Should you try out Shadow of the Colossus in 2025?

Shadow of the Colossus is a remake of the game with the same name originally developed by Team Ico for the PlayStation 2. Fast-forward to the PlayStation 3 era, Bluepoint Games remastered the project; however, the team felt this game deserved to be rebuilt from the ground up for the PlayStation 4 in 2018. With three versions for different console generations, it speaks volumes about the game's quality and is reason enough to try it in 2025.

Sony Interactive Entertainment and Bluepoint Games wanted to bring this story to a new generation of players, and the developers gave it the remake treatment it deserved. Longtime fans were pleased to see how the remake honored the original version by changing essentially nothing; however, the developers improved certain aspects, such as the combat, and updated the visuals.

Disclaimer: Some aspects of this article reflect the writer's subjective view of the game.

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The Shadow of the Colossus remake is a timeless masterpiece

The Shadow of the Colossus remake is the definitive way to experience this game (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Bluepoint Games developers didn't change much to the story but showcased its skill in remaking something familiar to the same caliber as modern games. The Shadow of the Colossus remake shines because of the minimalistic world design, combat, exploration, and balanced difficulty.

The developers can't help but flex their skills in faithfully remastering or remaking a project without compromising the core. Bluepoint Games was behind the Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, featuring all three Uncharted games from the PlayStation 3, giving them significant upgrades to run on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility.

The gaming community was spoiled with a great lineup of launch titles for the PlayStation 5 from Bluepoint Games with a remake of Demon's Souls in 2020. Regardless of what people might say about the studio, its work on remasters and remakes has set the bar high after back-to-back bangers.

After working on the remaster for the PlayStation 3 in 2011, the developers were more than qualified to remake Shadow of the Colossus for the PlayStation 4 a few years later. The story follows a boy named Wander as he carries the lifeless body of a woman into a temple and is commanded by an eerie voice to kill 16 colossi roaming the lands in exchange for a second chance with his beloved.

The premise is simple and the details are vague, which plays to the game's strength. As soon as Wander agrees to the voice's terms, players can set out and find all 16 colossi. They are armed with a mystical sword that can illuminate and point them in the right direction toward each colossus on their trusty steed, Agro.

Returning players will likely be familiar with the control scheme, but the developers went the extra mile and added new optional control options to accommodate the DualShock 4 controller's build. The core gameplay mechanics are roughly the same as in older versions. As Wander, players must vanquish these massive creatures by hitting them on their weak spots that are conveniently highlighted.

At the time, Shadow of the Colossus ran on the modest hardware capabilities of the PlayStation 2; however, the console generated a massive world with huge entities that could be interacted with. It may be daunting, but players should realize there is a pattern to killing colossi.

Wander can grab onto a colossus' fur as he scales to the top to find the weak spot. Wander can plunge his blade into the colossus and kill it slowly once they are in the right position. Players must rinse and repeat the entire process; however, they must tread carefully since each colossus has unique traits.

Shadow of the Colossus is the kind of game where it is okay to feel small (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Despite taking place in a massive landscape, Shadow of the Colossus isn't a traditional open-world experience, and Wander must take out each colossus in order. People with megalophobia will likely struggle to fight a colossus head-to-head; however, it's a good game to help them vanquish their fears.

Wander has a bow he can use to fire arrows and deal minimal damage from a safe distance when all else fails. This can lure the colossus to tight spaces and give a brief window to climb on them and find their weak spots.

The PlayStation 4 remake has better visuals, graphics, and even physics, meaning objects like Wander's cape can move more realistically as he rides on horseback or clings to dear life on a flying or swimming colossi. The remake comes with a photo mode, a perfect gift for video game photographers to take screenshots of an aesthetically pleasing project.

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Verdict

Shadow of the Colossus is pure eye candy with a touch of nostalgia (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Shadow of the Colossus was released when video games were gaining momentum, and seeing it receive the remake treatment it deserves is a rare treat. Others might say this remake is nothing more than a cash grab, and while there is some truth to that comment, it is a worthy investment.

This is one of those titles that has been etched into the minds of young gamers, and this remake is a good way to introduce Wander and his quest to save his loved one to younger audiences. If you haven't played any previous versions on older consoles, this remake is likely the best way and the definitive edition to try in 2025.