Shadow of the Colossus review

Look through your library, pull out that dusty tome called the Game Rulebook, open up the nearest window and forcefully throw said book through it. It’s not needed. Ever again. The rules have changed, the lines are redrawn in another time and place and we’re playing with a different ball in a whole new ballpark. Shadow of the Colossus is one of the most stunning and stunningly original PS2 games that you’re ever likely to play and to miss out on it is a crime that should be punishable by a severe custodial sentence.

Although created by the same gorgeous minds (they’re called Fumito Ueda and Kenji Kaido, just in case you were planning on adding them to your Christmas card list) that brought us the hugely underrated ICO, there are only a few vague similarities between the two games – they’re both wholly original titles, both feature a lead protagonist with a horny helmet and both rely on dead ladies for the main plot thread.

Girlfriend in a Coma

In the case of Shadow of the Colossus, our hero brings his lifeless lover to a temple where, he’s led to believe, she can be returned from the dead. And as the bodiless booming voice tells him, this is indeed the case. The catch (as there always has to be at least one) is that he has to defeat 16 colossi, each one the size of an average English town. And, as catches go, this one’s a bit of a doozy.

Then the game begins, and you’re off hunting your first colossus. Leaping onto your trusty steed, you head off. But where do you start looking? Ah, that’s where your (patented) Magic Sword comes in. Lift it up high and, as you spin around the horizon, it tingles when you’re pointing in the right direction for your next victim. Brilliant. You park up at the bottom of a cliff, climb up it with some gentle advice from the in-game tutorial and then you’re onto your first battle…

Been There, Done That

So there you are. You’re a time-hardened gaming veteran and you think that you’ve seen it all. You’re expecting something large, hairy and multi-limbed. You’re thinking that it has a simple routine to be learnt and then you can hack bits off it. You’ve defeated a thousand bosses in a thousand games and you’ve been there, done it and quite possibly worn the T-shirt too, but nothing (and I really mean nothing) can prepare you for this.

You walk around the corner and an enormous creature lumbers past. The ground shakes, your heart beats and then it slowly turns around to look at you. You’re dead meat. Ah, but maybe not. The secret to defeating each of the 16 colossi is in its weak spot. These can be on the soles of their feet, their backs or the tops of their heads, and its location is kindly revealed to you by once again raising your sword above your head.

Of course, it’s not quite that simple, as these mighty beasts are unlikely to roll over and play dead for you, so you need to find a suitably grippy area to leap onto the creature and then slowly work your way up, across and over to the spot to attack.

This thrilling endeavour can take ages, as your thrashing target slowly begins to realise what’s happening and does everything in its power to shake you off. Stab the weak spot a few times with your sword and the colossus goes into its death throes, but there’s preciously little time to consider any niggling feelings of guilt or remorse, as your stone-cold girlfriend needs your attention. Counselling can come later.

Variety is the Spice of Death

If you’re thinking that hunting down and killing the colossi might get samey, then think again. The joy with Shadow of the Colossus is the game is anything but. The atmosphere builds incredibly as you hunt the next beast and, as you genuinely have no clue whatsoever about what’s around the next corner, it’s always edge-of-the-seat stuff.

Each creature is completely different in size, shape and method needed to kill it. Some are straightforward, while others require an ingenious mind to unravel the solution. Much more than a series of uninspiring boss battles, this is a game that challenges perceptions and breaks down the boundaries of conventional gaming and genre with assured defiance.

If we were looking for some criticisms (and bear in mind that I had to look with razor-sharp eyes and the largest and most powerful magnifying glass that money could buy), I could be cruel and say that the camera does indulge in the occasional moment of sweeping madness. But to be honest, it’s almost impossible to find games with perfect camera work, so it’s probably best to praise those games rather than constantly criticise all the others.

And, while we’re in a picky mood, there are more than a few moments when you’re galloping aimlessly across the barren wasteland, waving your sword in the air and desperately searching for the route down/up/across to the next colossus. Once again though, this wasn’t a fault that niggled for too long, as simply riding your horse around the stunning scenery is a joy that takes far longer than you’d think to turn dull.

All Things To All People

Shadow of the Colossus is obviously not a game for everyone. It requires thought and care to get the most from it, and those that demand action, ammo and the possibility of a heroine in a tight leather suit around every corner are likely to be disappointed. Those gamers who crave something that’s unique, visually stunning and utterly involving will find Shadow of the Colossus extremely hard to resist.