So, was all that hype justified, or was it just hyperbole? Well, let me put it to you a way anyone can understand, Shadow of The Colossus is unlike anything you will ever play. We'll start with what everyone sees first shall we? The game looks fantastic. The desolate, vast environments will make your jaw drop, and really showcase what the PS2 was truely capable of. The character models of Wander and his horse, Agro, are expertly animated, and make the whole experience come alive. The Colossi themselves are also very well designed. They seem to be a creative blend of both organic and machine like in structure, which makes slaying them feel as if you have taken the life of a living, breathing creature. As for the level design, all you are given is a sprawling world, complete with lakes, (which have the best water effects on the PS2 period), mountains and deserts, that are beautiful to look at. The main levels themselves, as funny as it sounds, are the fights with the Colossi. They are just that huge. One gripe I have with the visual style, is that apart from the few birds, trees and occasional lizard, the overworld feels very empty. There are no side quests, characters to talk to or collectibles to find, but I guess in retrospect, this is a powerful tool the designers have used in order to enhance the feeling of isolation and lonliness that is no doubt, what the main character is feeling most of the time anyway.
Moving on, we will talk about the story aspect of the game. The plot is basically, Wander's love interest, Mono, has died for some reason, and he has journeyed to this Forbidden Land, in a desperate attempt to revive her. He is promised by Dormin, a residing spirit, that by slaying the 16 Colossi who inhabit the world that Mono will be resurrected. It's not much, but by the end, it becomes very emotionally charged, and fans of ICO in particular, will feel a true connection to it. It is by no means a story worthy of an award, as plot lines such as this have been done a million times before.
On to the core gameplay, it can't get much simpler. You traverse the land in order to find the Colossi, and you are tasked with bringing them down. This is no easy feat, as the gargantuan beasts that are the Colossi aren't going down without a fight. The objective is to find a way to climb onto the Colossi, via a beard or tail or the like, and find glowing weak points, which is the only way to damage them. It sounds easy on paper, but with the Colossus thrashing around, trying to throw Wander off, and the constant threat of your dwindling grip gauge, the fights can get pretty intense. This does however, present the games two biggest flaws. The first being that, some Colossi, two in particular seem to be remodelled or recycled versions of others, which seems strange, as most of them are unique and really fun to fight. My second trouble, is the frustration when your grip gauge expires and you plummet to the ground, potentially having to waste another 5 minutes to climb back to the spot where you fell, and to finish the beast. However, with patience and timing, this flaw can be avoided for the most part, and I would only consider it a very minor nitpick.
All in all, Shadow of The Colossus is a game all of its own, and must be praised as such. It cannot really be compared to anything as it was a pioneer in the mechanics it uses. I think that it is up there with the best the PS2 has to offer, both in terms of visuals and gameplay, and most self respecting gamers owe it to themselves to play it. I am not however, saying it is perfect, as no game is. It is let down by a fairly weak story, and some of the Colossi fights being recolours (if you'll excuse the expression) of others. But , on the whole, it is one of the select few games that people will remember for many years to come, albeit for all the right reasons.
