Shadow of the Colossus (Or How To Freak Yourself Out By Playing A Video Game)


I consider Shadow of the Colossus to be a great and unique video game. There’s not much to it. Your character has a horse, a sword, a bow and arrow, and the ability to climb things. His task is to kill several colossi.

The size and speed of the various creatures vary with many requiring different methods of attack.

But if you have this game, especially the new PS3 version (it was originally released on the PS2), and you don’t mind being freaked out or feeling like you’re stuck on the edge of your seat, wait until 9 pm to play the game with the lights off.

There are few games that can actually make me feel tense. This is one of them. When the subject of video games as art is raised this game is almost always referenced. It has a unique atmosphere that I haven’t seen duplicated.

Its simplicity only enhances the atmosphere. Yes, there are other games that have characters fighting against monolithic creatures, but I think it’s even more unnerving because in Shadow of Colossus it’s only your character against the colossus. There are no other distractions.

Embedded below is a video of the fifth colossus in the game. Skip ahead to 3:55 for the creepy parts.