Not many games we can say that made history, but there is no denying that in 2005 the industry was marked forever with a PlayStation 2 classic that dared to be different and epic at the same time. Since then, Shadow of the Colossus has become cult and influenced many titles that came later, either by its visual art or by its concepts of gameplay.
Now we have the opportunity to return to this unforgettable work through a version completely redone by Bluepoint Games . The remake features up-to-date graphics, but perfectly recreates all the details of the original, resulting in a journey that remains as exciting and exciting as it was 13 years ago.
Colossi Hunt
Anyone who knows the original game knows exactly what to expect in terms of history and experience in general. Otherwise, here's the basics: You control a lone warrior who goes to a forbidden region to find a way to revive a girl. For this, it is necessary to face and defeat 16 gigantic creatures, the Colossi .
The first thing that catches your eye in the remake is its visuals. Like the rest of the game, the sets and models have been completely redone and updated to form a truly exuberant world, something that is even more incredible when we take into account that the original title is already 13 years old. Note that I played in the traditional version of the console, so I could not check the graphics improvements of the PlayStation 4 Pro.
Riding through the plains, deserts, bridges, hills and forests was already a pleasure in the original version, but here is an even more enjoyable experience. There is not much to do as we travel between the center point of the map and each Colossus , but we barely notice this as we were busy enjoying the scenery.
In fact, if facing a Colossus was already an epic activity in the original, now is even better. Clearly the development team took special care of the bosses and their visuals. The hair movement and how they interact with our character is much more realistic now, making the act of climbing the heads even more vivid.
There's no doubt that the remake's look is its strongest point, so it's no surprise that the game this time features a shooting mode . At any time, including in the movie scenes, we can press down on the digital directional to pause and tinker with the image freely. You can change the camera position, change the zoom, edit focus, colors, brightness, contrast, and many other settings.
In several moments I stopped what I was doing to try to photograph a scene or a moment. I'm sure anyone who understands the subject can take beautiful pictures of iconic places and events - or you can do as I do and create more bizarre and random things. Anyway, it's a great bonus.
A unique experience - again
Even after so long, there are not many games like Shadow of the Colossus, so it was a mixed surprise to discover that, by taking the beautiful looks, the new title is basically the same as the original.
The fact that Bluepoint Games recreated the game from scratch only makes it more impressive how much the remake looked like the original. The characters' movements, gameplay and so many other details remain identical or extremely similar, giving the exact same feel of playing the first one, even with the new controls (which can be reverted to the classic setting, by the way).
This is wonderful, but it also means that old problems are also back, such as the camera that is uncontrolled at various times, the slowness of some movements or the lack of precision in the time to guide the Agro (but still one of the best games, even after all this time). None of these points represent a major flaw in the overall experience, but they are strange and a little frustrating to see today, when they have been perfected in today's games.
Another downside to the new game being so true to the original is that it was a great chance to add new content, such as new areas and perhaps even an unheard of Colossus that was left out of the old version, such as those revealed in conceptual arts unused . A missed opportunity, unfortunately.
Despite this, it does not mean that there is little to do in the title. In addition to the main campaign, there are still time challenges to defeat the Colossi as quickly as possible. After finishing the story, we also enabled the New Game + mode and the Mirror Mode, which reverses the world.
Incidentally, during the journey I also found some bright spots that play music when we get close and do not remember to exist in the original game. It is possible to collect them, but I still can not figure out what they are for.
A classic renewed
It's a shame that Bluepoint Games has not taken the opportunity to stuff the game with news that will help engage the player in activities that go beyond what the old fans already know. On the other hand, it is also incredible that he has managed to make a version as faithful to the original and at the same time as beautiful as any other title of the current generation.
No matter if you are a fan of the original game or if this will be your first time embarking on this epic adventure, the remake of Shadow of the Colossus is the definitive version of the classic and remains dazzling in every way. Simply unmissable.