The third generation remake of Shadow of the Colossus aims to deliver the same experience that veterans are craving, while taking full advantage of modern technology. Read our review to find out if Bluepoint Games and Sony were successful.
This isn’t Shadow of the Colossus‘ first rodeo. The game has been around since 2005 when it debuted on the PlayStation 2. It was then re-mastered for the PlayStation 3, and now again for the PlayStation 4. What’s perhaps most unique about these iterations is that the game itself never changed. It was updated for newer technology, polished to support the higher resolutions, including 4K HDR on the PlayStation 4 Pro, but the core experience remained identical. For a lot of reviewers and gamers, this means that the nostalgia factor is extremely high. Not so for me, however, as this is my first experience with Shadow of the Colossus. Even without the rose-colored glasses of memories, this game is special.
Editor’s Note: All screenshots seen below were taken on a regular PlayStation 4 at 1080p resolution.
Simple, but Deeply Emotional
The premise of Shadow of the Colossus is very simple. Boy brings girl to temple to appeal to magical beings in the hopes of returning his love back to life. Horse comes along because… that’s what horses do. Wander, the protagonist and expert Colossus climber, is who you play as. He is tasked with defeating 16 Colossi in order to appease the magical beings and complete his quest.
Using the power of his sword, Wander seeks out each Colossus in order, without much explanation surrounding the affair. The process is the same each time: follow the light of your sword, find the Colossus, take a moment to gather your thoughts, and then observe it, looking for weak spots. Wander then has to climb the Colossus, using one of any number of imaginative ways, in order to reach those weak spots. This is really where the core of the game mechanics come into play. The camera automatically follows Wander as he scales each beast, grabbing onto pieces of fur, occasionally resting on the climb to its back, or arm, or weapon.
Of course, all this happens while the Colossus is trying to squish you like the little bug you are. Wander’s stamina meter plays a critical role in providing an ever increasing level of challenge. Stamina is used up as you grab onto the Colossus and when it runs out, well, you fall. The Colossus will shake wildly in its attempts to get you off of it, and every Colossus will have different mechanics associated with it. Some need to be teased into attacking you to even provide Wander a place to grab onto and begin the ascent. Some can be outsmarted, some require parts of their armor to be destroyed by your trusty bow first, but all provide a unique experience.
Published: Feb 14, 2018 03:04 pm