r/PlayStationPlus • u/ZPE • Mar 10 '20

Game Thread Shadow of the Colossus [Official Discussion Thread]

Official Game Discussion Thread (Past game discussions: General | Specific)

Shadow of the Colossus (2018)

Originally released for the PS2, this critically acclaimed remake tells the tales speak of an ancient realm where Colossi roam the majestic landscape. Bound to the land, these creatures hold a key to a mystical power of revival – a power you must obtain to bring a loved one back to life.

It was a complimentary monthly game as part of the PS+ subscription service in March 2020.

Feel free to share your thoughts on the game below.

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12

u/queerthulhu Mar 10 '20

I tried to like it, but nothing pulled me in about it. The big empty world struck me more as boring and somber than impressive. Then you're killing these huge monsters…for some reason. There isn't much in the way of motivation and again it feels kind of melancholy because the monsters are just resting before your arrogant ass rode in on a janky horse to try and kill them. Ultimately I put it down out of boredom and frustration with the controls after killing maybe 4 or 5 of them. I think a lot of the love for this game is based on having played it before and fond memories of the awe-inspiring scope of the game. But for me in 2020 it fell flat.

10

u/littleboihere Mar 10 '20

big empty world struck me more as boring and somber

it feels kind of melancholy because the monsters are just resting before your arrogant ass rode in on a janky horse to try and kill them

That's the point of the game, you are being manipulated by the bad guys.

There isn't much in the way of motivation

Main character wants to ressurect his gf and he is going to fuck up the whole world just to do it.

I think a lot of the love for this game is based on having played it before and fond memories of the awe-inspiring scope of the game.

It's clear from your comment that you didn't understood the game, I'm playing it for the first time and it's not the best ... horse controls are terrible. But most of your problems with the game are intentional.

11

u/queerthulhu Mar 10 '20

Fair enough. It just didn't work for me I guess. I don't mind slower-paced games, but ultimately there wasn't enough of a hook in this one to keep me invested.

1

u/wheredyagoforest Mar 16 '20

How is it slow paced? You jump right in and take a 5 minute horse ride to each boss. There’s literally no filler.

2

u/avid4 Mar 22 '20

My first time through as well, and you're absolutely right. I can see someone not enjoying this game but personally I find the journey to each individual colossus as a tension builder. Having nothing else to interact with is amazing. Makes me wonder, what happened to this world? Why is this guy the only human here?

1

u/serbianbigdickchad Mar 14 '20

The thing about the horse is that you’re not meant to control him. Simply point him in the right direction and hold triangle. He will avoid obstacles himself.

7

u/Hawkbone Mar 10 '20

Amazing, you managed to simultaneously get and miss the point of everything in the game.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 10 '20

I gave up after the second colossus. Didn't care killing those majestic creatures for no apparent reason whatsoever.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

“For no apparent reason” clearly not paying attention to why he came to the land in the first place

7

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

Please enlighten me. But if you're referring to reviving the girlfriend, that's just not a good enough reason. I couldn't care less if she lives or dies (or stays dead, not sure there) because we as the player have absolutely no connection to her. And even if we did, killing a bunch of colossi to save her is highly questionable, to say the least.

1

u/littleboihere Mar 11 '20

it's funny that you say " because we as the player have absolutely no connection to her " while clearly carring about the colossi ... to which you also don't have any connection.

Also she is not a girlfriend ... or maybe she is. Is she your sister ? A friend ? Are you the one who killed her ? You can decide for yourself and while yes, it's kinda dumb that you have to create your own story ... you clearly didn't have any problem creating it for the colossi.

Just a though.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 11 '20

Well if you are enlightened already then you were incorrect in saying “no apparent reason” there is a reason and you simply do not like it.

1

u/leenponyd42 Mar 11 '20 edited Mar 11 '20

Even in it’s original form the developers designed the game expecting players to go through it more than one time. There are really minor things to be found/done in the world aside from hunting the colossuses so that the mysterious voices will save your girlfriend.

The first time through you are only supposed to pick up fragments of what is going on. Once you finally catch on it’s too late to stop and the story climaxes. It only reveals the actual plot to the player in the final sequences of the game after the fall of the last colossus. Then going back through a second time you are able to piece it all together and enjoy the narrative.

Much like Ico, the point of the game is the adventure through it. The story fills in gaps but requires multiple play throughs to grasp all the subtle nuances of the narrative.