Game Review : Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

A few years back, when I had first bought my PS2, I googled a list of "must play" PS2 titles and in it was Shadow of the Colossus, praised for its beauty and its artistic approach. I had to try it out so I went ahead, bought it, played the first level and then, to be honest, got bored! The disk remained dormant for the next few years in my collection until recently I gave it another try which is what drove me to put up this review.

Needless to say, the second time I liked it. I don't think this the best game ever made like some gamers out there make it out to be, but this maybe a contender for the best PS2 game and is definitely worthy of accolades. The plot is a very basic love story - Wanderer (the protagonist) brings the corpse of his love, Mono, to an ancient shrine that houses Dormin, a mystical being that has the ability to bring the dead back to life. However, Dormin asks Wanderer to slay 16 Colossi spread over a vast land if he is to see Mono alive again. And thus begins the journey. As you might have known, I expect a strong story to keep me interested but as simple as the story is in this game, I didn't find that to be a bother. The story was adequate for me to keep me going.

As I played this on a PS2 on a HDTV, the graphics, though good for a PS2, looked  ugly on the TV with sharp edges and "Jaggies". Therefore, I suggest you play this game on an ordinary SDTV or, better yet, buy the remastered collection along with ICO on PS3 which I heard was very good. There were some pop-ins too, especially during in-game travel, but that was not a big deal. That being said, the lighting was wonderful, the animations were life-like and the detail was nothing short of extraordinary.

This is essentially an action-adventure game but a different one at that. In an ordinary action-adventure, the main character slays some minions in a level, keeps going forward only to fight a boss and then some minions again and then a boss and rinse and repeat. However, this game is essentially 16 boss battles spread out over a vast land. So you have a trusty sword that points out to where you can find the next foe. With the aid of Agro, your horse, you are to travel there and slay down that guy. The world is so big that it is very easy to get lost. That is an issue since you have to travel again a few 100 kms to reach your destination if you are lost. Similarly, the horse control is absolute bull as he does not properly respond to your call. He gets stuck stuck while traveling making you to do a full circle to get back on track. Moreover, you need to keep tapping the sprint button to make him go faster which is a bit tedious. But then again, that is a part of the experience, or so Mr. Fumito Ueda, the game director, says. The camera doesn't help either and is an entirely different battle.

 Each Colossus is a puzzle that takes a lot of time and patience to figure out. And once that is done, you have to climb to the said colossus' weak spot and stab him a few times. This may sound simple, but not really. These colossi will try to get rid of you by shaking and you need to firmly grip in order to not fall down. You have a grip meter for that and when it depletes, you fall. This is frustrating but in a good way. You go through all the labor and stab him until only a little of his life is left but, oops, grip meter is gone and you fall down. *sigh* Climb again...be what may, DO NOT LOOK UP THE SOLUTION OF THESE PUZZLES ONLINE UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY as it may ruin the experience for you, which this game is all about.

The sound in this game is absolutely fantastic. It is what strengthens this as an experience. There is little to no voice-acting and that, surprisingly, adds a lot to the game. The music is simply excellent with my favorite track being 'the opened way'. When you first find a colossus, a slow sombre music plays over and once you've figured it out and clung onto its back, the music changes into a triumphant tune as if to say "Now slay this b**tard down dammit!" Hence, the sound is out-standing to say the least.

There is little to no replay value. By the time the quest is finished, you have seen everything you have to see. That may put some people off. That said, this is an experience that every gamer has to go through at least once just to appreciate the beauty of it. Can this game be classified as art? Yes.

Score - 8/10

P.S. Be on the lookout for silver tailed lizards and fruits hanging from the trees.