Ode to Shadow of the Colossus (Spoilers & Death of 56k)

[Dolla Dolla]

If you know me through these forums, then you know that Shadow of the Colossus is more than likely my favorite game ... ever.

This thread is all things SoTC. Enjoy.

 

Story

The story of Shadow of the Colossus begins as Wander enters the forbidden land, traveling across the long bridge at its entrance on his horse, Agro. Led to the massive Shrine of Worship at the center of the region, Wander carries with him a body wrapped in a cloak, which he lays upon an altar in the shrine. Removing the cloak, the body of a maiden named "Mono" is revealed. A moment later, several shadow-like creatures with humanoid forms appear and prepare to attack Wander, but he easily dismisses them with a wave of an ancient sword in his possession. After vanquishing the shadow creatures, the voice of the disembodied entity known as "Dormin" echoes from above, expressing surprise that Wander possesses the weapon. Wander requests that Dormin return Mono's soul to her body, which they state may be possible, but only if the sixteen idols lining the temple's hall are destroyed. They explain that this task can only be accomplished by using the ancient sword to kill sixteen colossi located throughout the land.

Gameplay

Basics

Progression through Shadow of the Colossus occurs in cycles. Beginning at a central point in an expansive landscape, the player seeks out and defeats a colossus, and is then returned to the central point to repeat the process. To find each colossus, Wander must raise his sword while in a sunlit area to reflect beams of light, which will converge when the sword is pointed in the right direction of the next encounter. The journey to a colossus is seldom a straightforward matter—stretches of varied terrain often require that a detour be taken along the way. Most colossi are located in remote areas, such as atop cliffs or within ancient structures, and tend to be located progressively farther away from the central area.

Once a colossus is found, the player must discover its weaknesses to defeat it. Each colossus dwells in a unique lair, and many colossi cannot be defeated without making use of the surrounding environment. Every colossus has at least one weak point, indicated by a glowing sigil. If the area is lit by sunlight, the player may use the sword's reflected light to temporarily illuminate these sigils. Each colossus has areas covered with fur or protruding ledges, which the player may use to grip and scale the colossus while it thrashes about in an attempt to dislodge the player. While scaling a colossus, the player must act quickly, as Wander has a limited grip gauge that decreases while he hangs onto the creature.

Wander and the colossi have life bars to indicate their remaining health. The colossi's health will decrease significantly when their weak points are attacked, while Wander can be harmed by a colossus' attacks or falls from great heights. Throughout the game, Wander is equipped with only a sword and a bow.

Agro and the environment

Wander's horse, Agro, plays a large role in the game. In addition to serving as a means of transportation, Agro is vital in defeating some of the Colossi. There are, however, many places that Agro cannot reach. Colossi often inhabit areas beyond deep water or obstacles that must be scaled. Agro cannot travel beyond these, and when separated from Wander by such obstacles cannot participate in the following battle.

The environment must be used to the player's advantage more often as the game progresses. The first two battles take place on simple, large, flat areas of land, with the only goal being to discover how to scale the colossi and attack their weak points. However, the majority of the following fourteen battles require that some aspect of the battlefield be used.

 

Unofficial Trailer for Game:

 

 

Meet the Colossi:

This section has the picture and names of each Colossi. There are 16 altogether that made it in the final game.

The Ogre(1st Minotaur)

 

Seaside Cave(Mammoth)

 

Sleeping Giant(Knight)

The Horse(Kirin)

The Bat(Bird)

 

 

Temple Giant(2nd Minotaur)

Thunder Ripple(Eel)

Wall Shadow(Yavori)

Dry Lake Sleeper(Tortoise)

Earthshaker(Narga)

Flame Guardian(Leo)

Silent Thunder(Poseidon)

Traildrifter(Snake)

Destruction Luster(Cerberus)

Fallen Sentry(3rd Minotaur)

The Final Colossus(Evis)

Music from the game

The soundtrack for Shadow of the Colossus is amazing. It gets me hyped whenever I fight a Colossi and they have this epic music playing. Here is a live ensemble performance of one of the battle sequences:

 

 

Video Review (IGN)

This is a really good video review by IGN. There are some spoilers in the video as the reviewer notes before starting the review.

 

 

 

All in all, Shadow of the Colossus is not only an awesome action adventure video game, it is also a work of art. The world and the Colossi are so large and epic. Each battle is captivating. I can't say enough about this game. It's one of the best experiences I've ever had in gaming, period.


Sources:
http://www.ign.com
http://www.gamespy.com
http://www.gamespot.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_of_the_Colossus
http://www.shadowofthecolossus.com
http://www.youtube.com
http://www.team-ico.net