Shadow of the Colossus

Lore & Background

The game takes place in a fantasy world, wherein a vast and unpopulated peninsula, known as the Forbidden Land, serves as the main setting. The protagonist is Wander, a young man whose goal is to resurrect a girl named Mono. The only established fact regarding Mono is that she was a maiden who was sacrificed because she was believed to have a cursed destiny. Assisting Wander is his loyal horse, Agro, who serves as his sole ally in defeating the colossi.

Wander also receives aid from an entity called Dormin, a mysterious, disembodied entity speaking with two voices at once. Dormin offers to revive Mono in exchange for Wander destroying the sixteen colossi. Lord Emon is a shaman who narrates a vision in the game's introduction and possesses vast knowledge about the nature and containment of Dormin. The colossi are armored, most often enormous creatures with forms ranging from various humanoids to predatory animals.

Reader's Guide

Gameplay takes place from a third-person perspective in a 3D environment and involves combat, platforming, and puzzle elements. The game's environment is largely a seamless open world. Progression occurs in cycles: the player seeks out and defeats a colossus, then returns to a central point. To find each colossus, Wander may raise his sword in sunlight to reflect beams of light that converge when pointed in the right direction. Each colossus has at least one weak point, a glowing sigil. Wander can grip and scale colossi using fur or ledges, but has a limited stamina gauge. Eating the tail of a certain lizard increases stamina; fruit increases maximum health. Agro enables fighting from horseback but cannot traverse all environments. Wander's equipment consists of a sword and a bow with arrows; bonus weapons and features are accessible after finishing optional Time Attack trials.

Did You Know?

• Shadow of the Colossus was directed by Fumito Ueda and developed by Team Ico, the same team behind Ico.
• The game was originally conceived as an online multiplayer title called NICO.
• Agro is referred to as male in the English version, but director Fumito Ueda saw the horse as female.
• The name 'Dormin' spells 'Nimrod' backwards, possibly referencing the biblical King Nimrod.

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