When the news of Shadow of the Colossus remake broke out, many fans have been really excited for its release as it is one of the timeless masterpieces of the PlayStation 2 era. The ultra-high definition version for PS4 was released on 6 February, we are lucky to get our hands on it so here is our Shadow of the Colossus review!

Introduction

For those who are new to Shadow of the Colossus, it is is an action-adventure game released on PS2 back in 2006. The remake version retained almost everything – the story, gameplay and the sad tone from the original title (except a new and improved control scheme). The storyline focuses on Wander, a young man who needs to defeat 16 colossi in order to resurrect a girl named Mono.

Gameplay

The game is having a really simple yet challenging gameplay (which is more like a puzzle game). There is no town or dungeons to explore and no NPCs to interact with, all you have to do is to find the 16 colossi and defeat them. Everytime after you defeat a colossus, a voice from the sky (the Dormin) will give out some tips on the location of the next colossus (a part that makes you can’t stop playing the game as you are given another task instantly). You can also point your sword to the sky to know the correct direction.

As you reached the specified location, you will enter an exhilarating battle against the Colossus where you will need to identify their weakness (shown as a glowing symbol) using your sword and find your way up to the weak points so you can deal some damage on it. At most of the time, you will need to make use of the surrounding environment and Wander’s different weapons to defeat a Colossus.

Finding your way up to the weak points is not an easy task, the Colossus will attempt to dislodge your character by swinging and thrashing around. To avoid being thrown out by the Colossus, you will have to react quickly by gripping the Colossus’s fur or protruding ledges on a proper timing. There is a limited stamina gauge too, so you can’t just hang on the Colossus forever and wait for it to stop moving.

Graphics

Thanks to the developers that remade all the game’s assets from the ground up, the graphics in Shadow of the Colossus is undoubtedly beautiful. The sunlight feels warm, the fur on the Colossus looks realistic, the grass looks like it is comfortable to lay on it, and the stonework looks detailed and ruined. Alongside the soundtrack, the world is giving out a sad tone that you can’t really describe it in words. The remake version adds a photo mode that allows you to stop at any moment for a new desktop background majestic shot too!

The Verdict

It is a pleasure to see one of the most classic video games getting a remake version that actually preserve the gameplay and the impressive environmental storytelling from the original. The improved graphics look gorgeous while the soundtrack and environment succeeds in delivering a sad mood to the players. However, the gameplay is kinda short, you can probably complete the whole story in one or two night. Although there is different difficulty to keep you playing, the gameplay is still repetitive as the story and mission will be exactly the same in every difficulty.