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One life, infinite chances; both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus utilise this method of replaying a lost attempt to beat the game. Lives are something which seems to have been lost over time and as games become more complex, it’s an agreeable loss.

On the other hand, lives do force the player to consider their actions to the point where mistakes can be very costly. It harks back to the golden age of videogames where lives were used to limit the value of game time, as most games were arcades and required money to play. In the age of home consoles this limitation has been lost but it doesn’t mean that lives can still play a role in modern gaming.

A different approach to lives would be to record deaths. This way the challenge is still there to complete a challenge using as little resources as possible. Grand Theft Auto IV does this as well as recording a multitude of other events such as helicopters destroyed or bullets used. After completing Shadow of the Colossus nine times I’d be interested to find out how many times I’ve died in the process, how far Agro and I have travelled or how many lizard tails I’ve eaten.

Beyond painstakingly recording these events manually there is no provision for such a feature but it’s something I find interesting, if perhaps not terribly useful. Perhaps The Last Guardian will provide this feature, but I’m not holding out.

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It's a Tragedy...

Studying Greek Mythology as part of my English Degree has allowed me to conclude that the story behind SotC is a tragedy. I have discussed the transcript of the game with a good friend of mine, an English lecturer at Lincoln University here in the UK and we both agreed that the game can comfortably be classified as such and that this tone helps impact the game upon the moral consciousness of the player.

If the protagonist ‘Wander’ had survived the ordeal to resurrect the maiden the story would not have the same impact. Tragic events allow stories emotional weight and deliver messages or carry feelings the characters experienced during the tale to the player.

A similar conclusion can be drawn against Ico. Although in this tale the ‘hero’ did not meet death, his heroin’s fate was not clear and many speculate that she was not resurrected, but her soul became the Queens possession. Her soul therefore became a part of the crumbling castle, never to escape. The ending of Ico requires the player to draw their own conclusions about the fate of Yorda and I suppose it depends greatly on the attitude of the player, pessimist or optimist.

The Last Guardian may also have the same tone throughout, although early observations believe the story to have a warmer feel to it plainly because of the relationship between the beast and the boy. It’s safe to assume from previous experience that The Last Guardian may have some moments of bitter pain or loss equal to the fall of Agro in SotC.

Team ICO appear to portray tragedy consistently and with a purpose, to draw in the player into the game deeper than if it were devoid of tragedy. This is something I have come to expect and indeed revel in experiencing.

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Shadow of the Colossus Easter Eggs

Easter eggs, apart from a chocolate treat at Easter, are items hidden within games. SotC contains many easter eggs all of which I have tried to list here and instructions on how you can find them.

Ico - If you’ve completed Ico and the save game file is on the same memory card as your SotC game file then Agro will display a small ‘i’ on his for-head instead of a diamond shape.

Doves - Every time a Colossus is defeated an extra white dove appears around the alter in the temple.

Petting - If you pat Agro by pressing the circle button with no weapon equipped (you can do this either standing next to her or sat astride) your stamina is replenished twice as fast.

White Agro - When SotC has been completed on the hard mode more than 4 times a white Agro will be granted to you permanently.

Climb Trees - The trees dotted around the landscape can be scaled by climbing up the green moss on the trunks.

Fruit - The trees contain fruit which can be dislodged with an arrow and eaten. This increases your health.

Crouch - Your health replenishes twice as quick when Wander crouches.

Food of the Dead - The fruit in the trees of the secret garden is poisonous and takes life instead of giving it, reducing your health.

Obscured - When your stamina reaches such a large level the gauge becomes ghosted to prevent it from obscuring the screen.

Zorro - To make Agro rear up and gallop from a stand still, pull sharply down on the left stick when tapping X.

Wild Riding - It is possible to grab the wildlife such as the doves in the temple, the eagles on the plains and the fish in the water by holding down R1.

White Tailed Lizards - White tailed lizards can be found on every save point and their tails increase your stamina when collected. You can either kill the lizard to collect the tails or for an even harder challenge, shoot the tails off the lizard with an arrow without killing the lizard.

White tailed lizards are not only found on save points. They can also be found along cliff walls hidden within crevices. They are sometimes hard to find and patience is required to locate them. Agro actually scares them away but you can make Agro run away by aiming your Bow and Arrow at her(don’t shoot her, it’s cruel).

The Secret Garden - The secret garden can only be accessed via the vines of the south eastern wall. You will need a lot of stamina to be able to get to the top beyond the gate located at the top of the spiral walkway at the end of the hall of the temple. I wouldn’t recommend attempting this until you have the cloth of desperation as a high fall will kill Wander.

Reminiscence Mode - Defeated Colossi can be re-defeated in a mode called Reminiscence Mode. Simply find the ‘corpse’ which will be located wherever the Colossus was slain and prey at the foot of the corpse. This will replay the Colossus from the moment it was found, but with all your ‘powers’ reset making the challenge harder. It also provides a nice ‘memory’ effect where everything is sketchy, like an old film.

Circus Tricks - Wander can perform great feats on Agro. Press and hold R1 and X while galloping and he will stand up on the sadle. Agro can be steered but not stopped while performing this acrobatic.

Quick Turn - Agro can perform a quick 180 degree turn. When galloping, simultaneously, and sharply, press down on the left analog stick twice and the X button twice. Agro will stop and turn around to run the other way.

Emergency Stop - Agro can also stop quickly while galloping. Simultaneously press down on the left analog stick and the X button.

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The Devil is in the Details

SotC is an amazing game. Few games can compare to the mood, story, animation, or characters encountered in this game. Personally it is the details which contribute to making this game special. Here is a list of those details in no particular order, and the reasons why I think they are important.

1. Agro – she is the most amazing character I have encountered in a game. Possessing more personality than any other game character I have ever seen in my 20 years of playing games. I love the way she moves, the animation of this horse is like nothing else. Having played Assassins Creed and riding a horse in that game, despite the additional processing power of the X-Box 360, Agro’s fluid motion on the Playstation2 is a marvel of programming and attention to detail which surpasses any other.

2. Wander – as an avatar I sympathise with his position immediately. The love he shares for the maiden is a love which has taken him to the end of the world to do battle with giant un-godly creatures and risk his own life to restore hers. At every point he displays emotion from the way he stares at his love, to the way he rides Agro. Everything about him is so full of meaning a thought that few avatars have ever come close.

3. Colossi – The stars of the game. The Colossi are quite simply one of the most amazing things ever seen in a video game. The way they move, the way they stare at you, to the way they react when injured. Towering above you with complete dominance they create an air of mystery and fear.

4. The Landscape – The Forbidden Land is vast, but this size is necessary to making you feel small and alone. There are areas of the map which feel so well accomplished that they make you feel you are part of something very special and change your mood accordingly such as the rocky waterfall paths, the dark forests and the huge open dessert complete with sandy ruins and dunes.

5. The Wildlife – Lizards, doves, eagles, fish and even tortoises. The lizards are quite hard to catch. On my first run through SotC I wasn’t even aware they existed. It was only after I managed to obtain the Lizard Detection Stone that I realised they were there and that they played an important role by increasing ones stamina. I love the way they react to Wanders presence and try to hide.

The doves appear around the alter in the temple every time a colossi is defeated and the eagles track your journey across the landscape. At the time of writing this I am yet to find a use for the tortoises, they are just there. The same goes for the fish, though I suppose a pond wouldn’t be complete without them.

6. The Save Points – Games rarely incorporate save points into a game with such thought. Usually they either crop up without warning or they are a sub menu in the pause screen. SotC makes them a part of the landscape and they work them into the game with meaning by allowing Wander to ‘pray’ whenever saving a game. When a game is loaded Wander is found dozing with his head in his arms giving the impression that little time has passed but while you were away he had a well deserved rest.

7. The Sword – Wanders arsenal of swords help him in different ways. The default sword lights his way to the next colossi as well as helping him take it down by lighting up the vitals on a colossi. The sword can also be used to kill various wildlife for Wander to eat and the un-lockable swords, such as the sword of the sun can help light Wanders way in darkened caves.

8. The Bow and Arrow – My favourite weapon in the game. The Bow and Arrow help Wander grab the attention of the colossi so he can goad them into a certain position or location. They also allow him to capture the elusive lizards, shoot birds, fruit from trees and fish from the water. Shoot an arrow into a pond and it behaves realistically by diving, then re-emerging on the surface and floating about. If you already have the bow drawn with an arrow and you don’t want to take the shot it can be cancelled by pressing the circle button whilst aiming. Wander replaces the bow into its holster.

9. The Wind – Without the windy weather I doubt SotC would carry the same atmosphere (excuse the pun). Constantly tearing at the clothes and hair of the duo and making a wonderfully earthly noise, the wind makes me feel so lost in the wilderness and somehow makes the landscape seem much larger and older than it appears.

10. The Map – As the forbidden land is vast and mysterious it would be a shame if the map was too helpful. Fortunately it isn’t. Mostly covered in cloud until explored it simply acts as a guide and does not show you exactly where to go, only where you’ve been. The map is quite vague in parts and cannot be relied upon which, in my opinion is the way it should be.

These are simply a drop in the ocean of what SotC has in terms of details and accomplished design. No other game has come close as far as I’m aware and it is a shame that developers don’t replicate Team ICO’s design ethic to create games with such flair, feeling and thought as SotC has.

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A Bridge Too Far

The long stone bridge which connects the outside world to the tower at the centre of the landscape in SOTC is truly massive. Having reached the secret garden I wanted to explore further and I was aware that, having rode underneath it so many times, the stone bridge was massively long and very high.

With the destination in view I set off from the tower along the bridge. Now I never really appreciated just how long this bridge was until I undertook this wandering. Literally five minutes later of running along the narrow bridge I was still someway off the end and the entrance to the forbidden land.

Looking down at the ground as I ran became slightly hypnotic, each new tile blurring into the next and giving the appearance that the journey was not preceding. This continued for another five minutes until I finally bumped into the wall at the end and fell over.

I got to my feet somewhat bemused and bruised and attempted to exit the forbidden land but due to the weather I was not able to escape. A strong wind refused to allow me to walk through the corridor between the two pillars guarding the entrance. Every-time I tried I was blown off my feet and cast to the ground. So it appears that once you enter you are a prisoner, your only chance or survival is to eat the lizards and fruit and chase tortoises until you finally die of age.

Having reached the other side I was in no mood to walk back again. I gave out a long hard whistle to my loyal horse Agro. After a few minutes she finally arrived below the bridge, running in circles and calling to me. Equipping the Cloth of Desperation I jumped off the bridge and used my chute to drift slowly down onto Agro’s back. Pulling sharply on the rains Agro reared up and we galloped off into the dusty distance towards the tower to hunt the next Colossi.

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A Pale Horse

When you have completed SOTC for the fourth time you are rewarded with a white Agro instead of the standard black. I discovered this when I restarted the game and watched the opening sequence. Instead of a black horse, Wander was riding a white horse. At first I thought it was a glitch but upon continuing the game I was surprised to see Agro was white. Normally I would have to enter a ‘cheat’ code to get the white Agro after completing the Hard Time Attack mode, but when the game has been completed four times or more you no longer need this cheat to ride a beautiful white Agro.

The saved game files, upon each successive completion of the game do carry a marker to indicate this fact. So I have continued to complete the game up to nine times at last count. I suspect that there may be further rewards for completing SOTC so many times. At present I am yet to receive anything but it isn’t going to stop me and besides, I enjoy playing.

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