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Games of the Decade: Expansion Pass #16/Blog a Day #15

Hello everyone how are you?

An important part of a video game is its story, but the story that a game tells largely depends on what the creator(s) of the game have in mind A story is often told via narrative either through text or cutscenes, and the story of a game is what moves the game forward from start to finish. But what if I said that there is a game that takes a minimalist approach to its story but also tells it's story not through text, but through its world? That game is Shadow of the Colossus

                                          The music in this game is amazing

Shadow of the Colossus is a game that I have always heard so much about but actually never got around to trying out. It's a game that's been available on 3 different generations of consoles which are the PS2, the PS3, and more recently on the PS4. The PS2 original wasn't happening since I never had one. On the PS3 I never really bothered to get it for some reason. And the same thing would of happened with the PS4 but my brother got it for me as a gift back for Christmas in 2019. I actually didn't play it till February 2020, which is actually a year later since, imagine that, and now here we are. So how is the game?

I imagine that anyone who had a PS2 has already played the game, but for those who haven't I'll try to summarize it without spoiling anything or too much. The game begins with Wander riding on his horse Argo as they enter a place know as the Forbidden Land. His purpose for entering this forbidden place? To restore the life of a girl named Mono and in order to do so Wander must defeat 16 giant beings known as Colossi. However there is a catch with all of this.

The game immediately throws you into its world with nothing but your sword, a bow, and your trusty steed Argo. And that's pretty much it, there aren't any new weapons to unlock as you progress. You have to work with what you got and that's all you need in this game to be honest. There isn't any unnecessary weapons or tools that become obsolete after one use and actually I prefer it that way. Argo is really useful and helpful since your trusty will be with you all the way from traversing the land to actually helping in a number of battles to come.

 

                             The environments in the game are absolutely stunning

The game tells you about a colossi but where to actually find them and how to get there is a different matter. In order to find one, you need to go a area that has sunlight and raise your sword in the air and the light that reflects from it points you in the general direction of where your next boss fight might be. Think of it like a compass. But that's pretty much it, it doesn't tell you the exact spot, just the direction you'll be heading and normally you'll have to explore the map till you eventually find your target.

But once you find one then its on. Each colossi is a boss battle but also a big puzzle you must solve. Some of the first colossus fights are straightforward to ease you in but after that they get more and more elaborate and figure out how to climb your target and hitting its weakspot. Each boss fight always throws something new at you and each fight ramps it up. it one f the best parts aout it is the music that plays during the fights as well as the song that plays oce you defeat a boss. It's so sad and it makes you think why did you just defeat a giant who was minding its own business?

"But Captain N, where can I play this game?" On the PS4 and it was remade from the ground up and it looks absolutely incredible. The prices seem to fluctuate for a physical version but it's still affordable if you want a used copy. It also goes on sale for $9.99 on PSN often so if you don't mind a digital copy then you can opt for that.

 

 Many of the bosses tower over you and you have to figure out how to climb and attack it

Final Thoughts: Shadow of the Colossus is by far one of  the best games that I have ever played. I feel that this game is similar to Super Metroid in the aspect that it tells its story through its gameplay. The game nails the aspect of isolation, you are all alone doing all of this with no help from anyone else, outside Argo. But everywhere you go there is nothing else. No people, no enemies, nothing. It's just you, Argo, the land, and the colossi. It makes you wonder what happened here? Clearly there was a sign of civilization here since there are man-made structures but there is no sign of actual people. The game is also pretty vague with its story, you get no background on the characters or the Forbidden Lands. But that's the beauty of it, it's up to you to figure that out and maybe form your own theories on the characters and the Forbidden Lands.

Each Colossi is unique and I loved how they both doubled as a boss and a puzzle. Most boss fights in games you just have to keep hitting it so you can defeat it or hit it in an obvious weakspot. Right here you have to figure out how to climb it so you can find a weakspot so you  can hit it. You can't always be Spider-man and climb it. The environment also plays a big role during these fights since later on in the game you have to use it to your advantage or sometimes it can be a disadvantage and you'll really never see the same thing twice.

Every time I write about a game I do as much research on it as possible, depending on the time I have. Sometimes a game is still fresh on my mind, so I go with that and write my thoughts on it. Another time I do a replay of it but I stil do research on it. One way is through Youtube and upon some research I stumbled upon this really interesting video. It just shows how dedicated fans of something can really be. I had no idea there was a decade long search for a secret that the game (possibly) still held. Seriously give it a watch.

 

                               You can't help but wonder what's around the corner

I understand that sometimes it's okay to have time for yourself to recharge. But its not okay to spend all your time in solitude. Know that you are not alone out there and you don't have to face any burden or life's challenges alone.

That's all for this one. For the nest one we are going to work together to solve some really crazy puzzles. Thanks for reading and remember...

 

*All images were taken by my PS4 and my copy of the game*