Shadow of the Colossus

About the game

Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as Wanda and the Colossus, is an action-adventure game developed by SCE Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL regions such as Europe in February 2006. It was directed by Fumito Ueda and developed at SCEI's International Production Studio 1, also known as Team Ico; the same development team responsible for the cult hit Ico, to which the game is considered a spiritual successor.

It can be best described as an action-adventure-game with puzzle-elements.

Shadow of the Colossus received almost universal acclaim upon its release and a cult-following during the following years, prompting the release of an HD-Version for the Playstation 3 alongside its progenitor Ico in the year 2011 and a complete remake for the PS4 in 2018. Thus it has been playable on every SONY home console since its release.

Story and gameplay

Research relevant approaches

Player- vs. intended experience

Narratology and Ludology

Computer games, according to Huizinga, share many key aspects of representation with more traditional mediums such as movies or books. Despite this fact, they are deserving of its own approach, which is owed to a few major differences, including its unique relationship with the recipient. Games "read" their player and test their participation by presenting them with roadblocks in form of gameplay-challenges which hinder progression.

Ludology (Huizinga/Jasper Juul/ Robert Callois)

Narratology

Computer games aren`t movies or books, making them a new form of text (Frasca, Juul, Aarseth). As such, many ludologists have argued against the use of narratlogic explanations when it comes to games, as they see them as inherently non-narratologic.

They are a game, not a narrative.

Frasca argues, that if a narrative is included in a game, studying the NARRATION (not narrative) should nevertheless be part of studying the game.

Semiology in games

Japanese cultural Influences

Theme of death and life transgression

Shadow of the Colossus in popular Culture

Through it`s non-descriptive and vague plot and the iconic nature of the Colossi, Shadow of the Colossus manages to create a strong metaphorical framework, which has been adapted and used in the text of different works in different media.

As a hugely popular game, Shadow of the Colossus and its themes of intense loneliness coupled with the semiotic impact of its titular Colossi caught the attention of filmmaker-duo Mike and Jack Binder. The two brothers implemented the game into the story of their 2007 film Reign Over Me, starring Adam Sandler as a father who lost his family in the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.

"You could see where someone who was dealing with 9/11 would be engrossed by a giant that keeps collapsing over and over again," - Mike Binder, 2007