Shadow of the Colossus

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Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as Wander and the Colossus (Japanese: ワンダと巨像 Hepburn: Wanda to Kyozō?), is an action-adventure game 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. It was directed by Fumito Ueda and developed at SCEI's International Production Studio 1, also known as Team Ico; the same development team responsible for the cult hit Ico. Shadow of the Colossus is considered a spiritual successor to Ico. Along with Ico, Shadow of the Colossus was re-released in The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Classics HD in the PAL region) for the PlayStation 3 in September 2011; it features high-definition (HD) graphics, content previously missing from the North American version, PlayStation Network Trophies, and 3D support. The HD version was released separately in Japan.

The game's storyline focuses on a young man named Wander who enters a forbidden land. Wander must travel across a vast expanse on horseback and defeat sixteen massive beings, known simply as colossi, in order 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. 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.

Cited as an influential title in the video game industry, Shadow of the Colossus is often regarded as an important example of video game art due to its minimalist landscape designs, immersive gameplay and emotional journey. It received wide critical acclaim by the media and was met with strong sales compared to Ico, due in part to a larger marketing campaign. The soundtrack was also widely praised. The game won several awards for its audio, design, and overall quality. Shadow of the Colossus is also referenced numerous times in debates regarding the art quality and emotional perspectives of video games.

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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. According to Lord Emon later in the game, prior to entering the forbidden land Wander had stolen an ancient sword, which is the only weapon capable of slaying the colossi of the forbidden land. Led to the massive Shrine of Worship at the center of the region, Wander carries with him the body of a maiden named Mono. A moment later, several man-like shadowy creatures appear and prepare to attack Wander before he easily dismisses them with a wave of the 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 it states may be possible on the condition that Wander can destroy the sixteen idols lining the temple's hall by using the ancient sword to kill the sixteen colossi located throughout the land. Despite being warned by Dormin that he may have to pay a great price to revive Mono, Wander sets out to search the land for the colossi and destroy them.

What Wander does not know is that the colossi contain a portions of Dormin's own essence that was scattered long ago to render the entity powerless. As Wander kills each colossus, a released fragment of Dormin enters his body. In time, after slaying his eighth colossus, the signs of Wander's deterioration from the gathered essence is shown clearly—his skin becoming paler, his hair darker, and dark streaks growing across his face. After the death of the twelfth colossus, it is revealed to the player that Wander is being pursued by a group of warriors led by Emon. Urged to hurry with his task by Dormin, Wander soon heads off to defeat the sixteenth and final colossus. On the way to this confrontation, he travels on horseback across a long bridge which begins to collapse as he is halfway across. At the last second when he seems he would not make it, Wander is thrown to the other side by Agro as the steed saves his master while falling into the river hundreds of feet below as the bridge finally gives way.

Soon after, Wander goes on to defeat the final colossus as Emon's company arrives in the Shrine of Worship to witness the last temple idol crumble. With a paled and horned Wander appearing soon, Emon orders his warriors to kill the "possessed" man as he approaches Mono and finally falls once stabbed through the heart. However, Emon finds a newly whole Dormin possessing Wander's body and transforming its host into a shadowy giant. While his men flee, Lord Emon casts the ancient sword into a small pool at the back of the temple's hall to evoke a whirlwind of light that consumes Dormin and Wander. After fleeing with the bridge connecting to the temple collapsing behind them, forever isolating the forbidden land from the rest of the world, Emon expresses hope that Wander may be able to atone for his crimes should he have survived. Back in the temple, the revived Mono awakens and finds Agro limping into the temple with an injured hind leg. Mono follows Agro to the pool into which Wander and Dormin were pulled by Emon's spell, finding a male infant with tiny horns on his head. She takes the child with her, following the horse to higher levels of the Shrine of Worship, and arrives at a secret garden within the shrine as the game ends.

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