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Thursday 18 January, 2007
Shadow of the Colossus is one of those rare titles that just instills in you a sense of awe and wonder that very few games are capable of. The haunting soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission, and the epic score matches the huge enemy titans perfectly. The world that the main character fights his battles in is a barren, desolate land, inhabited by nothing but plants and old, moss-covered ruins. The occasional lizard or bird scurries about, but there's no interaction with them. My only companion on this lonely world is my horse, Aero (or Agro, I can't tell what he's saying).
The main character is the typical quiet type, and the story revolves around him defeating the colossi that are hidden in areas on his world. He is doing this because the mystical force that has tasked him with killing the colossi has promised to revive his dead (I think, don't spoil it for me) girlfriend.
I've already been playing this game on and off for about 6 months, as I want to make this intense experience last as long as possible. I'll fight a colossus, revel in the intense battle and experience, and stop for a while. I just don't want it to end. It's rare for a game to have this effect on me.
This particular session had me hunting down the sixth colossus, which entailed me to track it down, as is the case with all the other colossi. You do this by holding up your sword to the light: as soon as the sun's light strikes it, six beams of light shoot out of it. The closer you turn to the general direction of where it lies, the closer the beams converge. You then follow that beam to where the colossus is lying in wait.
The sixth colossus led me to an underground castle-like area, a giant room full of low stone partitions and a very high ceiling. I climbed over the sides of these partitions until I came to the very end of the room. At that point, a small cutscene came on, and the sixth colossus burst through the wall. He looked like a gorilla standing upright, with large arms and short legs. I looked at his legs, and I couldn't see any "fur" or "hair" hanging off.
In SotC, you must kill these leviathans by somehow climbing onto them, then stabbing their magical seal. Getting on them is the hardest part, as each one requires a different trick. He came charging at me, and I realized I should probably run out of his way.
The aforementioned partitions were not obstacles in my path to safety, and I had to quickly climb up and jump over each one. I managed to make it to safety, into a little overhang.
At this point, the colossus was standing in front of me, walking around. I needed to get onto him, but how? I decided to at least draw him near me, so I shot a couple of arrows. I heard a loud, questioning grunt, and he crouched down to look into the overhang.
That's when I noticed his beard was swaying right in front of me. I quickly leaped out and clung to it. Instantly, the music changed, becoming tense and quick, while the colossus tried to shake me off. The game utilizes a stamina meter in the shape of a circle. The longer you hang onto something, the more this meter shrinks, until it hits zero, at which point you'll let go.
I crawled up his face and the side of his head, figuring the weakspot to be on his forehead. I was right, and quickly stabbed him a couple of times. Each stab pissed him off even more, and the only way I could let go safely while staying on was on his back, which was slightly slouching.
The seal on his forehead disappeared, at which point he shook even more violently. I fell and stumbled down his back, barely managing to hang on. That's when I noticed the seal there. Acting quickly, I stabbed into him again, and killed him.
This game is comprised solely of these sorts of experiences: there's no mini-boss, no collectables, no swarms of lesser enemies. It's just huge rock monsters, one after the other.
More later.
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