Shadow of the Colossus is one of the greatest videogames of all time, if I had to pick just one game and say that this is a definitive work of art, Shadow of the Colossus would be that game. The atmosphere, the music, the tone, the designs, the creativity; Shadow of the Colossus is by all means a perfect game. And yet it is such a simple game, our main character Wander makes a deal with a demon that if he kills 16 monsters then he'll bring his girlfriend back to life, and that's it, there are no side-missions or upgrades throughout the game, you just travel to 16 different locations on your horse and kill these sixteen colossi. Yet with such a simple premise the game is able to tell so much, with almost no dialogue (and none in English) the game is able to express so much emotion from beauty to horror and creates a moral debate in the players mind without even giving a reason for you to think that, all the emotions you experience are down to you simply by making this world feel alive and therefore the experiences are more impactful. And nowhere is this more present than in the final colossus of the game "Malus".
-(Spoilers Ahead)-
Throughout the game, every time you kill a colossus, it's spirit is then absorbed into you, and as the game goes on Wander is just getting sicker and sicker, even though he never says anything, you just know he's getting worse because...you're getting worse. You feel the pain he feels, you understand the struggle he has to go through because Wander does not have any special powers or anything unique about him, he's just one man trying to save the life of someone important to him. This is a quality that we can all respect and really ask ourselves, how far would you go to save a loved one?
Now of course, when approaching the final colossus, the journey there doesn't really seem all that special, it's just like any other colossus, you ride your horse Agro up to the colossus' location to fight him, there's no tense music or disturbing visuals, it's fairly normal...that is until Agro falls off a cliff and supposedly dies, leaving you all alone. This is the moment that put a lot of people into a state of depression. Agro, your horse, your friend and only companion throughout the entire game...has died, suddenly things are looking much bleaker than usual. As you then get closer and closer to the colossus, the music starts swelling up and the sky goes black, and then you see it, this mountain of a colossus off in the distance, and you alone have to fight against that. And the haunting music that plays throughout this fight doesn't exactly boost your confidence.
Throughout this fight where you stand no chance of killing this thing and having lost everything you cared about and with this music playing in the background a wave of thoughts go through your head doubting yourself. "Is it worth it?" "what else do I have to lose?" "what will happen to me if I survive?" "Do these colossi really deserve to die?". All this and more put you into a state of surrender with the only thing pushing you forward is the fact that it's too late to turn back now, otherwise everything you've sacrificed will be for nought. And in the end, when it comes to the final blow, this is how you know this is one of the most engaging videogames of all time, as everyone that I have spoken to who have played this game all had the same thought go through their heads as they killed this monster "This is for Agro".
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