Thirteen years after the initial release, Bluepoint Games has remastered this iconic game making it one of the most beautiful games to get immersed in. With a plot that has hard hitting moral questions and a heartbreaking ending, Shadow of the Colossus comes as a pleasant place to be while still retaining what made the original great. Without any spoilers, new players may come across Shadow of the Colossus and still have questions. The original, which had more of a cult following at the time, jumped in to the spotlight as time went on. Players had finally had time to realize what Bluepoint Games had done. They had created an artistic feat that was way before its time.
The game has a small set of characters which makes the Forbidden Land feel isolated and lonely. Our main character Wander, brings an unconscious female named Mono to an alter located somewhere on the map in hopes to revive her. A disembodied entity called Dormin speaks to Wander where he finds out, in exchange for Mono’s life, he must find and defeat 16 Colossi. This is where the real adventure begins in this action-adventure game.
Wander grabs his horse Agro and sets off across the vast landscape with a sword he is already carrying in order to find these massive humanoid creatures. Along his journey, Wander spends a lot of time alone. When the colossi is found, there are hints of a past settlement. Amazingly, the developers worked very hard to create an immersive environment. Each colossi has hair that flows in very distinct detail. With every stab with Wander’s sword, black colossi blood sprays without feeling fake. Every single detail is precisely in place.
Visuals are abundant in Shadow of the Colossus hands down. Made very clear, the lighting in this game speaks volumes. Every new area feels real. There are no words to describe how much work the developers put in to the Forbidden Land, especially if you compare this version with the 480p that came out on the PS2 in 2005. With few changes to the game itself, Bluepoint Games did update some small things like the grip meter and the camera.
Although the camera still needs work, the change did make a small difference. Everyone was hopeful that the camera would have more control compared to the free roam camera that auto corrects itself. This alone made some moves difficult like climbing and jumping while involved in battle but didn’t ruin the game. After being out and about on the map, collecting lizards now adds to the grip meter, giving small amounts of grip throughout. The meter now shrinks in size compared to the growing meter before.
In the end, this game is worth playing even if you played the original. Visually incredible, the story alone is one that will stick around. Players will find that this is a game unlike all of the others they have played. Shadow of the Colossus is a game that more people have heard of then actually played when it first came out. Now is the time to go to the Forbidden Land and see how you stack up against the Giants that inhabit it.
Shadow of the Colossus is available now on PS4
