14 DAY TRIAL // 
Developed by the same talented team led by Fumito Ueda responsible for 2001's cult-hit ICO, Shadow of the Colossus is an engrossing, emotional journey of the imagination, pervaded with melancholy and set in a spectacularly beautiful world. It is unlike any game I have ever played, because there are no games like it.
Story The game opens with the main character, a young man named Wander, who brings the lifeless body of a young woman to a temple in a forbidden mystical land. The woman has been sacrificed because of her cursed fate and Wander strikes a bargain with Dormin, a mysterious entity that resides within the confines of the temple, to slay the sixteen colossi that are scattered throughout the land in order to bring her back to life. Dormin also warns of the dire consequences of his actions, but the young man is determined to go all the way. So, along with his trusty ebony steed Agro and armed only with a bow and a magical sword, he sets off to destroy the gargantuan creatures.
There aren't any long cut scenes besides the opening one, and the only dialogue throughout most of the game is the eerie voice of Dormin that oversees Wander's adventure and directs him on his path. Indeed, the narrative is minimal and it is really left to the imagination of the player, however that is partly what gives the game its magical charm.
Gameplay The objective of the game is clear from the very beginning. There are no lesser foes to vanquish, no NPCs, no quests or anything else to worry about, just the colossi at the heart of a beautiful yet eerily vacant land. You'll spend a good deal of time wandering this forbidden country in search of your next colossus, all alone except for your equine companion, but even though exploring can gobble hours of gameplay, I loved every minute of it. The ambience greatly helps create a feeling of isolation, while little touches such as the wind picking up and whistling by your ears when at a high altitude, and the soothing sound of Agro's hoofbeats really make the experience memorable.
Speaking of Agro, the horse rides so smoothly and life-like, it's astonishing. It is easily the most realistically animated horse I have ever seen in a game, nearly flawless in every aspect of its implementation. It breathes and whinnies, its powerful muscles flexing beneath its skin as it trots or gallops, it feels alive, and the warmth generated from having it close help elevate the loneliness while confronting the game's overwhelming solitude. It feels more like a close friend than a simple means of transportation in the end.
The magical sword in your possession has several unique qualities. In addition to being the only thing able to harm the colossi, it can focus sunlight and point you in the direction of your next target, which is an elegant solution to the need of a radar or something similar to show you the way, but will also reveal the weak spots of each colossus once you find them. And when you do find them, prepare to be amazed. The first glimpse of a mighty colossus is breathtaking. Little can prepare you for its sheer size - reducing you to a little more than an ant scurrying about its feet -, its power and its otherworldly beauty. It's so immense that you must literally crawl around on its body in order to defeat it.
Each colossus is an enormous, constantly moving puzzle. Your task is to identify their weak spots, climb their bodies in order to reach those spots, and run them through with your sword until they succumb. The first couple are quite easy to defeat, however the more you go, the more thought is required to figure out exactly what needs to be done. While finding their weak spots remains easy enough all the way through, actually figuring out how to get on their towering bodies is quite a challenge, and usually the environment factors into the equation heavily. Once you finally get on them the colossi will make your life exceptionally difficult, constantly trying to shake you off as you slowly crawl from one weak spot to another while hanging for your dear life onto their thrashing bodies. All colossi present different means by which you must defeat them, and it can take more than an hour to bring one down, through heart-racing and adrenaline-saturated battles.
But satisfaction from bringing a colossus down is quickly drowned by a feeling of sadness and regret as it slowly comes crashing to the ground, while a sweet dismal melody plays. You're left wondering why you must go to such lengths in order to complete an arguably selfish quest, who are you to destroy these ancient creatures of such incredible beauty? It's nearly impossible to view the death of the colossi as anything but tragic.
Like so many other 3D games, its biggest problem is the camera. It attempts to present the action in a cinematic fashion and it succeeds, however the most visually pleasing angles are not always the most playable. It's never infuriating but always mildly bothersome until you get used to it, which may take a while.
The game is only about ten hours long, but when you're kicked back at the title screen your journey is not over. Two modes of play are unlocked after completing it: Hard mode in which the colossi have more health and vital spots, and Time attack in which you can face each colossus in a timed challenge. Defeating two colossi in the Time attack mode provides Wonder with items and weapons beyond his bow and sword, even gives access to hidden places, such as the garden at the top of the temple, and all these can extend the play time a good two or three times the first run.
Video and sound Shadow of the Colossus is the most beautiful looking game I've ever seen. It's a visual masterpiece, and not owing to the technical feats, but to the quality of the artistic direction. The same dream-like style present in ICO returns, with the same attention to detail, exceptional use of color, and incomparable sense of aesthetic. The world it takes place in is simply breathtakingly beautiful.
The colossi are extremely well executed and brilliantly animated, their sound effects superbly matched with their actions. You can't help but marvel at the artistic and technological splendor as they lumber about, roaring thunderously and thrashing wildly as you attempt to climb them, the ground trembling beneath their feet and raining down stones and dirt.
The orchestral music by the Japanese composer Koi Otani is extraordinary, but it is used sparingly, only during the dramatic moments. Powerful and dynamic, it adapts perfectly to every action taking place and it really captures the magnitude of those titanic battles. And I must say, I am in love with the sweet melody from the introduction cut scene and that played with the demise of each colossus, both perfectly evocative of the entire game.
Multiplayer It fortunately does not have multiplayer.
Conclusion Shadow of the Colossus is one of the best games I have ever played, its charm, its elegant simplicity, its beauty are without equal. I heartily recommend it.
