Secret, Lost Review

Hallo,

Here's the second review. Unfortunately it did not get published due to a previously unwritten rule about the recency of the subject. Oh well, I think it turned out decently.

Every so often, a video game comes along that alters perceptions of what the industry can offer. Though flawed and not extremely accessible, the ambitious 2005 Shadow of the Colossus is one of these games. Released exclusively for the Playstation 2, it provides a welcome reprieve from the bombastic action-fests and endless sequels that have saturated the market.

Directed by Fumito Ueda of Ico fame, Shadow of the Colossus is the tragic tale of a teenaged boy named Wander who attempts to bring his love back from the dead. As the game opens, Wander and his horse Agro travel to a forbidden land where he beseeches an ancient deity to revive her. The spirit agrees, on the condition that Wander first slays 16 giants scattered throughout the countryside.

Before killing these colossi, Wander must find them by scouring the vast, open world. Much of the story is implied by the setting; it is felt rather than being told explicitly through overwrought cut scenes. Players are given unrestricted access to the entire map from the start, allowing the more adventurous to freely explore the terrain and discover its untold secrets.

Travel is aided by Agro, who can be summoned at will and makes getting around a far less painful affair than it would be on foot. Some players will be frustrated that the horse has its own AI and consequently does not respond directly to every input. In addition to preventing accidental cliff-dives, this makes Agro seem much more life-like and builds a stronger emotional bond with the player.

Without direction, finding these giants would entail unbearably dull, fruitless rides across the landscape. Fortunately the developers gave Wander’s sword the property of reflecting sunlight towards the next target, giving some indication of its location but not being too obvious about it.

Upon discovering one of the colossi, gamers must figure out a way to somehow take down the towering creatures using a relatively limited move set: Wander can jump, climb, shoot a bow and arrow, or stab with his sword. Success requires clever utilization of these abilities, as well as a sharp eye for taking advantage of the environments.

Essentially, each colossus is a gigantic, animated puzzle. Deciphering the best way to kill them can be frustrating, especially given the wildly inconsistent and sometimes misleading hints. However, the representation of scale is simply incredible and gives a real sense of David vs. Goliath helplessness. Finally toppling one of the behemoths is a powerful experience, simultaneously rewarding, exhilarating and deeply sad.

The game’s presentation deserves special mention, as it contributes to the tone and character so greatly. Graphically, the game is jaw dropping, creating an enormous, seamless, detailed world to the player. A muted and washed-out color scheme emphasizes the desolation of the ancient land perfectly, while helping to accentuate the importance of the colossus battles.

All of the numerous animations, from Agro stopping short to the giants shrugging off Wander, are fluid and believable. Motion-blur is employed to amazing effect, yielding moments where it is difficult to believe the game is not running on next-generation hardware.

Unfortunately, being on the PS2 does present some technical issues. The frame rate often suffers, even when there is almost no activity onscreen. This, combined with a schizophrenic, action-obscuring camera, makes it is quite easy to become disoriented.

As impressive as the wide open spaces are, Sony’s old workhorse has a lot of issues handling the large distances; it is not uncommon to watch an object’s textures being rendered while approaching it or to have map features suddenly pop into view. Considering the high quality art-direction, one cannot help but wonder how good it would have looked if it had been developed for the PS3.

Luckily, the console has no problems conveying Kō Ōtani’s soundtrack. The fully-orchestrated score does an amazing job expressing a sense of discovery and the tone of the ensuing encounters. Alternately haunting and rousing, it builds tension quite well during the early parts of the battle, then switches to more triumphant pieces when victory is near. Though it may sound like hyperbole, the music alone is worth the price of admission.

As early as the opening cinematic, it becomes clear that Shadow of the Colossus is something special. The subdued, elegiac story-telling, gorgeous aesthetics and deceptively deep mechanics combine to create an experience like no other. Though by no means perfect, it is difficult not to recommend, especially given the $20 price tag. Not everyone will appreciate what SotC offers, but any gamers looking for something a bit different owe it to themselves to check it out.

I know it is a relatively frequent topic of focus for me, but I think this pretty concisely sums up my feelings about the game. Thoughts?

Thy next foe is....
Snaaaake!