Shadow of the Colossus (Game + Soundtrack + Artbook)

The Game

Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as Wander and the Colossus (Wanda to Kyozō), is a Japanese-developed action-adventure video game developed and 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. The game was created by SCEI's International Production Studio 1, the same development team responsible for the cult hit Ico.

The game focuses on a young man named Wander who must travel across a vast expanse on horseback and defeat sixteen beings, known as colossi, to restore the life of a girl. 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.

Gameplay Basics

Progression through Shadow of the Colossus occurs in cycles. Beginning at a central point in an expansive landscape, the player seeks out and defeats a colossus, and is then returned to the central point to repeat the process. To find each colossus, Wander must raise his sword while in a sunlit area to reflect beams of light, which will converge when the sword is pointed in the right direction of the next encounter. The journey to a colossus is seldom a straightforward matter—stretches of varied terrain often require that a detour be taken along the way. Most colossi are located in remote areas, such as atop cliffs or within ancient structures, and tend to be located progressively farther away from the central area.

Once a colossus is found, the player must discover its weaknesses to defeat it. Each colossus dwells in a unique lair, and many colossi cannot be defeated without making use of the surrounding environment. Every colossus has at least one weak point, indicated by a glowing sigil. If the area is lit by sunlight, the player may use the sword's reflected light to temporarily illuminate these sigils. Each colossus has areas covered with fur or protruding ledges, which the player may use to grip and scale the colossus while it thrashes about in an attempt to dislodge the player. While scaling a colossus, the player must act quickly, as Wander has a limited grip gauge that decreases while he hangs onto the creature.

Wander and the colossi have life bars to indicate their remaining health. The colossi's health will decrease significantly when their weak points are attacked, while Wander can be harmed by a colossus' attacks or falls from great heights. Throughout the game, Wander is equipped with only a sword and a bow.

Agro and the environment

Wander's horse, Agro, plays a large role in the game. In addition to serving as a means of transportation, Agro is vital in defeating some of the Colossi. There are, however, many places that Agro cannot reach. Colossi often inhabit areas beyond deep water or obstacles that must be scaled. Agro cannot travel beyond these, and when separated from Wander by such obstacles, cannot participate in the following battle. During such times, Agro waits faithfully for Wander to return from the battle.

The environment must be used to the player's advantage more often as the game progresses. The first two battles take place on simple, large, flat areas of land, with the only goal being to discover how to scale the colossi and attack their weak points. However, the majority of the following fourteen battles require that some aspect of the battlefield be used.

Plot and setting

During Shadow of the Colossus, the player receives little information concerning the backstories of the characters and their relationships with one another. The game clearly takes place in a fantasy setting, with most of the game's events occurring within a vast and unpopulated peninsula separated from the outside world by a mountain range to its North and sea to the South and East. The presence of ruins and other ancient structures indicate that the area was once a settlement.

The region is only accessible via a small cleft in the mountains to the north, leading to a massive stone bridge. This bridge spans half the distance of the landscape and terminates at a large temple called the "Shrine of Worship" located at its center. It is, however, forbidden to enter the land, which is characterized by diverse geographical features, such as lakes and deserts, in addition to human-made structures.

Reception

Shadow of the Colossus's commercial reception was positive, with sales of 140,000 copies in its first week at retail in Japan, reaching number one in the charts. Almost 80% of the initial Japanese shipment was sold within two days. These figures compare favorably with Ico, which was well received by critics but failed to sell a significant number of copies. The game was placed on Sony's list of Greatest Hits titles on August 8, 2006.

Unlike Ico, Shadow received far more exposure, due in part to Sony putting its weight behind a massive advertising campaign. It was advertised in game magazines, on television and on the internet, including a viral marketing campaign launched in October 2005. The site posted links to several websites claiming that the remains of five giants resembling certain colossi had been discovered in various parts of the world. The website has since been taken down. Some speculate that Ico's sales figures could have been improved if similar advertising efforts were made before its release.

Awards

Shadow of the Colossus has received several awards, including recognition for "Best Character Design", "Best Game Design", "Best Visual Arts" and "Game of the Year", as well as one of three "Innovation Awards" at the 2006 Game Developers Choice Awards. At the 2006 DICE Summit, the game won the award for "Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction" at the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, while it received one of two "Special Rookie Awards" at the Famitsu Awards 2005. It was nominated for "Best Original Music", "Best Artistic Graphics" and "Best PS2 Game", yet also "Most Aggravating Frame Rate" in GameSpot's awards for 2005, while it won "Best Adventure Game" and "Best Artistic Design" in IGN's Best of 2005 awards, who cited Agro as the best sidekick in the history of video games. Two years after its release IGN listed Shadow as the fourth greatest PlayStation 2 game of all time. Games Radar awarded it Best Game Of The Year 2006 (being released in the UK in early 2006, later than the US), while the game's ending was selected as the fourth greatest moment in gaming by the editors of GamePro in July 2006.

Developer: Team Ico
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Designer: Kenji Kaido (line producer/project manager)
Fumito Ueda (director/lead game designer)
Shunpei Suzuki (art design)
Hitoshi Niwa (art design)
Kō Ōtani (composer)
Platform: PlayStation 2
Release date: NA October 18, 2005
JPN October 27, 2005
AUS February 16, 2006
EUR February 17, 2006
Genre: Action-adventure, Puzzle
Mode: Single-player

File type: ISO
Language: English
Media: DVD
System: NTSC

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The Soundtrack

While the game has an extensive orchestral soundtrack, the music is only heard during cut scenes and colossus encounters, while time spent at the Shrine of Worship and traversing the landscape is silent save for the sounds made by the protagonist, his horse and their surroundings. The open nature of the game world and lack of life, coupled with this limited use of music, aids in establishing an atmosphere of solitude, similar to that of Ico.

Roar of the Earth is the soundtrack to Shadow of the Colossus. It was released in Japan on December 7, 2005. There are currently no announced plans to release the album in other territories. The game's score was composed by Kō Ōtani (credited in-game as "Kow Otani"), whose previous video game work included the soundtracks to the PlayStation 2 flight simulator Sky Odyssey and the PlayStation shooter Philosoma. He has also worked on several of the 1990s-era Gamera films, as well as a variety of anime. Roar of the Earth won the award for "Soundtrack of the Year" in the US-based video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly.

Soundtrack by Kō Ōtani
Released: December 7, 2005
Recorded: Victor Studio
Length: 75:50
Label: King Records

Part 1
01 Prologue ~To the Ancient Land~.mp3
02 Prohibited Art.mp3
03 Commandment.mp3
04 Black Blood.mp3
05 Resurrection.mp3
06 Sign of the Colossus.mp3
07 Grotesque Figures ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
08 The Opened Way ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
09 The End of the Battle.mp3

http://rapidshare.com/files/117657630/Shadowofthecollosus.ost.1.rar

part 2
10 Idol Collapse.mp3
11 Green Hills.mp3
12 A Violent Encounter ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
13 Revived Power ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
14 Lakeside.mp3
15 Silence ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
16 In Awe of the Power ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
17 Wander's Death.mp3
18 The Farthest Land.mp3

http://rapidshare.com/files/117658817/Shadowofthecollosus.ost.2.rar

part 3
19 Creeping Shadow ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
20 A Messenger From Behind ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
21 Counterattack ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
22 Sky Burial.mp3
23 A Closed-off City.mp3
24 Liberated Guardian ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
25 A Despair-filled Farewell ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
26 Prayer.mp3
27 Swift Horse.mp3

http://rapidshare.com/files/117659748/Shadowofthecollosus.ost.3.rar

part 4
28 Gatekeeper of the Castle Ruins ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
29 Sanctuary.mp3
30 Demise of the Ritual ~Battle With the Colossus~.mp3
31 A Pursuer.mp3
32 Premonition of Revival.mp3
33 Epilogue ~Those Who Remain~.mp3
34 Hope.mp3
35 The Sunlit Earth.mp3
36 Memories.mp3

http://rapidshare.com/files/117660826/Shadowofthecollosus.ost.4.rar

part 5
37 Wilderness.mp3
38 Voice of the Earth.mp3
39 Marshlands.mp3
40 Anger.mp3
41 Final Battle.mp3
42 The Farthest Land (Reprise).mp3

http://rapidshare.com/files/117661213/Shadowofthecollosus.ost.5.rar

The Artbook

The Shadow of the Colossus Official Artbook is a collection of artwork (both conceptual and in-game) from Shadow of the Colossus. It doubles as a detailed visual guide on how to defeat the sixteen colossi; for this reason, it has frequently been referred to as the "Shadow of the Colossus Official Guidebook" by retailers. It also included a large collection of early concept and discarded colossi.

It was released in Japan on January 16, 2006. There are currently no plans to release it anywhere else.

Preview


Publisher: Enterbrain
Pages: 203
Released: January 16, 2006 (Japan)
Dimensions: 26.1 x 21.7 x 1.8 cm
ISBN: 4757725809

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