Preview: Shadow Of The Colossus

Sony CEI / Playstation 2 / Rating Pending

When Sony’s Ico came out in 2001 it almost single-handedly sparked a games-as-art, movement and received unanimous praise and game of the year nominations from many places. Since then Team Ico, as they are referred to, have been working on a game that is, while not a sequel, a game that embodies a similar spirit as Ico. That game is Shadow of the Colossus.

SotC has you playing as a young man/woman who must bring down a series of colossi. As in Ico nothing is made totally clear but that ambiguous approach to the main character’s story (and gender) fits the game and it’s style. It also allows players to imagine the motive for killing these giant beasts as their own, adding a role-playing element.

Each of the sixteen colossi is assertively unique and functions as a puzzle that must be solved. In the demo, for example, a player must first climb onto the fur on the creature’s leg and then stab to bring it down to one knee. One must then continue climbing to a series of rest platforms on it’s back. You can then scale more fur to the top and stab the giant in the head to bring it down.

The main thing to monitor during gameplay, other than health, is a shrinking pink dot that serves as a grip meter. As a colossus thrashes around the player will start to lose their grip and must find a safe place to rest before continuing onward.

Between each of the colossi are massive, beautiful environments. As in Ico a player has the choice to explore their environs as they please before moving to the next objective. Riding the available horse adds to this enjoyment as the horse control feels joyously natural.

The only hitch to this exploration is that trekking across such massive landscapes to reach the action will try the patience of gamers without the right temperament. Riding a horse around an open field isn’t for everyone and may be perceived by some as a major flaw. Another problem with the environments is a good deal of environmental pop-up. The aging PS2 can’t support such large, well-rendered landscapes all at once, and gamers will find themselves only about one acre behind the game engine.

In short, the games-as-art crowd is going to love this one, the unique approach and wonderful visuals craft an experience that goes beyond traditional gaming. It’s just that this experience isn’t for everyone, and even the artsy may have issues with those slow-loading, wide-open, spaces. We may be hearing the term “flawed masterpiece” thrown around a lot when Shadow Of The Colossus is released in mid October.

By Zack Rovinsky