Shadow of the Colossus (2018) – Review (PS4)

Shadow of the Colossus was originally released in 2005 on PlayStation 2, remastered on PlayStation 3 in 2011, and now is finally seeing a full scale remake on the PlayStation 4. Hailed as a classic by fans and critics alike, Shadow has remained on the forefront of gamer’s minds since its release. With Bluepoint Games at the helm of the remake, the visuals are best in class, cementing Bluepoint as the king of remakes and remasters.

The story of Shadow plays like a fairy tale. A young man travels to the “forbidden lands” with a girl who has died, in hopes of resurrecting her. He is commanded through a mysterious voice called Dormin to kill 16 colossi in order to resurrect the girl. At first, the light story is enjoyable, but quickly looses it’s pace. There are only three points during the entire game where the story progresses outside the standard routine of killing colossi. Once at the beginning, another about 3/4 of the way through and finally at the end. I don’t think it’s necessary for Shadow to have numerous big dialog scenes, but even some smaller more intimate moments with the main character would have brought me closer to the world.

The main gameplay is divided into two parts; finding the colossus and fighting it. Traveling to each encounter can be breathtakingly beautiful. The world is tranquil and peaceful, yet foreboding. The remake does an incredible job with the finer details. Even something as simple as rocks on the side of a cliff become gorgeous. If you have a TV with HDR, this title takes full advantage. Playing at night in a dark room will wow you. From the bright lush fields to the dark torch lit caves, you will be amazed at this game’s visuals.

Unfortunately, the stunning journey is hampered by Agro, your horse companion. Agro is your only form of transportation, and riding him can be extremely frustrating in certain areas. Agro will bump into walls, slowing him down, or just simply not walking in forested areas sometimes. In addition, fighting the camera while traveling can be just as difficult as a fight with a colossus.  This is especially apparent in narrow spaces, where the camera (and the horse) appear to have a mind of their own. I understand the intention of the camera, often trying to take a more cinematic view, but it can be a frustrating to fight with it just to see where you’re going.

Fighting with colossi is an experience filled with very high moments, but also very low. Standing below the towering beast will fill you with awe and wonder, and will get your mind racing on how to topple it. The thrill of discovery when you find a path up to take it out is fantastic. As easily as the game can take your breath away in these moments, it can flip it on its head and have you cursing and frustrated. Climbing in particular can feel clumsy and imprecise, and potentially that’s the intention. The problem comes in when you fall and it feels like it wasn’t your fault due to the game having a level of “jank” to it. Falling down after taking the last 5-10 minutes to climb, due to your character moving in place and not ascending for some unknown reason, is infuriating.

Bluepoint Games did an amazing job on the technical aspects of the remaster. If you are playing using a PS4 Pro, you are given the option of playing in high resolution (1440p and 30 FPS) or in high frame rate (1080p and 60 FPS). The high frame rate mode in particular is impressive. This is not like most PS4 Pro games with “high frame rate” modes, that in the end peak at about 45 FPS per second. This is close to a locked 60, and feels buttery smooth and is our recommended way of playing. The high resolution mode does look noticeably sharper,  but the smoother game play makes a much more significant difference. Standard PS4 owners are not left in the dark, sporting a locked 30 FPS at 1080p. Not bad!

Our recommendation: The 2018 Shadow of the Colossus remake is one of the best looking console games to date, giving us stellar visuals and technical aspects unparalleled. The game’s overall aesthetic and vibe is one that will wisp you away to another place, and will leave you awestruck by the scale of its battles. Despite these stellar aspects, you may find yourself often frustrated at mechanics that bring down the overall experience.