Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Review

From Studio Japan, the same team that made Ico, comes the sophomore outing Shadow of The Colossus. Make no mistake, there is no such thing as a slump from this 2005 tour de force.

Helmed by the creative mind of Fumito Ueda, this creation is the reason why video games are different from any media out there.




The experience is unlike anything you can find in a movie, show, or any type of comic book out there to divulge. Actually, even modern games have nothing to show for when it comes to the art direction and the design of this game. Much like Ico, it has many of the same concepts and themes of less is more.



You are pretty much an outcast to traverse a cursed land with deep seated magic in hopes of resurrecting a deceased woman. This will be no easy task as gigantic enemies are scattered within the area that will challenge your wits and brains to their very extent. Unlike most games though, there is no in between or side quests to be had. It's just you, your horse, and the monsters. It truly is amazing then that you are so emotionally driven with so little thrown at you; no item shops nor human interactions. You feel a sense of despair and anxiousness going through these abandoned lands alone with only a will to carry on. When you do fight a Colossus- Oh man! Get ready, because these are honestly the best part of the game. It. is. Epic! That's not even an exaggeration.



Compared to these beasts, bosses from other games will feel like chump change. Oh yeah, and you only get your bow and arrow and a sword...that's it... You do get to bring your brains in though if you ever wanted to see the end credits hahaha. These bosses truly feel huge and dangerously intimidating, especially with the surround sound installed! With hardly any soundtrack in the game, every time music comes in contrasts the barren land with invigorating excitement. There is always a tactic to each Colossus you fight and they are largely different from the one that you had beaten. It's time to think out of the box! Besides, if it takes you long enough, one of the Gods helping you will give u tip! How nice! (except for the last boss, which takes forever to beat.. at least i didn't look at a walkthrough).



That reminds me... WARNING: DON'T HAVE A WALKTHROUGH HANDY!! A walkthrough essentially ruins the fun of finding a weak point of a colossus and you'll beat the game so fast, you'd probably find it boring or easy. Honestly, I looked at the tactics for the uhhhh, 2nd Colossus but that was it. I did the rest by myself.



There is repetition within the game as far as the hunt goes but it works really well for this game since there is hardly any story told. There are subtle hints as to what may be happening but I'll let you figure it out yourself. You're so desperate to find out what happens that it's just on to the next one after another. You have so many questions about how this land or how this guy came to be with hardly a backstory. Past this I can't really disclose anything else because you have to do your part for the experience.



I truly loved this game and its minimalist (hmmm, save for the Colossus) approach to video games while being immersive. It cuts out unneeded side quests and knows its priority is the storyline and that alone. For all the video game doubters out there or for the people who think of video games is a product of violence, play this game and you'll know why the medium can be so influential to an industry that has changed radically over time.



A+
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