Summer means a lot of wonderful things – going on vacation, spending all day at the pool, catching fireflies – but it also means a severe drought of games.
Having already made our way through the only exciting release (to us) this summer, Lego Indiana Jones, we were looking for something to do. So we dug into the games closet and dusted off our old PS2. Flipping through the game cases, we decided to spend some time with Shadow of the Colossus.
Shadow of the Colossus is the spiritual sequel to cult favorite, Ico. Like Ico, Shadow of the Colossus is outwardly simple in its story and gameplay. The controls are easy to understand and can be quickly mastered.
The game is rated T for Fantasy Violence and Blood. Is the rating deserved? Let’s take a look, in the extended post:
Image via Wikipedia
Fantasy Violence
Your character, Wander, is tasked with taking out 16 giants made of stone, fur and earth. Armed only with a bow, a sword and his loyal horse, Wander spends a good deal of time riding and seeking out each of the colossus. Upon finding them, Wander must climb and search the giant’s body for glowing sigils, which signify it’s weak points. Your character then attacks these points to slay the colossus. There is also a scripted story element where a human character is stabbed in the chest with a sword.
Blood
Each attack on the colossus’ weak points bring a gusher of black blood.
We didn’t feel like it was disgusting or overly graphic. The rule in our house is that our kids don’t play games with red blood or games where humans are killed as part of the gameplay, so the blood in this game didn’t scare us off.
Conclusion
Ultimately, Shadow of the Colossus is a fantastic fantasy game with elements that may be a little mature for some kids. Others may be hooked on this terrific game. We found that some of the gameplay was a little tough for our kids and I would take over when we faced some of the colossi, while they would handle the horse riding across the vast landscape in search of our next foe. Shadow of the Colossus (and its predecessor, Ico) is wonderful in its uniqueness and amazing for its atmosphere. It’s definitely worth checking out.
