A ground-breaking, beautifully crafted gaming experience.
The story is a sad and rather heartbreaking one. A young man brings the dead body of his lover (an unfortunate victim of a sacrifice) to an altar of a forbidden land, vowing to bring her back to the mortal coil. In order for that to happen, however, he must do the impossible--travel a mysterious landscape, find sixteen creatures known as the Colossi, and destroy them. Sounds simple, yes? Not so fast. There are a few things you'd want to keep in mind. First, the Colossi are, by no discerning means, normal creatures--they are gargantuan, large-scale walking mountains measuring about as tall as six or seven story buildings. Second, the only weapons you have on you are a small sword, a bow and some arrows. How can you possibly hope to defeat these massive beasts?
Don't be discouraged. It may be hard, but it's not impossible. While you don't have superhuman strength, the blessing of the gods, or access to powerful magic spells, you have something equally as valuable; your brain. And you will soon discover that your gray matter and a small sword are the crucial components to victory over these beasts.
Before each Colossi fight, you've got to travel the land and find them first. Fortunately, world travel is made easy with your trusty steed Agro, which makes maneuvering the landscape quicker and a lot of fun. You're given subtle clues to the Colossi's whereabouts, and must find and destroy them in successive order. Your sword will also act as your compass. Raising it up to the sky and following the light are extremely important if you ever hope to find the Colossi in which you seek.
Once you find them, you need to figure out how to defeat them. Colossi move and behave in bizarre and peculiar ways, allowing you some incentive as how best to plan your strategies. In other words, you can use the surrounding environment, or injure the Colossi to make it kneel down to your level, giving you a chance to leap on its climbable fur. Then, you must locate their weak points--the Achille's Heel--and stab them with your trusty sword until the Colossi goes down for the count.
Of course, don't think the Colossi will take you lightly--they will do everything in their power to throw you off when they feel threatened by your presence. In this case, you must rely on your grip strength and hang on for dear life as the massive monster thrashes about wildly, sometimes crashing against walls. Grip strength deteriorates, forcing you to find solid ground to recover long enough before the Colossi acts up again. The game forces the player to be quick on their feet, quick in their thinking and vigilant in their endurance; for a dead Colossi at your feet would prove to be your sole satisfying reward for a hard-fought struggle.
As you bring down Colossi and the story progresses, the main character will show signs of a disturbing physical deterioration. The plot itself breaks story-telling boundaries I never knew existed, and everything leads up to the shocking climax at the very end of the game. You will find yourself asking a lot of questions about why you battled these beasts, and if the heavy price paid for all you have accomplished was worth it.
Of course, if you do beat the game, you can unlock a time-attack mode, where you can revisit any and all of the Colossi fights to beat a pre-determined score; earning you some cool accessories and items that will make your Colossi fights a lot easier. These fights are a bit more difficult because even if you already know the strategies in defeating these giants, you still have to beat that score. But the rewards are definitely the icing on the cake.
The musical score is a resounding, beautiful masterpiece; fittingly appropriate for when you're fighting the massive Colossi in an exciting repartee. It changes sporadically--very much like a Hollywood adventure movie--when you climb on the Colossi, or when you're close to killing one. It all makes for some exciting moments because you really get involved in these epic battles. The graphical capabilities of the PS2 have been pushed beyond their limits and, even then, the game doesn't break much of a sweat. At a steady frame rate, the Colossi move fluidly in spite of their enormous scale. There is some slowdown when the action gets hot and heavy, but it does little to interrupt the pacing of the game. If anything, you'd hardly even notice it.
What else can I say about this game? It's an intriguing, exciting and beautifully crafted gaming powerhouse. At $20, there's still time to add it to your library. Overall, if you're looking for a great, budget-priced PS2 action/adventure title, look no further than Shadow of the Colossus. I promise you--it'll be an experience you'll never forget.