Released in 2005 for the console PlayStation 2 game Shadow of the Colossus overnight became a cult. This was largely due to the revolutionary for that time game process and an unusual setting chosen by developers from Team Ico. In 2011, the HD-remaster of the game for the PlayStation 3 was released, and very soon, namely on February 7, a full-fledged remake for the PlayStation 4 will be on sale, which I want to tell you in more detail today.
Game: Shadow of the Colossus
Platform: PlayStation 4
Genre: Action / Adventure
Release date: February 7, 2018
Developer: Bluepoint Games
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Shadow of the Colossus is part of an amazingly rich universe in which the events of two other great games unfold - Ico and The Last Guardian. The author of these works of Fumito Oued does not like to reveal secrets to gamers and chew on incomprehensible moments, therefore his works are always shrouded in mystery, and over time they acquire fan theories and millions of conjectures. It seems to me that this intrigue makes the games of the talented Japanese game designer even more attractive.
The plot of Shadow of the Colossus at first glance is simple and straightforward. The protagonist named Wander (Wander - "wander", English.) Riding a faithful horse Agro delivers to the ancient temple the body of his beloved Mono. Laying it on the stone altar, he calls to the dark deity Dormin, begging him to bring the girl back to life. Dormin agrees to help the young man, but in return asks to perform a difficult task: to find and kill sixteen giant colossi living in a vast valley.
You can travel along the valley both on foot and on horseback to the Agro. The latter method is much more preferable, as sometimes it is necessary to overcome huge distances. An important role also plays the sword of the protagonist, who, being removed from the scabbard, is able to focus the sunlight and point to the side where the next colossus is. A non-standard navigation system is enough, but it's even more interesting to play. Despite the fact that the game does its best to create the illusion of an "open world", it is necessary to kill the colossi in a strict sequence, in advance thought out by the writers. Unfortunately, you will not be able to go to any of the monsters of your choice.
Each duel with the colossus is a real test for the gray matter and fingers of the gamer. Monsters are giant creatures made of stone, living flesh, various designs, according to which the protagonist must climb, trying to find vulnerabilities with luminous glyphs and thrust their blade into them. And if the very first colossus is not very clever and agile, then with each subsequent boss the rules of the game will become more complicated. You will have to track them down, think through the strategy of attacks, take into account the characteristics of the landscape and even use the help of your horse Agro in order to defeat the monsters. It is the battles with huge creatures that underlie this game and, believe me a word, it only wins from it.
Management in the game is quite simple and intuitive. The main skill of the main character is the ability to grab for various protrusions, wool colossi and other objects. Climbing the sheer rocks or the backs of giant monsters, we should not forget that the protagonist has a limited amount of stamina, and as soon as the forces leave him, you risk jumping from a tremendous height and crashing against stony ground. During the battle you can use your sword, which will tell you where exactly on the colossus you need to get to find its weak point. There are other auxiliary tools in the game, for example, a bow that can attract the attention of the boss. Personally, it seemed to me that the management became more responsive than could not boast of the original for the PS2. This is facilitated by additional control schemes, which were not in the original game.
If you think that fights will be similar one to another, you are greatly mistaken. You will not only see land colossi, but also flying and even underwater monsters. The spectacularity of such fights is so impressive that you sometimes forget that you are playing a game. Sometimes it seems that you are watching an expensive Hollywood blockbuster. Your consciousness is completely transferred to an eerie fairy world, attracting the myriad secrets hidden in it. Despite the fact that for the most part the world of the game is deserted, occasionally you will meet representatives of fauna, for example, lizards, which can be eaten, thereby increasing the level of health.
Visually the game was created from scratch, which immediately catches your eye. The picture is so clear, bright and detailed that I do not want to go back to the original PS2-version or even to the HD-remaster. The development of the Shadow of the Colossus in the sample of 2018 was the responsibility of the studio Bluepoint Games, which ate not one dog on the reissue of the classic games. Earlier they were engaged in HD-remasters Ico, Metal Gear Solid, God of War, Uncharted and other wonderful games, but in this case they were entrusted with creating not just a remaster, but a full-fledged high-budget remake. The source code for the game was taken from the original in 2005, but was partially modified and adapted to modern realities.
On a regular PS4 console, the game is at 1080p at 30 fps, the more advanced PS4 Pro displays the picture in two modes: either 4K at 30 fps or 1080p at 60 fps. Each texture, every three-dimensional object in the game was created from scratch by original concepts, but using modern graphics technology, so the game looks very impressive and fresh. Immediately, the love that Bluepoint Games invested in the remake is felt, because they are great fans of Fumito Oueda's creativity, so they tried to transfer the game to the new generation of consoles as qualitatively as possible. Another nice remake bonus was the photo mode, with which players can make beautiful screenshots, styling the picture with photo filters and optical effects.
Finally, there is an intelligible automatic saving in the game, which will insure you in case of unexpected death. You can also save in manual mode at the special altars scattered on the map. After you defeat the last colossus, you will also have the opportunity to perform various additional tasks and tests for a while. But personally it seems to me that the game itself is quite full, and such bonuses will please only the most dedicated fans. But the presence of them to anything the player does not oblige, so they can easily be attributed to the benefits of a remake.
Sound and music were preserved in full. The spooky voice of a dark deity, pronouncing words on a specially created language for the game, the sound of a heavy gigantic colossal step, the trampling of Agro hooves across the plains, hundreds of sound effects will delight the hearing of all players without exception. But, the developers have made it so that this time everything sounds even more realistic and lively, which makes the atmosphere of the game noticeably deeper. The musical accompaniment skilfully emphasizes what is happening on the screen, also enhancing the emotional connection between the player and the fairy world of Fumito Ueda.
Pros:
- Perfect remake of the legendary game.
- Each battle with the colossus is a small triumph of game design.
- Visually, the game is gorgeous in every way.
- Sound and music have become even more impressive.
- Improved and enhanced management.
- Finally, automatic saving was added to the game.
- Bonus content and additional tests.
- The game is completely translated into Russian.
- The game was added a photo mode.
Minuses:
- There are still problems with horse management.
Shadow of the Colossus is an exemplary remake that takes us to the distant past of the PlayStation 2 era and allows us to re-experience long-forgotten emotions after living a small virtual life in a fantasy world full of terrible giants and deadly dangers. Developers from Bluepoint Games have done a really great job, presenting the game with beautiful graphics, redesigning the control scheme, adding it all with a wonderful photo mode and significantly improving the sound quality. If you have never played Shadow of the Colossus, do not hesitate and buy it as soon as you have the opportunity. Such games no longer exist in nature, so skipping this masterpiece is strongly discouraged. If you are already familiar with the original 2005 or with the HD-remake, this will be an excellent occasion to re-play the game in a new modern guise and refresh your memories. I put the game 10 points out of 10 , because the smaller this work of art from me simply can not get.
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