I cannot recall being so conflicted about a video game. On the one hand I very much enjoyed the vast majority of Shadow of the Colossus, on the other hand the overall experience is marred by some absolutely abysmal design decisions. Firstly the good: as with most PS4 games this is gorgeous, the scenery is genuinely beautiful, riding through the environment is a pleasure for the most part although the graphical fidelity is severely hampered by a glaring, horrendous flaw that I will get to in a minute.
Essentially this game is just 16 boss fights, there are no other enemies, and I enjoyed this unique take - I can't think of any other games quite like this. Thankfully the boss fights are mostly very good, this isn't a difficult game as such, any difficulty comes with working out how to defeat the enemy, once you know how it usually isn't very hard to pull off. Only one or two of the fights are below par which is a pretty good ratio, unfortunately the last boss is one of the worst things about this game and it needs to be touched upon in any review - it is too bad not to mention. Trying to avoiding any spoilers I can honestly say that the last boss is utterly atrocious and perhaps the main reason that I will never recommend this game to anybody. It isn't hard at all, in fact I can't imagine how it would even be possible to die, it is just fiddly, awkward, uncomfortable and awful. As with all of the bosses you have to hold on to its hair/ fur and stab its weak spot. The last boss however flails far too much meaning that you have hardly any opportunities to stab it and the health bar goes down pathetically slowly, and if you fall off you have to laboriously clamber all the way back up to the top. It took me about half an hour of tedious toil to actually kill the thing after working out what to do. I just cannot imagine how anyone could enjoy this boss. I cannot comprehend how this boss was conceived of, designed, put into the game and released. It is unquestionably one of the worst boss fights in video game history and I will never replay this game because of it.
Incredibly though the last boss isn't the nadir of Shadow of the Colossus. It may be terrible, but something worse hampers the entire experience: the camera. The camera in this game is beyond woeful, it is terrible beyond words. I am trying not to sound hyperbolic but it is difficult because the camera is so ruinous to the experience. I was locked in a battle with the camera for every single second of this game. It is almost as if the developers predetermined the 'best' camera angle for every single spot of the environment; want to look at that waterfall? Tough! The camera wants you to stare at the ground. Want to admire the beautiful scenery? Tough! Look over that way instead! Want to get a better angle on the boss? Tough! You're staring at its feet! It is frankly baffling that this game was released in this state, and that nobody at any point in the production of this game decided to fix this. The instant you release the right stick it just boings back to where it 'should' be. I realise that this is a remake of a PS2 game and the developers would have wanted to stay true to the original experience but lets be honest, the PS2 generation was not perfect when it came to camera angles. We have come a long way. To not resolve this glaring horrible flaw indicates a quite startling level of ineptitude on the part of the developers and it comes very very close to wrecking the whole game. Since finishing this game I have moved onto God of War 4 and having full control of a camera feels like a breath of fresh air, that any game wouldn't allow the player to actually control the camera today is absurd.
Thankfully, as I have said, most of the Colossi (Colossuses?) are good enough to just about save the game. The beautiful scenery is ruined by the fact that to look at it you have to engage in warfare with the camera, it is such a shame. But there is just about enough good stuff about this game to make it sort of something worth playing. I can even see why people might consider this to be a 'masterpiece', it is somehow artful and the stripped back story is somehow very affecting. Whilst playing the game I variously considered giving it anything from two to five stars but had to plump for three because it isn't a bad game, but it has been affected by some appalling decisions and outrageous incompetence.
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From the manufacturer
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus is a breathtaking journey through ancient lands to seek out gigantic beasts. Armed with only a sword and a bow, explore the spacious lands and unearth each Colossus, presenting a unique challenge to test your wits, determination, and skill.
Explore vast forbidden lands filled with haunting ruins on a quest to bring a girl back to life.
Conquer an unforgettable menagerie of towering creatures, each presenting a uniquely crafted challenge to overcome.
Customer reviews
Simply stunning remake of a classic game and the added photo mode is fantastic. I think I have spent at least a third of my play time just taking photo's of the magnificent landscapes.
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