Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as Wander to Kyozō (Japanese: ワンダと巨像, Hepburn: Wanda to Kyozō?, officially translated Wander and the Colossus), is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI) for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006. It was directed by Fumito Ueda and developed at SCEI's International Production Studio 1, also known as Team Ico; the same development team responsible for the cult hit Ico. Shadow of the Colossus is considered a spiritual successor to Ico. Along with Ico, Shadow of the Colossus was re-released in The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Classics HD in the PAL region) for the PlayStation 3 in September 2011; it features high-definition (HD) graphics, content previously missing from the North American version, PlayStation Network Trophies, and 3D support. The HD version was released separately in Japan.
The game's storyline focuses on a young man named Wander who enters a forbidden land. Wander must travel across a vast expanse on horseback and defeat sixteen massive beings, known simply as colossi, in order to restore the life of a girl named Mono. The game is unusual within the action-adventure genre in that there are no towns or dungeons to explore, no characters with which to interact, and no enemies to defeat other than the colossi. Shadow of the Colossus has been described as a puzzle game, as each colossus' weakness must be identified and exploited before it can be defeated.
Cited as an influential title in the video game industry, Shadow of the Colossus is regarded as an important work of art due to its minimalist landscape designs, immersive gameplay and emotional journey. It received wide critical acclaim by the media and was met with strong sales compared to Ico, due in part to a larger marketing campaign. The soundtrack was also widely praised. The game won several awards for its audio, design, and overall quality. Shadow of the Colossus is also referenced numerous times in debates regarding the art quality and emotional perspectives of video games.
Read more about Shadow Of The Colossus: Plot and Setting, Development, Audio, PAL Release, Reception, Film Adaptation
Famous quotes containing the words shadow of the, shadow of, shadow and/or colossus:
“We saw one schoolhouse in our walk, and listened to the sounds which issued from it; but it appeared like a place where the process, not of enlightening, but of obfuscating the mind was going on, and the pupils received only so much light as could penetrate the shadow of the Catholic Church.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Nor now the long light on the sea—
And here face downward in the sun
To feel how swift how secretly
The shadow of the night comes on . . .”
—Archibald MacLeish (1892–1982)
“The whole shadow of Man is only as big as his hat.”
—Elizabeth Bishop (1911–1979)
“Milton, Madam, was a genius that could cut a Colossus from a rock; but he could not carve heads upon cherry-stones.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)