A rare find in the world of video games with a unique adventure

Author's Rating:

Pros: Nearly everything

Cons: Some rare little flaws in game play at some moments.

The Bottom Line: 
NOT for everyone, but if you don't mind thinking hard with puzzles at least rent it

Author's Review
Shadow of the Colossus Review

SCROLL DOWN FOR SHORT REVIEW!!!

Key: 

Italicized: My opinion

Non-italicized: Facts (for the most part) 

Intro

I won't lie about this game. It's very hard to give a review of this game without giving away a lot about it. I will try my best, but please understand this fact before you go on with this review. This game is the second game in a series which began with Ico. I have not played Ico before and only know bits and pieces of it. Yet, even if you haven't played the game before this one it doesn't matter much at all because the story with this game is fine to start where it does without anything before it. In Japan the game is known as Wander and the Colossus....however, I like the English name better. Yet Wander is the name of your character as you are playing through the game. You find out that there is a girl named Mono who is dead whom you love very much. She resides on a slab of rock which is found in a large and gorgeous building where you start your adventure from. There is a strange bright light that comes down in the middle of the building which promises to you that it can bring Mono back to life. In order for it to complete this it wants you to go out a kill these giant earth-shaking colossi that are wondering around this 'forbidden land'. In fact that only reason you are able to traverse this 'forbidden land' is apparently because of the rare sword which you have in your possession which is somewhat magical and can be used to kill colossi.

Interface

The interface is done extremely well. I am very satisfied with it. There is nothing but your character on the screen as well as a horse; Agro that follows you around on the screen. No pop-ups with the exception of the text that goes with what a light says that comes from above which is at the same building where Mono is. This leaves the entire screen open to the beautiful scenery as you are playing the game. 

The only time when there are things displayed on screen is when you take out Wander's sword or his bow and arrow which is the same time that you want to know information about the game. There is a bar showing the life of Wander as well as his strength to hold on or to use his weapons which is shown in a circle so that it is easy to tell how much is left/how much is being used. It also tells you which weapon you have out which is either the bow and arrow or the sword, or you could carry nothing (which might let you climb slightly faster). 

The menus are done fairly well and are uncluttered as well. The options on the main screen include New Game, Load Game, Options, and when you finish the game: New Game (Hard Mode).

With the options mode it lets you adjust the brightness, screen placement, aspect ratio, progressive scan, audio, vibration (on/off), camera control (normal/inverted; horizontal/vertical), camera speed, vertical aim control (normal/inverted; horizontal/vertical), as well as button configuration (so you can change it if you don't like it, the main grumbles about it were because based on the normal configuration).

If you allow the game to stay on the main screen it doesn't show an example of the Colossi which are in the game (which is good because it doesn't give away anything). Instead it shows the horse Agro running around or it follows a bird around the beautiful environment. This provides a soothing experience rather than getting you all worked up about something. 

The 'in-game' menu has the map which I will go on in more detail below as well as the options on the main screen and quit game. This makes it 'uncluttered' as well.

Camera

In my opinion the camera was done well for this game. You are able to control it by moving around the right joystick and you can do a complete 360 while on Agro and while off of Agro as well as up and down control too. I think that this is well done because it seems that you have complete camera control. You also have those options mentioned above so that you can increase/decrease how fast the camera moves around and so forth. Some people were saying that they didn't like the camera, but I don't know why it would bother you too much, it's always focused on Wander during the game which should be your main attention. If you push the L1 button as well it will give you an 'over-the-shoulder' perspective of Wander which is nice, but it can only be done when standing still so it seems kind of pointless unless you don't know what's directly in front of you.

The Sword

The sword by any regular definition looks normal. However, if you didn't have the sword you'd be pretty much outta luck as one might say in dealing with these colossi. How would you take down a colossus with a sword you say? That is the absolute genius of this game. You get to decide how to tackle these giant colossi and that is what makes this game great. There is no tutorial for how to take them down, although there are 'vulnerable' parts on each colossi that you can use to take them down faster. However, you have to get to these large mythical things first... This is also when the sword comes into play as well. The only gripe about this, at least for me, is the fact that this is not really focused on during the beginning of the game. So you can basically be wondering around the huge 'forbidden world' which you are thrown into without knowing what to do or where to go unless you experiment a little. This is actually what happened to me the first time I started to play it. I didn't know what I was supposed to do or whatever and I have a feeling this is probably where many people end up stop playing the game. It's easy enough to do though, you take out your sword and you point it at the light above (is that the sun? I don't know, I'm assuming it's the same thing that was talking to you before) and you need to twist around with the sword in-hand to find out where the light focuses on. This is a guideline which is given to you to find out where you are supposed to go to find the colossi. 

The sword can also be used while on the Colossus as well. To be able to learn more about the Colossus you need to have you sword equipped to do it (the magic thing again). When you equip your sword there will be different symbols that appear on the Colossi while you are holding onto them. These symbols need to be stabbed to be able to really defeat them. These symbols appear randomly on the Colossi and are sometimes very hard to find. When you stab with the sword the strength meter comes into use again. For each stab you should probably try to do it when your strength builds up so that the stab is the most effective. This, again, requires good timing on your part and strategy to be able to accomplish. Remember too that you need this strength to hold on as well which limits time as well that you have to accomplish this.

Bow and Arrow

This is an annoyance weapon, ok it's not supposed to be annoying to you =P Instead, you are supposed to use this to annoy the colossi that you run into. It works pretty well too, it feels like you're shooting a bow and arrow and it acts like one too. When you use the bow and arrow the interface I mentioned before comes up as well and the circle comes up which allows you to balance the amount of strength which is used while firing the bow and is very helpful and intuitive. A GREAT addition with the bow and arrow is that you can also stand on your horse (although you can't maneuver the horse while standing on it; much like real life =P) and fire the bow. You might find this feature very very helpful while fighting the colossi especially when they are moving around and are going pretty fast.

 Part of the features for the bow and arrow are very similar to the way that the sword works as I mentioned before. It works with the strength bar as you draw back the bow the strength increases along with the time that you do it so that if you hold it long enough it will go farther. This makes it so that you should plan ahead if you want your arrows to land solidly as well as how hard they hit. This is unlike the Dynasty Warriors bow and arrow because they don't always fly straight in a line without any resistance...or gravity. 

Agro

Yes, I know, it's a strange name (at least to me). It's the name of the horse that follows you around during the game. Heh, there's even one YouTube video that shows a way you can kill Agro and have him still following you around...dead =P So it's basically impossible to get rid of him. But this horse is not to get rid of; he's to be enjoyed as you play this game and is a very large part of it. Throughout the game Agro helps you get to the colossi faster and easier than if you were just on foot. While riding Agro it also feels like you are actually riding a horse rather than just an electronic representation of one. This is because Agro 'acts' like a horse, he shudders, he trots, he runs about as fast as the average horse, he even jumps in a realistic way no matter where you are jumping from. In fact, Agro even falls down sometimes when he jumps from such high areas on the map and he holds his hind leg up slightly as well giving you an accurate depiction of a hurt horse. 

The Map

The map is done well during the game. At the beginning of the game it doesn't show you where all of the Colossi are in the game (because you don't know initially), but as you get from one to the next their exact locations go back up on the screen. When the map is displayed it shows your current location as well as the viewing area you can see while at that location. It also includes parts of the map which are indicated as 'raised' meaning that not everything is flat and that some are large hills. One of the better parts of the map is that it includes a line showing you where you have been during your travels. This makes it so that you don't make the same mistake twice in going somewhere that obviously isn't where you want to be. The map also allows you to zoom in and out by moving the right joystick up to go in and back to go out. You are given the option to move around while zoomed in or out with the left control stick. These are good additions rather than just having the map by itself 'static'.

Game play

As soon as you start out there is a task given to you by the light above you and you set-off. Of course you can just walk around this giant environment; however Agro does follow you around the entire time you are walking despite if you call him or not. So it's obvious that the creators of the game wanted you to ride Agro around this beautiful land and it does make things more enjoyable as you are going through it with this beautiful horse you are guiding around. It also adds a sort of 'feel' to the game, a lone warrior on a horse just like the knights of the past. This is an interesting feel that you don't get in many other games, if any, at all. As you are going to these colossi that you are directed towards you have to use the sword (As I mentioned before) to direct the light and where ever the light is focused as you are spinning around to focus the light this is where you need to go. The light can be directed nearly anywhere, left, right, up, down, sideways, etc. All of these things need to be taken in combination with the map when you push the start button to really get an idea of where you need to be going. This, again, is where some people are just going to give up because they don't like to do things like that; this game is not made for everyone. However, at least with the first one this is fairly straight-forward and is not in some obscure location which is hard to find. This is nice to do because you want to make it easy at the beginning because if you make it too hard it will indeed 'set people off' from playing anymore. There are parts when you are going to the colossi in which you can use your horse Agro as you are going along to help take out the colossi. There are also colossi which can't be reached while using the horse and you have to proceed on foot because of the conditions of the land (much like in real life). These are done in good order, the ones where you don't have the horse you really don't need him and with the ones you proce
ed on foot you don't really need Agro to fight them. 

As you are going through this land it is absolutely beautiful, there aren't too many parts of the land where you can just point out that that doesn't look good or that doesn't seem natural. The entire area is just beautiful and wide-open. There is also just the 'initial load' when you start the game to get this environment to be 'fully loaded' and there are no more as you are going through it. This is just refreshing because it makes everything seem more natural because nature doesn't 'load' =P; it's just there. 

There are multiple save-points which you will find throughout the land. These are done tastefully too because they are simply certain 'walls' it seems which were carved and you can prey at these walls once you are off the horse so that you have this point to go back to. They are also fairly easy to spot, which is good. These save-points can be used at any time when out in the environment which is nice because it allows you to do things such as go through the environment without going to the colossus and just admiring the environment if you really want to do that. 

When you finally get to the colossus you are going after you then find them and there is a movie sequence which shows them in their first appearance. You are then faced with a challenge..."How the hell do I take that thing out??" Never fear, with a cool mind and a relaxed hand you can dispatch these foes with relative ease. Not convinced? Ok, I was never one to pore out sweet lies (leaves you hanging). These colossi are made very well, most of them are creatures that shake and roam the land and are beautiful looking. At first, though, some of them won't pay you any mind. Why should they? They are just roaming the land and most don't see you as a threat. The smaller ones, however, will find you as a threat and will come after you (This leads to a complaint below).

Each of the Colossi that you fight during the game is basically like a boss battle. There are no enemies that are in-between the colossi during this game. You might think that that is a bad thing...it is not. In fact, if there were enemies that were in-between the colossi then it would only detract from the original focus of the game. The entire game is of course related to these colossi and nothing else such as rampaging buffalos of the land or angry hoodlums who just got out of school. To really feel that you are up against something great you need only fight the large opponents.

Once you start fighting the colossus it is all strategy, you need to analyze the colossus and find a point where you might be able to get on them. Yet, even if you figure that out you might need to do something before continuing such as get them to perform a certain action which will expose that weak spot. You might look at the colossus and not even see a weak spot, this is a possibility too because some of them don't seem to have any you can see readily. This might be because that spot is hidden or you need to destroy something on the colossus to continue. Think of it as taking down a damn big dinosaur, you need to find their weakness(s), expose it, and then stab them to death. Don't take too long thinking about it because you might die standing there too. This makes fighting these colossi SO much fun because of that fact. The Colossi will also try to shake you off while you are on them or go some place where you can't hold on. Therefore you have to plan ahead for these moments and make sure you regain your strength to hold on when you do have the time. 

When you are playing the game initially it's on the normal difficulty setting so that if indeed the colossus steps on you will survive to keep on playing. In fact, there is an interesting health dynamic with this game as well. At least with the normal mode the game allows you to be harmed and if you manage to keep away from the colossus in a safe area for awhile your health will go back up again. So it's a nice dynamic to have and it makes the battle even more climactic at the end because of the amount of time you've spent figuring out the colossus, recovering from being hit by them, and then the time you've spent on them and killing them. 

I'm not entirely sure how many different ways there are to kill a colossus as I haven't spent four hours trying different methods, but I think that it should be an option to constantly shoot arrows at them towards their vulnerable spots and be able to kill them, even if it takes a long time to do so. I say this because it is nice to have more than one method to do things in games and even for games like this isn't an exception; it also makes it more realistic.

If you do end up dying during fighting the colossus there isn't much to be worried about, you will respawn directly when you started to fight the colossus in the first place despite if or if not you saved it or not. This is a good chance to go back (I'm fairly sure it allows you to go back during this time) and save the game at a save-point so that you can go back to that point if you choose to shut-down the PS2. For the people that do indeed end up in this type of situation there is some help. During the game, if you are having problems fighting the colossi that are facing you and if the game determines enough time has gone by it will give you a hint as to how to defeat them. The number of hints given to you depend upon the colossus as well as the time you take in trying to beat them. The hints given out are also much appreciated hints rather than something that would give away the entire experience of figuring out how to defeat these creatures.

There is a hard mode for this game which is unlocked when you defeat the game on normal mode. Most of the people that will probably end up playing this mode are probably hard-core gamers that like this type of game. I'm not sure entirely what happens when you beat the game on hard mode, but I do know that you receive something that will be very helpful for you during your fight with the colossi which can probably be used on any mode. I will leave this as a secret for you.

Complaints

The one complaint that I have with this game is the smaller colossi that are in the game. For one they don't seem like they should be called colossal if they don't live up to the name, although I understand the fact that the strategy difference is much compared to the larger ones and it is good to have that difference. This doesn't matter as much to me as the fact that a lot of these smaller colossi seem to ram you all the time when they can. While this is probably accurate to what they would do in real life it tends to just be damn annoying.

Another complaint that I have is that after you play the game once over you should be able to 'fast-forward' to the colossi you want to fight if you want to do one over. It seems that instead of that you have to go through the game again to play these different colossi and that takes a lot more time rather than just having you 'appear' at these areas.

Compliments

The overall game is very well done. This game really gives you the feeling that you are participating in something 'epic', something 'larger than life'. There aren't many games that can claim this, if any save this one, and it is very impressive to see something like this in a PS2 that deviates from the norm in such a drastic way. 

The horse Agro is also very well done. I have never seen a character like this (one that doesn't talk) develop in such a way that is all nonverbal and you really feel like you have a real bond with Agro towards the end of the game.

Other

Some nice little extras for those who have played the game through before is the option to go back and see the corpses of the Colossi that you have killed. However, if you don't save before you fight the last one then you can't see them again...

Another small extra is the fact that you get to keep the health and strength which you have gained with Wander as you have traveled through the game which is nice to have. It also makes it something that you can increase while playing on hard mode which is pretty damn cool.

Overall Impressions (AKA short review) 

Interface

The interface is done very very well. There is basically nothing obscuring the screen until you come to something that you might be interested in seeing if you want to know how you're doing (explained in detail above). The controls are a little clunky, mostly because of the lack of use of some of the controls.

Presentation

The presentation is extremely well done; there is no game that can claim to do what Shadow of the Colossus has done in the way of interaction on such a large scale throughout the entire game. 

Sound

There isn't much sound while you are riding through the game, but there is when you are fighting the Colossi and it is done well in my opinion with how it 'builds up the action' until you make the final kill. You barely realize you're playing it most of the time because most of your concentration is on the screen which means that it is done appropriately because that's what most games 'aim for'.

Game play

Overall the game play is done very well, there is no game that controls quite like it and it seems very realistic. My only complaint (which is mentioned above) is that smaller colossi which seem to kill you very fast. There are also some small inconveniences that you find during one or two of the fights with Colossi that shouldn't be there, but that's nothing to shake your fist at.

Lasting Appeal

This, unfortunately, is where most linear games do fall flat and unfortunately this is not an exception. Once you play the game you know just about everything the game wants you to do and therefore it's not 'as fun' as it once was. However, if you put it down for awhile and go back to it you might find it really great again if you forgot what it was like and what to do. Of course this is true with any game and it would have been nice to have seen something like the 'fast-forward' option I mentioned above.

9.5/10