Shadow of the Colossus is a 2005 action-adventure game created and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is set in a fantasy world and follows a young man named Wander, who enters a remote and deserted area to find a way to bring back a girl named Mono. The player controls Wander as he tries to revive Mono by finding and defeating sixteen giant creatures called colossi, which are spread across a forbidden land. Wander travels on horseback and on foot to complete this task.

The game was directed by Fumito Ueda and made by Sony Computer Entertainment’s International Production Studio 1, also called Team Ico. This team also created the popular PlayStation 2 game Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus is seen as a related work. Originally planned as a multiplayer game called NICO after Ico was finished, Shadow of the Colossus was redesigned as a single-player game during a long development process. The team aimed to make a unique experience by using special art styles, unusual gameplay, and smart computer-controlled characters, such as the colossi and Wander’s horse, Agro.

Shadow of the Colossus is considered a major influence in the video game industry and is often called one of the greatest games ever made. It is praised for its simple but beautiful environments, engaging gameplay, and the emotional journey of the main character. The game received high praise from critics and sold well, partly because of a larger marketing effort compared to Ico. It won many awards for its music, design, and overall quality. A remastered version for the PlayStation 3 was released in 2011 as The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection, developed by Bluepoint Games. A high-definition remake for the PlayStation 4 was later released in 2018 by the same company.

Gameplay

Shadow of the Colossus is an action-adventure game played from a third-person view in a three-dimensional (3D) environment. The game includes combat, platforming, and puzzle elements. The world is a large, connected open area. Players progress by repeating a cycle: starting at a central location, finding and defeating a colossus, then returning to the starting point to repeat the process. To locate colossi, the player, named Wander, uses his sword to reflect sunlight. When the sword points in the correct direction, light beams converge to show the location of the next colossus. The path to each colossus often requires traveling through varied terrain, as many colossi are found in remote areas like cliffs or ancient ruins.

To defeat a colossus, players must identify its weak points. Each colossus lives in a unique area, and most battles require using the environment to succeed. The first two battles take place on flat, open land, where the goal is to climb the colossus and attack its weak spot. Later battles demand more creative use of the surroundings. Each colossus has a glowing sigil, visible through the sword’s reflected light, that marks its weak point. Wander can climb the colossus using fur or ledges, but his stamina decreases while climbing. Players must act quickly to avoid falling. Other creatures, like lizards and fruit-bearing plants, affect gameplay: eating a lizard’s tail increases stamina, and fruit boosts maximum health.

Wander’s horse, Agro, helps with travel and combat. Players can fight colossi from horseback, which is essential for some battles. However, Agro cannot cross certain obstacles, like deep water or large barriers, so she may be left behind. Wander’s equipment includes a sword and bow, but later playthroughs unlock bonus weapons after completing optional Time Attack challenges. These challenges allow players to replay colossus battles with a time limit.

Synopsis

Shadow of the Colossus tells a story with very few details about the characters' pasts or how they are connected. The game takes place in a fantasy world with a large, empty area called the Forbidden Land. This land is surrounded by mountains to the north and sea to the south and east. It has old ruins and buildings, showing it was once a place where people lived.

The only way to enter the Forbidden Land is through a narrow opening in the mountains that leads to a long stone bridge. This bridge connects to a large temple called the "Shrine of Worship" in the center of the land. However, the area is off-limits, and it includes many different environments, such as lakes, deserts, caves, and human-made structures.

The main character is a young man named Wander. His goal is to bring back to life a girl named Mono, who was sacrificed because people believed she had a cursed future. Wander is helped by his horse, Agro, who is his only companion in fighting giant creatures called colossi. The game refers to Agro as a male horse, though the game’s creator saw Agro as female. Wander also receives help from a mysterious being named Dormin, who can bring the dead back to life. The story focuses on these characters, with a few others, like Lord Emon, who is a shaman with knowledge about Dormin and magic.

Dormin is a strange, voice-only entity that speaks with two voices, one male and one female. According to the game’s world, Dormin has the power to revive the dead, which is why Wander seeks him out in the Forbidden Land. Dormin agrees to bring Mono back to life if Wander destroys sixteen colossi. Some fans have noticed that the name "Dormin" is "Nimrod" spelled backward, possibly referencing a biblical story.

Lord Emon explains the Forbidden Land’s history in the game’s opening vision. He knows about Dormin and has warriors who try to stop Wander from using a forbidden spell that involves destroying the colossi to restore Dormin’s power.

The colossi are large, powerful creatures with bodies made of both living and non-living materials, such as rock and metal. They live in different parts of the Forbidden Land and only attack if provoked or if they see Wander. When a colossus is defeated, it collapses into a pile of earth and rock, and a light pillar marks its location. The colossi’s Latin names are used in fan discussions but are not part of the game itself.

Wander enters the Forbidden Land and rides across the long bridge on Agro. He brings Mono’s body to the Shrine of Worship and places it at an altar. Shadow creatures appear but are quickly defeated by Wander using the Ancient Sword. Dormin’s voice then appears, surprised that Wander has the sword. Wander explains his mission, and Dormin agrees to help if Wander destroys the sixteen colossi.

As Wander kills the colossi, pieces of Dormin’s essence enter his body, causing him to change physically. His skin becomes paler, his hair darker, and dark veins appear on his face. After defeating the twelfth colossus, Wander is confronted by Lord Emon and his warriors. Urged by Dormin, Wander continues his mission to destroy the final colossus.

During his journey, Wander crosses a collapsing bridge, and Agro saves him by throwing him to safety. He eventually defeats the last colossus as Emon’s group watches. Wander returns to the temple, now visibly changed, with pale skin, glowing eyes, and horns on his head. Emon condemns Wander for his actions and orders his warriors to kill him. However, Dormin takes control of Wander’s body and transforms into a giant shadow. Emon throws the Ancient Sword into a pool, creating a light vortex that traps Dormin and Wander inside the temple. The bridge collapses, sealing the Forbidden Land forever.

Later, Mono wakes up and finds Agro injured. She follows Agro to the pool and discovers a baby boy with horns. She takes the child with her to a secret garden in the shrine.

Development

Shadow of the Colossus was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan. Fumito Ueda, the game’s director, and Kenji Kaido, the producer, worked with the same team that created the game Ico. The idea for Shadow of the Colossus came from Ueda after Ico was completed in late 2001 for the PlayStation 2. At that time, the team had not yet decided what their next game would be, so Ueda reviewed old ideas he had thought about but could not use before. He chose one that matched his own interests as a player. Ueda said that games like The Legend of Zelda influenced him, and he designed the large boss creatures, called Colossi, to feel like the opposite of Zelda’s dungeons.

Ueda wanted to explore a theme of "cruelty as a means of expression." He noticed this theme in other games, such as Grand Theft Auto III, and wanted to include it in his own game. He talked with Kaido about how many games required players to fight large enemies from a distance. Ueda believed that making players climb and attack these enemies up close could make the gameplay more interesting. This idea came from his childhood love of monster movies, which led to the game’s focus on a large-scale adventure.

At first, the team considered Ueda’s idea along with another game being developed at the same time. Ueda said the second game was different from Shadow of the Colossus and was designed to appeal more to a female audience. It did not use 3D graphics, unlike Shadow of the Colossus. Eventually, the team stopped working on the second game and focused on Ueda’s idea.

Before starting the project, Team Ico considered making Shadow of the Colossus a sequel to Ico. However, some team members believed that Ico’s story and gameplay were complete on their own, and there was no clear demand for a new Ico game. Ueda and the team wanted to avoid creating complex puzzles, which they thought were needed for a game like Ico. After much discussion, they decided to make Shadow of the Colossus a standalone game, temporarily named NICO, which combined the Japanese words for "2" and "Ico."

The team planned to make NICO an online multiplayer game that did not require complex level design. Their goal was to create a technology demo that showed what the game’s world and features could look like. Development began right after Ico was released in December 2001.

To create a concept video for NICO, Team Ico formed a small group that included Ueda, one of Ico’s designers, and a 10-person animation team. Their goal was to make a video that looked nearly finished and could guide the game’s design. The first storyboard was created in January 2002, and the video was completed in May 2002. It showed three masked boys riding horses and attacking a large enemy similar to the second boss in Shadow of the Colossus. The video used the Ico game engine and was displayed in real-time on the PlayStation 2.

Kaido said the video was very complete and helped the team during development. Although the game’s visuals changed later, the themes of fighting a giant enemy and exploring a large area remained. The video also showed gameplay features that were not included in the final game, such as a character jumping onto a horse’s back after defeating a Colossus. The video was shown at events like the 2006 D.I.C.E. Summit, where Ueda and Kaido discussed the game’s development.

In June 2002, a small group at Team Ico began building a prototype of NICO for testing. Kaido asked the team to include important technological features, such as "organic collision deformation," which meant making the Colossi’s movements and interactions with the player feel realistic. For example, if a Colossus’s limb was horizontal, the player should be able to run across it like a flat surface. Ueda and the programmers worked on this for over six months, starting with a character climbing a pole-like object. A key goal was to create a physics simulation that showed how characters could avoid being hit by a Colossus.

In May 2003, Team Ico created a playable version of NICO and presented it to the team. Full development began that month. The technology demo was shown in Sony offices worldwide and excited viewers. However, some images of NICO’s horse-riding characters leaked online, leading fans to guess it was a sequel to Ico. Ueda said NICO was not a sequel, even though it shared some design elements with Ico. Some sources later described NICO as both a spiritual successor and prequel to Ico.

The team used player feedback to test the "organic collision deformation" system by experimenting with simple objects. While they studied the game’s technology in detail, they did not fully test it before starting production. After evaluating the limited number of staff working on NICO and their expertise, the team continued development.

Release

On July 15, 2005, SCEI announced the Japanese release date for Shadow of the Colossus. The company shared information about a special first-run edition of the game, which players could only get by pre-ordering it. On August 19, 2005, SCEI revealed details about this edition. On September 12, 2005, SCEI announced a partnership with 7-Eleven's Japanese stores to distribute the game. A promotional campaign was launched: customers who pre-ordered the game at 7-Eleven stores received decorated bookmarks featuring artwork from Shadow of the Colossus. On October 7, 2005, Dengeki PlayStation reported that custom copies of the game with themed memorabilia would be sold at the 2005 Akihabara Entertainment Festival in Tokyo. Branded items, such as calendars, posters, and T-shirts, were also sold in the Akihabara district during the event. A promotional image of a colossus was displayed on a billboard in the area. A marketing campaign called "Giantology" was launched, which claimed to show real-world evidence of colossi.

Unlike Ico, Shadow of the Colossus received more attention, partly because Sony used its resources for a large advertising campaign. The game was advertised in magazines, on television, and online, including on SCEI's websites. For example, in November 2004, part of the game's soundtrack was made available on its official website. Shadow of the Colossus was released in Japan on October 27, 2005, with a list price of 7,140 yen (about 60 USD in 2005). The limited edition version, available through pre-orders, had different packaging, promotional videos from the game's early unveilings, and production footage of NICO. It also included unpublished screenshots, storyboards, and development materials.

Before its release in Japan, Shadow of the Colossus was released in North America on October 18, 2005, with a nationwide advertising campaign across multiple platforms. The PAL version of the game was released in February 2006. Similar to the PAL release of Ico, this version used cardboard packaging with artwork from the game and included four art cards. It also featured a "making of" documentary, a trailer for Ico, and a gallery of concept art accessible from the game's main menu. At the same time, Sony Computer Entertainment re-released Ico in PAL regions to promote Shadow of the Colossus and help players complete their collections.

Reception

Shadow of the Colossus was highly praised by critics, with an average score of 91% on GameRankings, making it the 11th best-rated game of 2005. Japanese magazine Famitsu gave it a score of 37 out of 40, while UK-based Edge awarded it 8 out of 10, and Electronic Gaming Monthly gave it 8.8 out of 10. GameSpot rated it 8.7, saying the game’s visual style was unmatched. IGN called it an "amazing experience" and "a must-have title," giving it a 9.7 out of 10. GameSpy described it as "possibly the most innovative and visually striking game of the year for the PlayStation 2." A later article in Edge called it a story with deep themes and strong emotional power, combining art and gameplay perfectly. Dave Ciccoricco, a literature teacher at the University of Otago, praised the game for using long scenes and moments of riding to help players think deeply and feel connected to the game world.

Many reviewers said the game’s music was one of its strongest features. Electronic Gaming Monthly named it "Soundtrack of the Year," while GameSpot said the music helped show and strengthen the mood of each scene. Eurogamer called it "one of the finest game soundtracks ever."

Some critics noted problems with the game’s frame rate, which sometimes slowed during fast action, like battles with the Colossi. The camera was also criticized for moving unpredictably, often at the worst times. Edge said the controls for Agro, the horse, were "clumsy, crude, and unpredictable." Other reviewers, like Game Revolution and GameSpot, said the game was short (about 6 to 8 hours) and had little replay value because each Colossus battle had unique puzzles.

In Japan, the game sold 140,000 copies in its first week, becoming the top-selling title. About 80% of the initial shipment sold within two days. These numbers were similar to those of the game Ico. Sony listed Shadow of the Colossus as a "Greatest Hits" title in 2006.

The game won many awards, including "Best Character Design," "Best Game Design," "Best Visual Arts," and "Game of the Year" at the 2006 Game Developers Choice Awards. At the 2006 DICE Summit, it won awards for "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction" and "Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering." It was also nominated for other categories, such as "Overall Game of the Year" and "Action/Adventure Game of the Year." The game received a "Special Rookie Award" at the Famitsu Awards 2005. It was nominated for "Best Original Music" and "Best Artistic Graphics" but also received a "Most Aggravating Frame Rate" award from GameSpot in 2005. IGN named it "Best Adventure Game" and "Best Artistic Design" in its 2005 awards, calling Agro the best sidekick in video game history.

Two years after its release, IGN listed Shadow of the Colossus as the fourth greatest PlayStation 2 game of all time. GamesRadar named it "Best Game of the Year 2006" and included it in its list of the "100 best games ever" at number 10. The game’s ending was chosen as the fourth greatest moment in gaming by GamePro in 2006. Readers of PlayStation Official Magazine ranked it the 8th greatest PlayStation title ever, and it placed 43rd in a later poll. Destructoid named it the best game of the decade in its list of the top 50 video games. IGN called it the best game of 2005 and the second best game of the decade, behind Half-Life 2. In 2012, Complex magazine named it the second-best PlayStation 2 game of all time, behind God of War II. In 2015, it placed 4th on USgamer’s list of the 15 best games since 2000. In 2022, IGN listed it third on its "Best PS2 Games Of All Time" list.

Legacy

Shadow of the Colossus has been mentioned as an influence on several video games, including God of War II (2007), God of War III (2010), Titan Souls (2015), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), Death's Gambit (2018), Praey for the Gods (2019), and Elden Ring (2022). Film director Guillermo del Toro considers both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus as "masterpieces" and part of his directorial influence. Shadow of the Colossus is also mentioned often in discussions about the artistic quality and emotional themes of video games.

The game plays an important role in the 2007 movie Reign Over Me, where it is one of the ways Adam Sandler's character deals with his main challenge. Aspects of the game reflect the tragedy experienced by Sandler's character, such as the game's falling giants mirroring the crashing towers of the September 11 attacks, which caused the death of his wife and children. The game's main character attempting to bring back a lost love is another theme that connects to the movie. Sandler is said to have spontaneously described the game's controls in a scene with Don Cheadle, who plays his friend. Both actors reportedly became skilled at playing the game during filming.

A remastered version of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus for the PlayStation 3 was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2010 and released in September 2011 under the title The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection. Developed by Bluepoint Games, both games were improved visually to take advantage of the PlayStation 3's hardware and high-definition televisions, along with other updates. The remastered version of Shadow of the Colossus includes high-definition graphics, content previously missing from the North American release, PlayStation Network Trophies, and 3D support. The high-definition version was released separately in Japan.

Sony announced a remake of Shadow of the Colossus for the PlayStation 4 during their Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 press conference. It was released on February 6, 2018. The remake was led by Bluepoint Games, who previously remastered the PlayStation 3 version. The developers recreated all the game's assets from the beginning but kept the original gameplay and added a new control scheme. Fumito Ueda, the game's creator, had left Sony by this time but provided suggestions for the remake. He stated that few of these changes would likely be used, and no previously cut colossi would be added.

In April 2009, it was reported that Sony Pictures planned to adapt Shadow of the Colossus into a film. Kevin Misher, producer of The Scorpion King, The Interpreter, and a recent attempt to remake Dune, was involved in the project. Fumito Ueda was to be part of the film's production. On May 23, 2012, it was announced that Josh Trank, director of Chronicle, would direct the film. Seth Lochhead was to write the script. In September 2014, Variety reported that Andrés Muschietti, director of Mama, would take over after Trank had scheduling conflicts with other projects.

In January 2025, during an interview on Radio TU, Muschietti confirmed that the film was still in development and that a script he liked had been completed. He also noted that securing the budget needed for the project remained a challenge.