Shadow of the Colossus was released by Sony on October 18 and received critical acclaim. It is the story of a boy who travels to the Shrine of Worship in the Forbidden Land to revive Mono, a girl which he has some type of relationship with. With only his trusty steed Agro by his side, Wander must confront 16 monstrous creatures so Dormin, the lord of the Forbidden Land, will bring Mono back to life.
I was introduced to this game in 2009, if I remember correctly. I went over to my best friend's house to spend the night (aka play video games all night) and he introduced me to this game. I had never heard of it but I was intrigued none the less. One sleepless night later, I was hooked on the game. Him and I, we spent countless hours trying to beat this game. Eventually, I got it for my birthday and I started on my own trek across this mystical land, hunting down these creatures. After a few play throughs, I finally understood: This would be the closest to perfection that a video game could get.
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The art in this game, as you can tell by these pictures or just looking at a video from the game, is something that no normal video game has. The art is detailed down to the last brick; hell, even areas that didn't make it in the game are more detailed than some games released around the same time. The detailing is so spot and so distinct that so many people recognize it and love it. They try to find faults in it but cannot do so, thus proving that the game has few, if any flaws.
Something that really hit home for me, as a music major in college, is that there is a lack of music or sound overall in the game. With exception to when you battle the Colossi, the game puts you in a real world situation; you are out in the wild with no one else besides your horse. There is not going to be any music, any sound out of the normal sounds of nature. That is what I remembered most from my first play through of Shadow of the Colossus: the lack of music made me feel more in tune with game. While the majority of the games I play have background music to make me stay focused on the game, Shadow did not have music but I was more focused than ever when playing. It does hurt, though, when music does play, it is typically amazing. Whether it was the art or just the story, this game had me.
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Now, comes the story analysis. Here we are, video gamers, expecting to have a full back story explained to us as we normally do. The game has to give us that, right? They have to give us some kind of reason on why this guy is going through this brutal challenge to bring back this girl. Nope, and that is another reason why I love Shadow. The creators do not give you a story; instead, they make you think about it and come up with a possible story for yourself. Are Wander and Mono lovers (my, along with countless others, theory) or are they brother and sister? What happened to Mono? How did Wander get the sword and find the Forbidden Land? There are so many un-answered questions through out the game and there is no right or wrong answer.
When it comes to the Colossi, they are a thing of beauty. Personally, my favorites are Gaius, Phalanx, and Malus. Though your objective is to kill these beasts to revive someone close to you, one cannot help but wonder if what you are doing is wrong. I'll get into this a little bit later, but these creatures seem so innocent and it makes you wonder if you should fight them. Made up of the pieces of Dormin, the ruler of the Forbidden land, the Colossi realm in their own separate areas, not giving a care about the world outside of their own little section. These beasts are just beautiful looking and the challenge of conquering the beast becomes more fun yet frustrating the further you go in the game.
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Now, what would a Shadow of the Colossus post be without mentioning probably the most important character of the game: your horse Agro. Agro is your trusty stead through out the game, getting you from location to location. He sticks with you through thick and thin, aiding you in your battle against the Colossi. And no matter what happens to you, Agro always comes back to you. Eventually, as you progress through the game, you realize how precious Agro is to the game, as he is the only living, non-Colossus being that you encounter on a regular basis and no matter what, the player and Agro develop a bond. Sometimes its a good, friendly, loving bond whereas other times it is an angry, hateful bond. But no matter how you feel for Agro, you cannot help but have tears come to your eyes when he sacrifices himself to help you finish your task. Honestly, to this day I cannot watch this and not get teary-eyed.
Dormin. Take all this stuff I've talked about and you've got one of the best games to ever come out. If you have never played this game before, do it now. My mumbo jumbo does not do the game justice and it is something that everyone needs to experience at least once in their lives.
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Here is the final proof that this video game is the best ever. Though it is a short clip, there is so much there. So, take it in and enjoy.
