Video games are usually too loud. They’re cluttered. You open a map in a modern triple-A title and it’s just a sea of icons, side quests, and "points of interest" designed to keep you busy for forty hours. Shadow of the Colossus did the opposite. It gave us a horse, a sword, and a world so empty it felt heavy.
Fumito Ueda and Team Ico didn't just make a game back in 2005; they built a mood. If you haven't played it lately—or if you only know it through the 2018 Bluepoint remake—it's easy to forget how radical it actually was. There are no towns. No NPCs to give you fetch quests. No shops. It’s just Wander, his horse Agro, and sixteen massive problems he has to solve with a magic blade.
Honestly, the "emptiness" is the point.
The Loneliness is the Mechanic
Most games treat travel as a chore. They give you fast travel because they know the world between objectives is boring. In Shadow of the Colossus, the travel is the narrative. You spend ten minutes riding through a quiet forest or a sun-bleached desert, and the only sound is Agro's hooves hitting the dirt. It makes the eventual encounter with a Colossus feel massive. It’s a rhythmic shift from total silence to orchestral bombast.
The story is simple, or at least it seems that way. Wander brings a girl named Mono to the Forbidden Lands. He makes a deal with a disembodied voice called Dormin to bring her back to life. The cost? Kill sixteen giants.
But have you ever looked at the giants?
They aren't "bosses" in the traditional sense. Most of them are just... existing. The fifth Colossus, Avion, is a giant bird perched on a pillar. He doesn't even notice you until you shoot an arrow at him. He’s minding his own business. When you finally bring him down, the music doesn't stay triumphant. It turns mournful. The "victory" music, The Opened Way by Kow Otani, is legendary, but the track that plays after the kill, The End of the Battle, sounds like a funeral. Because it is.
Moving Beyond the "Colossus" Scale
We talk about the scale a lot. Everyone remembers the first time they saw Gaius (the third one) or the desert serpent Phalanx. But the technical wizardry required to make this work on a PlayStation 2 was insane. The game used a "primitive" version of procedural animation.
When Wander clings to the fur of a Colossus, his body reacts to the physics of the beast’s movement. He’s not just "glued" to a texture. He stumbles. He loses his grip. His stamina bar—that pink circle—is a constant reminder of his human frailty.
Modern games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Elden Ring owe everything to this. Hidetaka Miyazaki from FromSoftware has explicitly cited Ueda’s work as a massive influence. You can see it in the way Elden Ring handles its desolate atmospheres and its "show, don't tell" storytelling.
What People Get Wrong About the Gameplay
A common complaint is that the controls are "clunky."
That’s a misunderstanding of what the game is trying to do. Wander isn't a superhero. He’s a desperate kid with a sword that’s almost too heavy for him. He trips. He flails. If you pull the reins on Agro, she doesn't turn instantly like a sports car; she turns like a horse.
The struggle is the game. If it felt like a polished character action game, the stakes would vanish. You’re supposed to feel like you’re barely hanging on by your fingernails.
The Mystery of the 17th Colossus
For years, the internet was obsessed with the idea of a secret seventeenth giant. This wasn't just some playground rumor; the community (led by legendary hunters like Nomad Colossus) spent over a decade scouring every inch of the map. They used save-game exploits to climb the Forbidden Lands' massive bridge. They looked for hidden triggers in the code.
They never found a secret boss.
What they did find was a graveyard of cut content. We know now that there were originally supposed to be 24 giants. Some were discarded because they were too glitchy, others because they didn't fit the pacing. There was a spider-like one and a worm-like one that moved through the sand. Even though they aren't in the game, the fact that people spent ten years looking for them says something about the world’s design. It feels like it should have more secrets.
The 2018 remake eventually acknowledged this by adding a "Sword of Heresy" quest. It required players to find 79 gold coins (Enlightenments) hidden across the map. It was a love letter to the fans who spent years chasing ghosts.
Why the Ending Still Hits
Shadow of the Colossus pulls off a trick that very few games manage: it makes you the villain without telling you.
Every time a Colossus dies, black tendrils erupt from its body and pierce Wander. He passes out and wakes up back at the shrine. Each time, he looks worse. His skin gets paler. His hair gets darker. Small horns start to sprout. You think you're the hero on a quest for love, but you're actually just a vessel for something ancient and hungry.
The climax isn't a big fight. It’s a slow, agonizing realization. By the time you reach Malus, the sixteenth giant, you’ve destroyed a natural ecosystem of ancient protectors for a selfish goal.
Ueda’s "Design by Subtraction" philosophy is at its peak here. He didn't need a 20-minute cutscene to explain Wander's corruption. He just showed us his face.
Actionable Insights for Players
If you're going back to play this masterpiece today, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
✨ Don't miss: Grand Theft Auto Vice City NextGen Edition: The Fan Mod That Might Be Better Than The Official Remaster
- Play the PS4 Remake for the Visuals, but the PS2/PS3 Version for the Vibe. The Bluepoint remake is stunning, but it slightly changes the lighting. The original PS2 version has a hazy, overexposed bloom that makes the world feel like a dream.
- Learn the "Agro Jump." You can stand on Agro’s back or hang off her side while riding. It serves no tactical purpose, but it makes you feel like a much more competent rider.
- Find the Fruit and Lizard Tails. If you want to make the later fights easier, look for glowing lizards at save points and fruit in the trees. They actually increase your stamina and health.
- Ignore the Map. Once you have the general direction from your sword's light, just ride. The Forbidden Lands are full of tiny details—hidden beaches, secret forests, and ruins that tell a story without saying a word.
Shadow of the Colossus is a reminder that games don't need to be filled with "content" to be meaningful. Sometimes, a horse, a sword, and a heavy silence are enough to tell a story that sticks with you for twenty years.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
- Check out the Team Ico "Trilogy": If you loved this, Ico and The Last Guardian are essential. They share the same universe (loosely) and the same emotional DNA.
- Watch the "Beyond the Forbidden Lands" Project: There is a dedicated group of modders and fans currently rebuilding the cut Colossi into a playable fan project. It’s a deep dive into what the game almost was.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: Kow Otani’s score is arguably one of the greatest in gaming history. Listen to it through a good pair of headphones to catch the subtle shifts in tone between the exploration tracks and the battle themes.