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Wednesday 20 February, 2008
GAMEPLAY
After playing the game for about 8 hours, it is safe to say that there is no variety in terms of what the player can do in the game. You travel the game world, find one of the colossi, take him down, and repeat. Of course each boss is considerably harder than the last and each one has its own unique weak point that the players must discover. Some bosses walk on two legs, some on four, some fly and one even swims. Climbing each boss is also different from the rest. For example, some are as simple as grabbing on to the fur on the beast’s body and climbing up while some require the player to sprint full speed with the horse right alongside the beast and jumping over to latch on. Sure each boss has its own strategy but the mechanics of the game remain the same.
While the game may get a bit repetitive, it never becomes dull. Beating each boss motivates the player even more to find out how big the next one is and how it is supposed to be taken down. This game is the perfect example of how just how much a simple game design can do.
DESIGN
The graphics in this game are by no means the best on the Playstation2 but it makes up for its technical shortcomings (most notably framerate issues) with its style and artistic look. From the breathtaking landscape and imaginative creature design, to the incredibly smooth animations, this game simply looks stunning. As for the audio, the game’s music kicks in only when fighting the colossi but that’s perfectly fine since it fits the mood and atmosphere of the game so well. The gameworld itself is pretty massive but it still doesn’t compare to some other games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. As I mentioned before, the gameworld is almost devoid of any life but again it only adds to the mood and sense of isolation of the game. The only complaint worth mentioning about the game is the controls. Getting the main character to do what you want can be a bit of a hassle thanks to the somewhat wonky controls. For example climbing the horse isn’t as simple as walking up to it and pressing a button. You have to be facing the right angle and position to climb properly and sometimes when you are in a desperate situation (running away from a boss to avoid being hit) it can become a bit frustrating. But overall Shadow of the Colossus is an experience unlike any other and should definitely belong to any PS2 owner’s game collection. It is a testament to how much a game can do with the most basic of game mechanics.
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