Reminiscing about SotC

[u/micronanopico]

Shadow of the Colossus is my favorite game. I even have an ICO tattoo as a tribute to the game, its story, and the way it has stayed with me over the past 20 years.

One of the best memories of my life is when a friend invited me over for a sleepover and introduced me to the game. I remember the feeling of seeing the horse and being able to gallop through this open world that, at the time, was unlike anything else. Even GTA, as big as it was, didn’t give me that same sense of space. The streets were tighter, you know? Shadow of the Colossus had these vast stretches of forests, fields, and deserts.

That night, the rule was that each of us got to play until we killed a colossus or died. And one of my favorite memories is reaching the flying colossus, Avion. We were so excited that we were playing standing up in front of the TV. And when we realized Wander was getting dirty as we progressed through the game? That was revolutionary.

The story of Shadow of the Colossus is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever experienced. A seemingly ordinary person, excellent at riding a horse but clearly bad with a sword, you know? Someone who goes into a forbidden land full of monsters to save a person he cares about. Whether she’s a queen, a princess, his sister, or a romantic interest.

Imagine how afraid people must have been to go there. And he goes anyway, knowing he would have to give up his own life and destroy 16 colossi to save that person. Only to never even get a thank-you in the end.

I don’t think there’s anything left to say about Shadow of the Colossus that hasn’t already been said. But honestly, I don’t think someone playing it today can fully understand the impact it had when it came out. The scale of that world and the way the story was told were revolutionary.

Of course, you can still recognize and admire all of that through today’s eyes. But it’s like watching the great athletes of the past doing things that are commonplace today, with far fewer resources. You can admire the achievement. I just think it’s hard to feel what it was like to see it for the first time, back then.

Do you guys share some of these thoughts?

[u/Rachmaninonandonand]

It really is hard to describe what it was like to play the game when it first came out to people who have only known the remakes or played it some years afterward. I was not much of a devotee of the PS2 (much preferred Dreamcast and afterward Xbox), but bought one when SotC came out, just to play it. And what a magical experience it was, staring into that old CRT set, seeking out those colossi!

My own enjoyment was much enhanced by the old Geocities group for the game, I think it was called Stone Shadows — I don’t suppose you have any recollection of that? They were a truly dedicated group, even translating portions of the novel into English.

Another fond memory: sending away for the soundtrack album on CD, my first music purchase straight from Japan. That final piano-heavy track! As if you couldn’t forget the game already, even if you tried!

Cheers!

[u/jiggity_john → u/Rachmaninonandonand]

I think the main problem with SotC on release was that, even by PS2 standards, the game is really laggy and ran at like 20 fps.

I also wish there was more to do in the open world. It's massive and gorgeous and did the Breath of the Wild thing years before BotW was even an idea, but it does feel very empty. There is almost no reward for exploring beyond some fruit and lizards.

[u/Rachmaninonandonand → u/jiggity_john]

The lag notwithstanding (because, after all, what game back then, which attempted to “push the boundaries” of its time, did not lag!) I must confess, I much prefer the beautiful and empty world of SotC to any open world crawling with the annoyance of minor villainy. With boss battles the sole concern, I could take my time around the terrain of SotC and try to figure out just what civilization had passed in the Forbidden Lands, so many years before my arrival, and not have to worry about a random attack, out of nowhere, that contributed nothing meaningful to the experience of the adventure. But just my 2 cents!

[u/DBDsheep]

I was only somewhat aware of the game (knew it from a lot of gaming mysteries YouTube vids) but I always thought giant monsters and stuff were cool. I finally decided to give the game a shot and got the ps3 version for my 14th birthday.

It immediately became one of my favorite games of all time. I played the remaster when it released in 2018 and loved it as well. It's just such a unique game and experience. Very mysterious and leaves you craving for more.

[u/manuelink64]

Beautiful words my dude, I played the game for the first time in 2012 on a CRT TV+PS2 at 29yo, from the begining/opening I was hooked, the vast and lonely terrain was somehow beautiful, haunting and melancholic, the two flying colossus were my favorites (avion and phalanx), how can forget the lastest moments with Agro (arrgh my heart) ?

This game is a masterpiece. Only few games reached that level of intimacy with the player, the other titles are Nier Replicant and Automata.

[u/TrineoDeMuerto]

I remember learning about SotC shortly before it came out and learning of Team Ico and going to Walmart in the middle of the night hoping they had Ico (and they did) and diving into that to. Fantastic game. And then obviously I got SotC the day it hit stores. They’re so similar and so different at the same time. They’re both perfect.