Shadow of the Colossus (2005)

Game: Shadow of Colossus HD
Genre: Adventure
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
System: Playstation 3 (PS3)
Total Score: 90/100
Value Score: 9.0/10

• Story: 8/10
o SotC's storyline takes place several unknown number of years before the events of Ico. You play as Wanderer who with his companion horse Agro have come to a temple with a young maiden in hand. The young maiden had died and Wanderer is trying to resurrect her from the dead. The spirit in the temple has said to Wanderer that in order to save the maiden's soul he must slay sixteen beasts who prowl the land. Wanderer and Agro then begin their journey into falling these beasts in order to revive the fallen maiden.

• Characters: 8/10
o There arent that many characters or NPCs that you would normally interact in a Japanese game however the sheer detail and the background story for each colossus and what Wanderer and his companion have gone through is silently told to the viewer the storyline between each colossi and Wanderer. There are sixteen colossi with each different design, attributes, strengths and weaknesses. You have the main protagonist Wanderer with his trusted companion horse Agro, the fallen maiden and the spirit who watches over the two. There's also some hints of other human like characters but that is further explained in the game as you progress.

• GamePlay: 9/10
o The whole point of the game is you as Wanderer must travel around and search for colossi to slay in order to receive their power to revive the fallen maiden. To help him he has his trusted sword which is his primary weapon to be used to fight against the colossi which also have the power to detect the colossi and to find their weaknesses. You can get other weapons that have the same function but attack differently but that wont be anytime soon as you will need to play New Game+ for that. You also have a bow and arrow which you can shoot to use to farm fruits (which give you a increase to your overall health) or to use to shoot against shining lizards whose tails if you catch can increase your overall stamina. Wanderer can also travel around while riding his horse for faster mobility or to use as a jumping platform to get him up in air for a while. Wanderer can easily scale any terrain as long as he has stamina, he can pick himself up, climb through all sorts of terrain, roll out of the way and can charge up to attack the colossi at their weaknesses. There are exactly sixteen colossi to fight and each have their own way to fight and own strategy to use to fight against them. There are also prayer shrines which you can get access to which you can save at throughout the game's world.

• Graphics: 9/10
o SotC is clearly one of the most inspiring, amazing, and beautiful pieces of work created during the 6th generation of gaming. One of the most visually detailed games from shadows to all the way to lighting. Even now it still looks better than most games that are being released. A HD remake is available for the PS3 which offers a improved visual experience that even puts shame to most modern games.

• Sound: 10/10
o The sound effects in SotC are nicely done with a lot of depth in quality. Each of the colossi make unique sounds and noises. What the most amazing aspect in the sound is the fact that there's a lot of detail from the environment. From waterfalls, to being in the desert, the wind and even the storm near the end of the game is nicely done. Since music isnt a big aspect in the overall exploration in the game the sound effects are so nicely in depth that it feels like you are in the game's world.

• Music: 10/10
o There's a couple of tracks in the game however majority is only heard when you are fighting a colossi. The game's OST includes several somber tracks which can really make you think of the situation that the main character is going through and when the boss fights get to the point of climax the music just gets that epic feeling that will surely make anyone excited.

• Length: 8/10
o SotC's length depends on how much the player wants to explore to get all the fruits and lizard tails to improve their health/stamina. A player can decide to avoid all the benefits of the attribute items and go directly to combat each of the colossi which should take a good amount of time due to how far apart each colossi are to each other and along with the fact of the cutscenes you may encounter. There are a total of Sixteen colossi for the player to fight so this could give a pretty decent number of hours to finish the game especially if you decide to do a few detours to find fruits/lizards or just to be amazed the landscape in the world of SotC.

• Replay Value: 8/10
o SotC features a new game+ mode where you can play through the game with your current stamina/health upgrade but a new challenge mode has been added which allow you direct access to every single colossi fight but times you. You must finish off each Colossi before time runs out with a pre-set amount of stamina and health. Upon completing it before time ends you will get rewards such as new weapons.

• Player Value: 10/10
o Shadow of the Colossus is one of the best games in the 6th generation. Offering a new unique style to both gameplay and gives a new direction where art is the new form of storytelling to this amazing epic. With both music and the amazing beauty of the art mixed together well - the player will understand clearly how in depth they can be with the protagonist of the game, of his journey and his goal to save his maiden. The game also ends with a twist and offers replay value you wouldnt normally see in a game like this in the form of a new game+ and adds a new time challenge which will reward you for completing the tough challenges. This game is an amazing legendary classic in which all fans of adventure games will surely enjoy!