In 2005, gamers and PlayStation 2 owners had their worlds shaken by a game with a tremendous story and cloudy morality: Shadow of the Colossus.

For a time, Shadow of the Colossus was relatively obscure. But after gamers rediscovered the title via an HD re-release, a PlayStation 4 remaster gave the iconic game the notoriety it deserved. Now that remaster is being released for free on PS+ in March. It's time to revisit what made this game not only breathtaking but groundbreaking.

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Shadow of the Colossus was released at a time when the antihero was on the rise. True to the trend, Wander is a man with a single goal, and he doesn't seem to care how he achieves it. The young protagonist has traveled to a Forbidden Land to speak with the mysterious entity Dormin and beg it to resurrect a young woman named Mono. Dormin says it may be possible, for a price, and Wander agrees unconditionally. Wander then destroys 16 colossi, each of whose beautiful designs and challenging gameplay turns them into both a level and a boss fight.

Right from the opening scenes, Shadow of the Colossus creates an atmosphere of desperation and discomfort. The Forbidden Land is a vast emptiness that speaks to the viewer of a place long abandoned. From this point on, the landscape is bleak and foreboding, but it is never bland. The emptiness serves to punctuate just how wrong Wander's actions feel. The off-putting visuals and the discordant note of the music and sound effects help to cement the story as one that is more than a bit twisted.

Shadow of the Colossus revels in the feeling everything is wrong, and drives it home with each Colossus' death. Each colossi collapses and spews oily streaks of darkness that fly erratically through the air. Eventually, these streaks seek Wander out and plunge into him. Try as they may, the player cannot avoid this fate. Wander falls unconscious and awakens back in the temple with oily silhouettes of human figures hovering above him. The number of figures standing over him increases with each colossus destroyed.

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Where Shadow of the Colossus truly makes its mark is in its gameplay. Given the immense size of the enemies in this story, it's more accurate to describe the boss battles as platforming puzzles than traditional fantasy combat, but that doesn't even begin to encompass the thrill and intensity of the fights. With its then-revolutionary stamina gauge, the player can only climb or hang on for so long before Wander needs to let go and regain his energy.

The game holds no hands, providing only environmental cues and the occasional hint from Dormin as Wander struggles to avoid being stepped on or crushed before he can figure out how to climb his foes. Each colossus has at least one vital point that the player must stab with the Ancient Blade while being careful not to get flung off, which they have to balance with their limited stamina. With a different design, size, and environment for every colossus, the game never repeats a fight while keeping the mechanics and tools relatively simple.

With often literally-groundbreaking enemies, stunning and detailed visuals, and a story told as much through play as through dialogue, Shadow of the Colossus remains a must-play game for gamers who enjoy a morally ambiguous cast and goal, sweeping orchestral music and intense puzzles.

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