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Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as Wander and the Colossus (ワンダと巨像, Wanda to Kyozō?), is a Japanese-developed action-adventure video game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI) for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006.[1] The game was created by SCEI's International Production Studio 1, the same development team responsible for the cult hit[2] Ico.[3]
The game focuses on a young man named Wander who must travel across a vast expanse on horseback and defeat sixteen beings, simply known as colossi,[4] to restore the life of a girl named Mono. The game is unusual within the action-adventure genre in that there are no towns or dungeons to explore, no characters with which to interact, and no enemies to defeat other than the colossi.[5][6] Shadow of the Colossus has been described as a puzzle game, as each colossus' weakness must be identified and exploited before it can be defeated.[7][8]
Shadow of the Colossus was well-received by the media and met with strong sales when released. The game's soundtrack was widely praised and referred to as one of its stronger aspects. It also won several awards for its audio, design, and overall quality.
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.[7] 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.[9] 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.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.[11] Every colossus has at least one weak point, indicated by a glowing sigil[12] that can be illuminated and identified by the sword's reflected light.[9][13] 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.[7] 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. A colossus' health will decrease significantly when its weak points are attacked, while Wander can be harmed by a colossus' attacks or a fall from great height. Throughout the game, Wander is equipped with only a sword and a bow[12], but may obtain other weapons from completing the Time Attack trials.
While the Colossi are the only enemies, there are natural animals in the environment. Only one species, however, has any effect on gameplay: Killing and eating a certain kind of lizard increases Wander's grip gauge. Likewise, the player may find fruit that increases Wander's maximum health.[14]
[edit] Agro and the environment
Wander's horse, Agro,[15] plays a large role in the game. In addition to serving as a means of transportation, she[16] is vital in defeating some of the Colossi.[17] There are, however, many places that she 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.[9] During such times, she waits faithfully for Wander to return from the 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.[9][11] However, the majority of the following fourteen battles require that some aspect of the battlefield be used.
The protagonist of the game is Wander (ワンダ, Wanda?) (voiced by Kenji Nojima), a young man whose goal is to resurrect a girl named Mono (モノ?) (voiced by Hitomi Nabatame). Little is known about Mono other than that she was somehow sacrificed because she was believed to have a cursed destiny.[26] Assisting Wander in his quest to revive her is his loyal horse, Agro (アグロ, Aguro?), who serves as his only ally in defeating the colossi.[27] Wander also receives aid from an entity called Dormin (ドルミン, Dorumin?) (voiced by Kazuhiro Nakata and Kyōko Hikami). The story revolves around these characters, but features a small supporting cast including Lord Emon (エモン?) (voiced by Naoki Bandō).
Speaking with two voices at once (one male and one female), Dormin is a mysterious, disembodied entity. In legends of the game's world, it is said that Dormin has the power to revive the dead,[25][27] and it is for this reason that Wander enters the forbidden land, seeking its assistance in reviving Mono. Dormin offers to revive her in exchange for Wander destroying the sixteen colossi.[28]
Lord Emon is a shaman who narrates a vision in the game's introduction, vaguely explaining the origin of the land Wander has come to, and emphasising that entry to this place is forbidden.[25] He is portrayed as having extensive knowledge regarding the containment of Dormin, and the ability to use powerful magic. He has a small group of warriors at his command, and is pursuing Wander to prevent the use of "the forbidden spell", the ritual involving the destruction of the sixteen colossi and the restoration of Dormin's power.[29]
The colossi are armored, most often enormous creatures with forms ranging from various humanoids to predatory animals, and live in all manner of surroundings and environments including beneath water and flying through the air. Their bodies are a fusion of organic and inorganic parts such as rock, earth, fur, and architectural elements, some of which are weathered or fractured. Some Colossi ignore Wander and will only attack when provoked, while others will attack on sight.[7][30] Inhabiting specific locations in the forbidden land, they do not venture outside their own territory. Once slain they will remain where fallen as a mound of earth and rock vaguely resembling the original colossus.
The game focuses on a young man named Wander who must travel across a vast expanse on horseback and defeat sixteen beings, simply known as colossi,[4] to restore the life of a girl named Mono. The game is unusual within the action-adventure genre in that there are no towns or dungeons to explore, no characters with which to interact, and no enemies to defeat other than the colossi.[5][6] Shadow of the Colossus has been described as a puzzle game, as each colossus' weakness must be identified and exploited before it can be defeated.[7][8]
Shadow of the Colossus was well-received by the media and met with strong sales when released. The game's soundtrack was widely praised and referred to as one of its stronger aspects. It also won several awards for its audio, design, and overall quality.
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.[7] 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.[9] 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.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.[11] Every colossus has at least one weak point, indicated by a glowing sigil[12] that can be illuminated and identified by the sword's reflected light.[9][13] 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.[7] 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. A colossus' health will decrease significantly when its weak points are attacked, while Wander can be harmed by a colossus' attacks or a fall from great height. Throughout the game, Wander is equipped with only a sword and a bow[12], but may obtain other weapons from completing the Time Attack trials.
While the Colossi are the only enemies, there are natural animals in the environment. Only one species, however, has any effect on gameplay: Killing and eating a certain kind of lizard increases Wander's grip gauge. Likewise, the player may find fruit that increases Wander's maximum health.[14]
[edit] Agro and the environment
Wander's horse, Agro,[15] plays a large role in the game. In addition to serving as a means of transportation, she[16] is vital in defeating some of the Colossi.[17] There are, however, many places that she 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.[9] During such times, she waits faithfully for Wander to return from the 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.[9][11] However, the majority of the following fourteen battles require that some aspect of the battlefield be used.
The protagonist of the game is Wander (ワンダ, Wanda?) (voiced by Kenji Nojima), a young man whose goal is to resurrect a girl named Mono (モノ?) (voiced by Hitomi Nabatame). Little is known about Mono other than that she was somehow sacrificed because she was believed to have a cursed destiny.[26] Assisting Wander in his quest to revive her is his loyal horse, Agro (アグロ, Aguro?), who serves as his only ally in defeating the colossi.[27] Wander also receives aid from an entity called Dormin (ドルミン, Dorumin?) (voiced by Kazuhiro Nakata and Kyōko Hikami). The story revolves around these characters, but features a small supporting cast including Lord Emon (エモン?) (voiced by Naoki Bandō).
Speaking with two voices at once (one male and one female), Dormin is a mysterious, disembodied entity. In legends of the game's world, it is said that Dormin has the power to revive the dead,[25][27] and it is for this reason that Wander enters the forbidden land, seeking its assistance in reviving Mono. Dormin offers to revive her in exchange for Wander destroying the sixteen colossi.[28]
Lord Emon is a shaman who narrates a vision in the game's introduction, vaguely explaining the origin of the land Wander has come to, and emphasising that entry to this place is forbidden.[25] He is portrayed as having extensive knowledge regarding the containment of Dormin, and the ability to use powerful magic. He has a small group of warriors at his command, and is pursuing Wander to prevent the use of "the forbidden spell", the ritual involving the destruction of the sixteen colossi and the restoration of Dormin's power.[29]
The colossi are armored, most often enormous creatures with forms ranging from various humanoids to predatory animals, and live in all manner of surroundings and environments including beneath water and flying through the air. Their bodies are a fusion of organic and inorganic parts such as rock, earth, fur, and architectural elements, some of which are weathered or fractured. Some Colossi ignore Wander and will only attack when provoked, while others will attack on sight.[7][30] Inhabiting specific locations in the forbidden land, they do not venture outside their own territory. Once slain they will remain where fallen as a mound of earth and rock vaguely resembling the original colossus.
