?

But then I guess there wouldn’t be a game.

The simple fact of the matter is that this is Wander’s story, and he didn’t steal a magic sword and travel untold miles with his girlfriend’s cadaver in tow to just give up the second he started feeling a tinge of guilt. Once that first colossus hits the ground, there’s only one path left. The dying groans of your unwilling victims and the somber music that accompanies their demise might leave a bad taste in your mouth, but if Wander is having second thoughts at all, he doesn’t let it show. And maybe you can stop playing any time you want, but I get the distinct impression that if it was somehow possible to turn control over to your avatar, he’d jump right back into his killing spree without an ounce of hesitation. The game never asks you to take a side; it’s been chosen for you already. It may be that Dormin has nothing but ill will for humanity, and perhaps they will betray you in the end. Perhaps they were never capable of fulfilling your wish in the first place. None of that matters. Opportunities to cheat death don’t come every day. If life isn’t worth living without her, then what alternative do you really have?

Ultimately, pyrrhic is the only word that can be used to describe your eventual victory. The true nature of the ending is left as uncertain as everything that came before and may raise just as many questions as it provides answers, not only unto itself but also with regards to Team Ico’s namesake and maiden title. For me, at least, the mood was intensely somber but not without a spark of hope. After playing so many games with endings that are bittersweet at absolute worst, having those sentiments flipped on their head was definitely something that I needed at the time.

Shadow of the Colossus did not attempt to offer what I think most would consider a broadly enjoyable gameplay experience. Strip away the story and aesthetics and all that remains is a clunky, choppy collection of boss fights preceded by lengthy hallways. However, while some may be able to fully divorce in their minds the game proper from the package it’s wrapped in, to do so for a title like this one is to perform a disservice. They are deliberately and irreversibly intertwined. To me, SotC is a game that feels like one of the rare opportunities for an industry-backed developer to turn their nose up at convention and make an experience that conveys their intended vision. Many critics considered it a success, and many players have similar feelings. Maybe you feel it’s a masterpiece or just another overrated piece of artistic intrigue, or anywhere in-between. In my opinion, if nothing else, it’s an experiment that definitely left a mark on both me and my hobby, and one that I think we gravely need to see more of.

The slaying of the first batches of Colossi are nothing short of jaw dropping and get your adrenaline rushing throughout your body. You see that the team behind SotC perfected the concept of boss battles and how gratifying it can be to figure out their weakness and take down a mighty foe. The world of the game is quite wonderful to explore as well, ideally minimalist while being incredibly vast and distinct.

Now I specified the first batches of Colossi because around after the sixth or so boss battle. I noticed something different about Wander; his appearance was progressively changing. He looked more tired and more beaten up. The narrative of SotC creeps on you slowly throughout the game and it's when you notice things like that it's when the genius of SotC's storytelling really clicks with you. While it is still exhilarating to take down big motherfuckers; there is a far more heavier weight to it the more and more you are dedicated to your quest of taking down these giants. With Colossal Phalanx being borderline harmless and we still have to take it down. Both for it being a video game and for the sake of the main characters personal mission.

One of the greatest games I've experienced yet.

One of the game's flaws is that once you grasp the trick to weaken the bosses, the execution of said trick is hindered by frustrating controls (having played on PS2 and its 5fps during certain fights surely didn’t help). However, this process of successive failures (frustrating as it is) draws upon hidden reserves within you (some fights can last more than 30 minutes), and finally seeing these colossi fall brings immense joy, not far from the sensations one experiences when defeating a challenging boss in From Software games. The battle in the desert was one of the most epic for me. The end cinematic is simply spectacular.
FR :
Un des défauts du jeu et qu’une fois que le comprend le « trick » pour affaiblir les boss, la réalisation « trick » est entravé par une maniabilité frustrante (d’avoir joué sur PS2 et ses 5fps durant certains combats n’a sûrement pas aidé). Pourtant, ce procédé d’échecs successifs (frustrant) puise en vous des ressources cachées (certaines fight peuvent durer + de 30mn) et de voir d’enfin tuer ces colosses vous procura une joie immense, pas loin des sensations que l’on peut ressentir lorsqu’on tue un boss difficile des jeux From Software.
La bataille du désert a été pour moi une des plus épiques.
La cinématique de fin est tout simplement spectaculaire.

"Please, I need you to bring back her soul."

When it comes to "is games art?" I think Robert Ebert is right, not in that games CAN'T be art, it is and if it isn't it will be like it or not, but that people really don't need that "It's Art" stamp of approval. Games have their own merit and you definitely don't need to be snobby about whether it is or not.

That said Shadow of the Colossus and it's sister ICO can be great examples of the Game is Art meme. It doesn't have a lot to say but it does have a lot to experience, like a reverse MGS4 kind of.

But what is a game if not fun? Don't worry the fights are EPIC you are so limited in combat it really raises the tensity of these fights. Each fight is unique and each one has a great piece of music I wish we got those 48 total, but you know I kind of like the simplicity of just 16.

Great game, beautiful music, beautiful graphics even today.

:')

Somehow the original PS2 release is better than the remakes. Not that they're bad remakes. They're excellent remakes. But there is just some vibe that only the original PS2 graphics can capture. The feeling of "this is the future of video games". It is incredible that this came out on PS2. Similar to Half-Life 2, it's existentially terrifying in its vast world that is nearly barren of civilization. You feel so alone playing it, which makes it even more tragic when you meet a colossus just to take it down. This game is a masterpiece.

I remember when I was just a child, playing a series of games on my PS2, ranging from horror games like FF2 or Silent Hill and games of animated movies, like Kung Fu Panda and Ice Age. And one day, I passed by the store to buy a game, and saw this game. Returning home with it, I popped it into my PS2, turned it on and then it was it.

I never played something that actually made me this interested and invested. It is the game I played the most in my entire life. I know every bit of information in it. I know all the strategies, all the lore, all the mysteries. It is the most beautiful game I have ever played, truly a masterpiece to this very day.

Thank you, Fumito Ueda.

If you're looking for an example of quality over quantity in a video game developer, it would be hard to find a better one than Team ICO in the 2000s. Praised as the creator of Playstation 2's ICO, the game that gave the team their namesake, they would go on to develop only one more game for the PS2, and it would be over a decade after that until their next game-The Last Guardian-hit the market. But their second title was a titan, both in name and reputation, and is surely the team's most famous and acclaimed work. What began as an online multiplayer game called NICO would eventually develop into the now-iconic single player adventure game Shadow of the Colossus. Consistently hailed as an influential masterpiece and a clear demonstration of the artistic qualities of video games, SOTC is clearly a game that was ahead of its time; perhaps, even just a tad too far ahead.

Sometimes, when players venture back in time to classic games that they're playing for the first time-especially highly influential ones-the good qualities can be lost on them; oftentimes, what was revolutionary then is standard now. In that way, Shadow of the Colossus is a notable exception. Its unique, minimalistic atmosphere and artistic expression is noticeable as a standout not just for its time, but even when compared to contemporary titles. The game's use of lighting and liminal space creates a truly ethereal setting, matching the tones set by the game's narrative. It's rare a game deserves praise for an empty open world, but SOTC manages it very well. It truly feels like you're trespassing in a place you aren't supposed to be, and while the scenery serves more as a quiet respite rather than a setting to be fully explored, it nevertheless adds tremendously to the game's identity in all the best ways.

That is, of course, until you reach your next colossus. And while the game's quiet moments are great, it's most fondly remembered for its battles, and after just one, it isn't hard to understand why. The music swells, the ground shakes, and you find yourself face to face with a gargantuan opponent that is hundreds times your size. It's immediately epic and intimidating, and it always seems to take a few dodges of their massive attacks before you start looking for weak points and formulating a plan of attack. And while these are technically battles, it's more appropriate to call them environmental puzzles; short and sweet challenges which rely on you studying their behavior and trying different approaches. And when it works-and it almost always does-it's an incredible burst of gaming ingenuity and brilliance. There are 16 colossi to defeat here, and while one or two are a bit frustrating, they are by and large designed to near-perfection. And some even go beyond that.

Part of what makes Shadow of the Colossus so impactful is that, for a PS2 game, the game's movement and character animations are second to none. Its movement is incredibly fluid and lifelike-and that pertains to more than just the visuals. The game does an incredible job at making you feel small; you are constantly knocked off balance, and the smallest movements of the colossi feel earthshaking to you. At times, the controls even feel purposely frustrating; it's a feat that only a game as immersive as SOTC can pull off where gameplay is actually improved by intentionally limiting controls. Watching Wander fall to his knees with each colossal step and hold on for dear life as a colossus tries to shake him off only serves to envelop the player in their struggle deeper. Unfortunately, while these unique physics fit the vision for this game perfectly, it's hard to say the same about its graphical fidelity.

This is the PS2, of course, and for many of the impressive reasons people say it feels ahead of its time for a PS2 title, it certainly feels that way from a hardware point of view. Frame rates are often unstable, even while you are just panning the camera; in battle, it can make some fights look like a slideshow. It doesn't help that the camera controls and general playability can often feel a bit janky. The game is not ruined by these issues; it's still an excellent title, of course, but for as much effort as SOTC puts into making an immersive experience, these issues can quickly pull you out of it.

Shadow of the Colossus, regardless, remains a classic and a timeless example of the potential of video games, especially as a means of human expression. Even with its minimalistic story, there's still a sadness during the game's famous ending as the true purpose of your journey is revealed. There's still the awe of encountering each colossi, and there's still a quiet melancholy as you defeat them, and rid the sacred plain of the few signs of life it had. Shadow of the Colossus is an enduring classic that clearly inspired many titles that followed, and perhaps whose only real sin was being born on a console whose hardware could not handle its ambition.