THE BREAKDOWN – SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS HD

Developer:Team Ico

Platform:Playstation 3

Get It From: Retailers as part of the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD Collection ($39.99)

Playstation Network download ($19.99)

Fireballs: 5/5

 

Consider the phenomenon of the re-release.  

This past weekend, ‘Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace’ saw a return to theaters in 3D. Why? Who knows. It’s a questionable choice, but not an unprecedented one — for years, Disney has been re-mastering and re-releasing its classic animated features.

And the video game industry has caught on. With the high-definition era of entertainment in full swing, publishers are actively scouring their catalogs for titles that would benefit from a loving restoration. Older games look stretched out and muddy on flat screen HDTVs. Many just won’t work on new, current generation consoles like the Playstation 3 or the Xbox 360. 

Some games, much like ‘The Phantom Menace,’ just give the opportunity to those who missed it the first time around.  

And then there’s ‘Shadow of the Colossus.’

The game was a marvel, like nothing else available on video game consoles at the time. Released in 2005, it was well received by consumers and critics alike. Its graphics and artistic merit were equally praised. To this day, it’s one of the examples most frequently cited whenever the question ‘Are games art?’ arises in critical circles.  

Now it’s 2012, seven years and a whole new generation of technology later. Surely there have been titles that eclipsed ‘Shadow of the Colossus,’ improved on its wonderfully executed foundation and used today’s better graphics and faster processors to make something in the same vein. Something even better.

But there haven’t been. ‘Shadow of the Colossus’ remains a singular experience, quite unlike anything else available on consoles.  

The game places you in the role of Wander, a protagonist who travels to a forbidden, secret land with the body of his loved one, seeking a way to restore her to life. He meets Dormin, a disembodied entity that tells him 16 creatures known as Colossi lurk the land. If he could slay them all, he would gain the power to bring back his love from the dead. 

That’s it. That’s all you’re told before you’re given control of Wander and his horse Agro in a vast and lonely land. There are no other goals or foes — you simply must set forth, find each Colossus and kill them in the hopes that your love may awaken once more.  

It’s hard to convey how satisfying ‘Shadow of the Colossus‘ is in its simplicity. Having such a straightforward goal from the very beginning of the game frees the player from worrying about petty things like finding keys to unlock doors or stronger weapons to fight later Colossi. What you have at the start is all you’ll need: a sword, a bow and Agro. 

But when you see the first Colossus, it doesn’t seem like nearly enough.  

Majestic and awe-inspiring, almost every Colossus you’ll face will dwarf Wander. It seems impossible. But there’s always a way. And when you find it, words can’t quite capture the thrill that comes as you cling to these living mountains that actively try to throw you off and preserve their lives. Or the sorrow that comes from actually achieving the impossible.  

‘Shadow of the Colossus’ is brilliant, not because of its beautiful art direction, its massive scope or its beautiful score. It’s worth playing because it understands that what makes video games such unique experiences is the direct control they afford the player. You don’t watch a man profess how far he would go for love; you actively participate, even as the growing sense of dread and horror of your actions slowly dawns on you.  

That’s something that doesn’t get old. 

jmrive02@syr.edu

Published on February 12, 2012 at 12:00 pm