Shadow of the Colossus

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2739 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,938 out of 2739
  2. Mixed: 417 out of 2739
  3. Negative: 384 out of 2739
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  1. hkatbamna1
    Jul 13, 2020
    4
    I've heard great things about this game and decided to give it a shot when it was offered for free with Playstation Plus. I will say the premise of the story is intriguing. However, any redeeming qualities of this game are offset by the most atrocious and poor control scheme I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing in a game. Quite simply, this game is not fun whatsoever. The horseI've heard great things about this game and decided to give it a shot when it was offered for free with Playstation Plus. I will say the premise of the story is intriguing. However, any redeeming qualities of this game are offset by the most atrocious and poor control scheme I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing in a game. Quite simply, this game is not fun whatsoever. The horse navigation makes no reasonable sense. Accelerating and decelerating the horse takes several seconds, and turning is either too slow or too fast. The bulk of colossus battles are climbing up onto them to find their weak points. But this becomes an absolute chore because of the absolute poor control scheme and it's similarly atrocious camera. Often times I would fall off if I let go of R2 for even a split second and would then have to climb my way up again. What should be a fun battle against a giant majestic beast quickly devolves into an uninspiring repetitive task. I tried to like this game, I really did. But it's just not fun. 4/10.… Expand
  2. Jimbro84
    Apr 29, 2018
    4
    I hate this game. It's just art basically and it's just good on the outside. Nice Music, Nice bosses design, Nice graphics and THATS IT.

    Frustrating controls (notably with the horse) and bad camera angles and little to nothing to do. No NPCs, No loot, No story, No exploration, No items and weapons, etc. Since when ''simplistic'' has become a quality? Those kind of games were    I hate this game. It's just art basically and it's just good on the outside. Nice Music, Nice bosses design, Nice graphics and THATS IT.

    Frustrating controls (notably with the horse) and bad camera angles and little to nothing to do.

    No NPCs, No loot, No story, No exploration, No items and weapons, etc.

    Since when ''simplistic'' has become a quality?

    Those kind of games were good 15 years ago. At the price we're paying, I'm unimpressed.    … Expand
  3. robomartion
    May 19, 2020
    4
    Although nice to look at at first, the photogrammetry used in place of the original hand made assets really take away some of the atmosphere present in the PS2 and PS3 version. The environments become samey very quickly and don't have that sense of world to them. The frame rate on the standard PS4 leaves a lot to be desired and its as if you're playing with an incredible amount of inputAlthough nice to look at at first, the photogrammetry used in place of the original hand made assets really take away some of the atmosphere present in the PS2 and PS3 version. The environments become samey very quickly and don't have that sense of world to them. The frame rate on the standard PS4 leaves a lot to be desired and its as if you're playing with an incredible amount of input lag. I do remember it being somewhat hard to control originally and having a low framerate on the PS2 but perhaps these problems were worse than I remembered. That said controlling the game is NOT an enjoyable experience in any way shape or form and in my honest opinion these are problems that should have been fixed or revised for a brand new release. I think the controls are not acceptable and that's that. Some have said that they are intentional and that is were the challenge lies but I think these are controls that could have been improved by leaps and bounds. Seeing the Last Guardian has exactly the same problems I'm more inclined to think it doesn't matter that much to the developers or they are simply incompetent in that aspect. But saying it is an gameplay design decision to have clunky controls doesn't hold up to me. I honestly think the controls of the original PS2 games were not this bad but I could be wrong. Having enjoyed the original game and actually being enthralled with it and played many many hours of it, coming back to it in this remaster doesn't evoke the same feeling I originally had.… Expand
  4. Sucheit
    Mar 13, 2020
    4
    boss 11 just stuns you to death if you get hit by charge attack and you cant even change difficulty in game, had to drop it
  5. setuis
    Aug 7, 2018
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Shadow of colossus was not a good game..... Sure the main character is evil for killing the monsters to revive a dead girl but what else is there. Your trying to revive a girl by slaying oversized monsters and must kill them all to bring back the girl and finish the game but to do it you have to travel on horse where there is no obstacles at all accept for oversized bosses a few ground enemies or additional content would have in my opinion helped the game , this is why i hated shadow of colossus in 2005 and why i still hate it now. I guess i could give it another go and this is really a review for the 2005 version not this version so meh. It had nice graphics for ps2 game but the lack of anything to do and no direction on where to find the big monsters sucked. Nothing to write about really accept that it has a bad ending which is the only good thing about it , that and it had one of the first open world concept for gaming.… Expand
  6. agent13
    Dec 12, 2019
    4
    Beautiful world but empty, it doesn't have much gameplay or story and it gets boring af after a couple of hours playing. One of the most overrated games ever
  7. PeterLangford
    Apr 3, 2020
    4
    Maybe good as a meditation exercise. But world is large and lifeless. The game is 16 not overly hard boss fights with a lot of time struggling with your horse and camera to travel long repetitive distances in between.
  8. ARandyFatDude
    Dec 14, 2020
    4
    Everything in this game is luck based. If you’re playing through the story as is then it will probably be ok. But trying to get that one particular trophy? Well good luck because this ps2 game doesn’t care for consistency.
  9. Darkison
    Feb 7, 2018
    4
    Great OST. Great graphics. Horrible characters, Colossus and a fine history. OVERRATED.
  10. reuss
    Feb 8, 2018
    4
    Never played ps2 title. So I had high hopes because great reviews.

    Cons: -Boring and dull world to explore (only lizards and fruit to find wtf) -Didn't like the story (I think there was a story?) -Horrible horse controls -Repetitive Pros +Looks great +Some of the fights were fun So this was basically horse riding to a Colossi, get to it's back, stab Colossi and repeat that    Never played ps2 title. So I had high hopes because great reviews.

    Cons:
    -Boring and dull world to explore (only lizards and fruit to find wtf)
    -Didn't like the story (I think there was a story?)
    -Horrible horse controls
    -Repetitive

    Pros
    +Looks great
    +Some of the fights were fun

    So this was basically horse riding to a Colossi, get to it's back, stab Colossi and repeat that 16 times. Can't understand how come this has so good reviews (is it nostalgia?).    … Expand
  11. gameswithjarlie
    Feb 8, 2018
    4
    Unfortunately navigating the world is abysmal, it’s deeply ambiguous as to what you can climb. Running from place to place takes a long time, and riding the horse led me to giving the horse a unique name: cement. I called it cement because it feels like I’m steering a goat pulled cement mixer. The camera swings around wildly, making it difficult to steer the horse in a straight line,Unfortunately navigating the world is abysmal, it’s deeply ambiguous as to what you can climb. Running from place to place takes a long time, and riding the horse led me to giving the horse a unique name: cement. I called it cement because it feels like I’m steering a goat pulled cement mixer. The camera swings around wildly, making it difficult to steer the horse in a straight line, gaining and losing speed is arduous, and just nothing about point A to point B made me think wow.

    There were several bosses where the events would not trigger properly; one particular boss towards the end of the game tells you to get to higher ground. After baiting the boss into hitting pillars maybe 20 times, the event finally triggered, and a way opened up for me to progress the fight. This was of course after I’d exhausted all other options, as the event hadn’t triggered the first time I tried; it’s deeply dissatisfying knowing your initial solution was right, but the game hadn’t responded to your actions.

    Unless you have a deep set love for this game, I’d recommend giving it a miss. I’m not thoroughly convinced I should’ve bought this game, never mind for £30. You can get bigger and better adventures for less money. The developers failed to change the shortcomings in light of modern technologies and progression, and ultimately produced what feels like at best the concept for a game. It doesn’t even seem like the best version of itself.    … Expand
  12. allwititnowsuck
    Jul 30, 2018
    4
    Sony can get away with making a poor port of PS2 game and slapping word remaster on it's box and they get praised for it?Wow just wow.
    They do really nice job,cashing on people's nostalgia,by making the second re-release of this game and calling it "remaster".It's not like already have made port of it for PS3,with little to no differences to original game.Same here,just slightly higher    Sony can get away with making a poor port of PS2 game and slapping word remaster on it's box and they get praised for it?Wow just wow.
    They do really nice job,cashing on people's nostalgia,by making the second re-release of this game and calling it "remaster".It's not like already have made port of it for PS3,with little to no differences to original game.Same here,just slightly higher resolution and slightly better graphics,yet they didn't bother to fix controls...
    What i did like about the game(this version and original):
    -Looks nice
    -One or two fights were okay
    What i hated about the game(this version and original):
    -Boring and unintersting world to explore
    -Don't really like the story(there was even a story to begin with?)
    -Horrible horse controls
    -Repetive
    -Boring
    I really wasted my money on this one.
    All these good reviews,please guys take off your nostalgia glasses.    … Expand
  13. HybridDestroyer
    Oct 14, 2018
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Graphics-7/10
    The graphics werent bad, but I've seen better. Compared to others like The Last of Us or Halo SotC falls short for a 2018 remaster. Details in the surroundings and accessories are lacking. With the amount of time that Wander uses his unique sword, Id have expected more details and intricacies. Look at Ellie's special switchblade, while basic in design and quite frankly generic, it has a great amount of detail giving it a unique presence. Although this might be an unfair comparison I would say that Skyrim, modded, bests SotC in graphics even being released 5 years prior.

    Art-6.5/10
    Many people said the art of SotC was astounding and I wanted to believe them. First run through, I would agree that the scenery is nice, but it quickly grew old. Running across the same field and fighting the Colossi, sometimes in all too similar arenas, takes away from the individuality of the bosses. Colors are also dull and muted. The Colossi themselves have an interesting design and do themselves justice in that aspect. The architectural formations seen on the beasts is fantastic and begs questions, but for all of the commotion about the art, I would say SotC also fell short in that aspect. IMO, If you are looking for a game with extraordinary scenery, Horizon Zero Dawn does a much better job of displaying nature and wildlife.

    Story-2/10
    SotC has virtually no storyline. The two points are awarded simply b/c they told the character what he was doing and why. But they give no real reason or backstory as to why the player should really care. There are too many questions and not enough answers. IMO, the Dark Souls series does a much better job of creating questions and letting the audience dig for answers which can be found by talking to other NPCs or reading descriptions of items obtained throughout the journey.

    Character Development-0/10
    Development of the one character that SotC focuses on is also nonexistent. With hardly any dialogue, the main character, known as Wander (not revealed in game), feels distant from the player. There was no connection between Wander and myself while playing, and his quest to resurrect the girl Mono (also not revealed) definitely did not feel as important as Wander makes it out to be.

    Ending - 3/10
    IMO, the ending was a huge letdown. Wander dies, but honestly who cares? The game made no effort to forge a bond with him. The moment when Agro (his horse and the only name revealed in-game aside from Lord Emon) dies, all I thought was, "damn, guess its on foot from here." Even Wander is hardly phased by the "death" of his companion. The last fight was also a major downer because it gives the illusion that you can control the outcome, in reality, all Emon does is chuck a sword in a pond and you're done for.

    Difficulty-4/10
    As the game is a puzzle type, I expected a more thought-provoking challenge. The bosses themselves arent difficult to defeat, and in fact, the most difficult part is just having enough stamina to hang on while they try a sad attempt to shake you off. Reaching a boss takes all of five minutes, and while I admit that there were a few that stumped me, they are ultimately copies from one boss to another. All that differs is the placement of vitals. I got more satisfaction from playing other puzzle games like Portal, and Trine and for much less money.

    Soundtrack-5/10
    The soundtrack was good, but to me, there was not enough variation in the boss tracks. This detracts from their uniqueness and it was also poorly implemented as the music was barely audible when fighting, taking away from the intensity.

    Background Noise-1/10
    From what I remember the air was stagnant. Barley any wind, ambient water noise, or animals, no rustling tree leaves, and two voice lines for saying HYA and calling Agro. Hitting your sword on different objects made no difference, Agro must have been of steel or something b/c thats what it sounded like.

    Price-7/10
    I bought the game for $28, preowed. Not bad a price for a PS4 game, but after finishing it for the first time I realized I wouldnt have payed this much had I known what I was in for. At most I would probably have paid $10. To calculate if a game is worth its price I compare dollar value to hours played. I generally believe a game to be worth it when the hours played equals the dollar value, unless it has exceptional gameplay, story, characters, etc. For SotC however, I put in about 7 hours before completing the story. The other factors IMO are not enough to make up for the difference.

    Overall Game-play - 3/10
    The overall is low. With little satisfaction and replay value SotC is not a game I would recommend. I could spend twice as much on a different game and get an experience 10x greater. The story is not very interesting and is very confusing due to a lack of in game explanation. None of this is to say that you shouldnt buy the game, but this is just my strong opinion    … Expand
  14. snkr_thief
    Oct 1, 2018
    4
    I can see why some people consider this to be a great game. The setting, the music, and the colossi are all well crafted. The battles can be pretty engaging and there is a sense of reward that comes with taking down each colossus. In that regard, there is some enjoyment to be had with this game. However, despite the praise this game gets, I wouldn't recommend it. In fact, I was having aI can see why some people consider this to be a great game. The setting, the music, and the colossi are all well crafted. The battles can be pretty engaging and there is a sense of reward that comes with taking down each colossus. In that regard, there is some enjoyment to be had with this game. However, despite the praise this game gets, I wouldn't recommend it. In fact, I was having a hard time enjoying myself for the majority of the campaign. The controls are horrible, you have little to no control over the camera and I found myself frustrated with these two mechanics more than anything throughout my playthrough. Navigation is also poor. You may be going in the right direction yet still get lost without knowing where you made a wrong turn. It also doesn't help that your horse handles like crap. In regards to the colossi, once you've figured out how to defeat one, the act of actually taking it out is pretty simple and not very fun. This basically sums up the entire experience for me, lacking in fun. If you're looking for something different than your typical open-world action/adventure, this might be something you'll enjoy. But I would warn those who are considering picking this up due to the high praise this game has gotten over the years: this game is a very acquired taste. I'd argue that the gameplay is the game's weakest feature, and if a game is no fun to play, what's the point?… Expand
  15. Captainwinky182
    Dec 29, 2018
    4
    This was my first play through having never playing the original. after all the hype i thought i would give it a blast. the experience as a whole was very disappointing. The controls were infuriating at times, most of the Colossi were boring apart from a couple of encounters. The horse rides terrible. the whole experience felt like a grind tbh. Only pro i will give is the scale of theThis was my first play through having never playing the original. after all the hype i thought i would give it a blast. the experience as a whole was very disappointing. The controls were infuriating at times, most of the Colossi were boring apart from a couple of encounters. The horse rides terrible. the whole experience felt like a grind tbh. Only pro i will give is the scale of the setting looks beautiful at times but that about it.… Expand
  16. Zodlier
    Jul 11, 2020
    4
    Didnt aged well.
    Riding the horse is a pain in the ass most of the time.
    Very repetitive.
    Physics doesnt look real.
    Absolutely overrated
    But the game is kinda beautiful and poetic
  17. Mattyc96
    Dec 29, 2019
    4
    By far one of the most pointlessly frustrating games I have ever played. The controls and camera break the game for me. I spent most my time flailing around holding r2 on the colossus. Besides being visually stunning the platforming here is terrible and feels obnoxiously daft waiting for your meter to run down well the protagonist fails to execute an simple jump. The boss battles areBy far one of the most pointlessly frustrating games I have ever played. The controls and camera break the game for me. I spent most my time flailing around holding r2 on the colossus. Besides being visually stunning the platforming here is terrible and feels obnoxiously daft waiting for your meter to run down well the protagonist fails to execute an simple jump. The boss battles are laughably easy. Navigation is annoying. The story feels meaningless. If it wasnt for the visuals this game would have no redeemable values… Expand
  18. Jenneraptor
    Oct 4, 2020
    4
    The character is SO HARD TO CONTROL it takes all the fun out of this game. You waste so much time not because of your skill but because of how they made the character move and climb and hold on surfaces. It's such a shame because the rest is nice but if you can't control the character you're playing, it's not worth it
  19. necrowizart89
    Jun 7, 2020
    4
    Nothing special. The plot is not interesting, the setting and world is empty theres nothing to do besides this collosi killing. The control sucks hard, the horse is stupid and not responding so as the protagonist. I had a little fun playing this game some of the collosi was interesting and spectacular, but most of them was easy and boring. Graphics are good and but I don’t recommend thisNothing special. The plot is not interesting, the setting and world is empty theres nothing to do besides this collosi killing. The control sucks hard, the horse is stupid and not responding so as the protagonist. I had a little fun playing this game some of the collosi was interesting and spectacular, but most of them was easy and boring. Graphics are good and but I don’t recommend this game. I played it just because was free on ps+.… Expand
  20. super_absorber
    Nov 27, 2020
    4
    By today's standard and comparing to other available games, this game is bad and boring. The control and camera is so bad and stupid
  21. ecank
    Nov 7, 2020
    4
    terrible gameplay, auto-rotating camera drives you crazy. graphics are not even worth to talk about.
  22. MoniWhite
    Feb 7, 2022
    4
    Fun for a while but too hard, only worth playing if free, graphics look ok, not much story though
  23. Novvos
    May 5, 2023
    4
    It's less than "ok". Feels like playing a better version of Pong. Same story, equal gameplay. Working on my pile of shame, but this game is a shame and absolutly overrated!
  24. AgentAnderson
    Mar 3, 2020
    3
    I'll give it 3 because it looks nice. This is like a poor man's Tomb Raider with no enemies and a few big bosses. I was roaming around and found the first 2 Colossi and nothing else. Well, I did find clunky controls. Not much to do other than snore.
  25. cweikert
    Feb 7, 2018
    3
    How could you even think of releasing a game with such a bad camera and bad character controls? 20 years ago Nintendo showed the world how to ride a horse in a video game and the programmers of this game learned nothing from it. Climbing is also a joke. This is not a masterpiece, not even close. Is just a game which desperately wants to be a masterpiece but couldn't even master the basicsHow could you even think of releasing a game with such a bad camera and bad character controls? 20 years ago Nintendo showed the world how to ride a horse in a video game and the programmers of this game learned nothing from it. Climbing is also a joke. This is not a masterpiece, not even close. Is just a game which desperately wants to be a masterpiece but couldn't even master the basics of video game design.… Expand
  26. p1nky
    Feb 16, 2018
    3
    Horrible controls. Very bad camera position, shacking, not stable and dynamic with make is impossible to play the game. English subs are bad, impossible to understand.
    Picture is very nice.
  27. Alibababa
    Mar 10, 2019
    3
    I always said to myself, that it would be great to have a game where you can bond with your horse and ride around some empty plain fields with it, a true adventure. However after realizing that the void Shadow of Colossus is presenting isn't really all that appealing and the only real activity is to find those colossi and slay them in the most brutal manner possible I became a bitI always said to myself, that it would be great to have a game where you can bond with your horse and ride around some empty plain fields with it, a true adventure. However after realizing that the void Shadow of Colossus is presenting isn't really all that appealing and the only real activity is to find those colossi and slay them in the most brutal manner possible I became a bit disappointed by this vision. The world is really empty, yet beautiful but with nothing to do you get bored quite fast and after about 6-8 hours, depending on how well you learn to control this horse with tank controls, you'll reach the climax of the game with a rather sad conclusion but also hope, it's a bittersweet ending but it's not enough to elevate the game above its flaws.… Expand
  28. SplitMind
    Feb 17, 2020
    3
    Am I playing the same game as all the stellar reviews are claiming?

    Good Lord, what an awful game in comparison to the hype! The visuals are quite good, whilst at the same time clearly not the pinnacle of this generation's capabilities. They've given this game a 'makeover' when really what it needed was demolishing and rebuilding from scratch. There are a handful of nice concepts    Am I playing the same game as all the stellar reviews are claiming?

    Good Lord, what an awful game in comparison to the hype!

    The visuals are quite good, whilst at the same time clearly not the pinnacle of this generation's capabilities.

    They've given this game a 'makeover' when really what it needed was demolishing and rebuilding from scratch. There are a handful of nice concepts either badly executed or marred by other bad game designs.

    The controls, especially the horse, control like a tank! I found it nigh-on-impossible to manoeuvre the horse correctly. The controls are also horribly unresponsive. Many times I was stood next to the horse pressing the button to climb upon it, only for my character to start jumping on the spot or calling the horses name due to the button having two functions - very bad design.

    The worst offender in the whole game may be the camera because it is the most prominent and omnipresent issue. The camera simply has a mind of its own and you will spend more time battling that than the colossi.

    And the colossi? Another fantastic concept but let down so badly by the repetition and monotony. I had had enough by the time I defeated the first one. Holding up the sword to expose a weakpoint ironically leaves you exposed yourself because you can't move at the same time, which indicates a now ancient game mechanic rarely visible in modern games. Climbing the colossi can be very tedious and repetitive also, with the game giving random and sparing prompts as to how to actually play it.

    Overall, this is a hipster's dream, in that the reputation far exceeds the quality. I was very much looking forward to this and so am therefore further disappointed by this letdown, so that may have biased my review, yet I see other reviews noting similar issues. This game is a relic of the past and should have stayed there.    … Expand
  29. knur
    Oct 15, 2022
    3
    Nice graphics with a unique atmosphere don't make a good game. The gameplay is frustrating, the controls are horrible, and the story is boring.

    My take on why this game has so many good reviews: is tinted nostalgia glasses. When someone was a kid and this game came out on PS2 the graphics were really impressive and the giant size of the colossi was something that was never seen before.    Nice graphics with a unique atmosphere don't make a good game. The gameplay is frustrating, the controls are horrible, and the story is boring.

    My take on why this game has so many good reviews: is tinted nostalgia glasses. When someone was a kid and this game came out on PS2 the graphics were really impressive and the giant size of the colossi was something that was never seen before. It was definitely impressive for its time and memorable for sure.    … Expand
  30. DogeWowIsBack
    Mar 11, 2019
    3
    This is a very bad port from PS2, it contains all old bugs and glitches from original, they're were easily visible on PS3 version, i thought because they decided to milk nostaglia further more they will put at least some effort,but sadly they didn't. Even the controls got worse!
    If you ask me, the game itself wasn't ever that great to begin with.
    The story is bare minimum, the world of    This is a very bad port from PS2, it contains all old bugs and glitches from original, they're were easily visible on PS3 version, i thought because they decided to milk nostaglia further more they will put at least some effort,but sadly they didn't. Even the controls got worse!
    If you ask me, the game itself wasn't ever that great to begin with.
    The story is bare minimum, the world of the game is really boring and empty, call that an artistic choice or any other excuse you might think of but this isn't a good explanation.
    Yes the fights with bosses might be interesting but that's all what game has to offer.
    This game is considered to be a cult classic but is it really? Looking back on it now gives the feeling of playing tech demo of something bigger, but sadly this is a finished product. I'm really sure if this game didn't have all that nostalgia factor going for it, it would be panned down by both critics and players alike. People consider this game to be great because they want to remember it this way. But you can't get yourself back to playing it after all these years do you?    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PS4 Game of 2018
8
#8 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2018
16
#16 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 100 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 100
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 100
  3. Negative: 0 out of 100
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Apr 24, 2018
    80
    Perfectly polished and improved cult game – even with better controls! Killing giant monsters has never been so much (melancholic) fun. [Issue#283]
  2. Games.cz
    Apr 24, 2018
    90
    A tribute to the Fumito Ueda will delight the veterans of the original game same as introduce this classic to the newcomers, who are not tuned on a nostalgic note. An ideal opportunity to improve your video game education and a wonderful experience in the same time. Some clumsy controls and occasionally stubborn camera can’t ruin the great experience.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Apr 3, 2018
    70
    It’s a good remaster, but frankly I find it unnecessary. Those who have already played the game on PS2 or PS3 will find nothing new here, and those who didn’t have the chance to get acquainted with it probably will not understand what we saw in Shadow of the Colossus 12 years ago, when gaming reality was completely different. [03/2018, p.66]
See all critic reviews »