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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Killerpummkin
    Sep 5, 2023
    6
    The graphics are very impressive, the soundtrack is sensational, the puzzles could be better, but the gameplay is frustrating.
  2. pelona39
    Aug 14, 2023
    6
    Never play the classic version before, but still...

    Story Simple story and emotional, great one! Sound/music Well done i guess... Gameplay Gameplay is fine, but I really hate how the camera work... automatically rotate camera sometimes annoying. Horse sometimes not responding, no check point while exploring map... when you died while exploring, whatever you already manually    Never play the classic version before, but still...

    Story
    Simple story and emotional, great one!

    Sound/music
    Well done i guess...

    Gameplay
    Gameplay is fine, but I really hate how the camera work... automatically rotate camera sometimes annoying. Horse sometimes not responding, no check point while exploring map... when you died while exploring, whatever you already manually save your progress or not, you'll respawn to the beginning place and you have to re-explore it again.
    And the final boss's difficult is really too far to compare to the other bosses.

    Graphic
    Amazing, great landscape, well-designed old monuments and colossus.

    Overall
    Still recommended even tho 6/10    … Expand
  3. OwlScowling
    Aug 11, 2023
    6
    A beautiful, lonely, wonderful game that is ultimately held back by abysmal controls and camera. I started this game immediately enthralled. Even the empty world has a sense of foreboding solitude that feels bold instead of lazy. The setup feels like an incredible start to a hero's journey. However, the controls make this game nearly unplayable. I've been playing games for most of my lifeA beautiful, lonely, wonderful game that is ultimately held back by abysmal controls and camera. I started this game immediately enthralled. Even the empty world has a sense of foreboding solitude that feels bold instead of lazy. The setup feels like an incredible start to a hero's journey. However, the controls make this game nearly unplayable. I've been playing games for most of my life and I'm very competent at them. I could not make heads or tails of the control scheme from very early on. There would be bizarre camera movements just trying to find the next colossus or incredibly broken animations when trying to do the most basic of attacks.

    When I rolled for the first time, I literally laughed out loud due to how silly the animation looks. Your character literally throws his shoulder into the ground and awkwardly ragdolls back into position. I actually told my wife to look at the screen because of how silly it was. I would be lying if I said this game wasn't anything special--there is absolutely a sense of real magic to it. But I also can't in good conscience recommend anyone spend money (or perhaps valuable time) on a game like this as it currently stands. I don't think an update is coming five years later. But it is an absolute shame that such a widely acclaimed "masterpiece" feels nearly as clunky as QWOP or Getting Over It.    … Expand
  4. isikt11
    Jul 8, 2023
    6
    The atmosphere and visuality are really good but the gameplay is a real struggle. You don't just fight with the giants. You also fight with the camera and gameplay. I would never think riding horse to be this hard. I closed the game after 2-3 hours playing, the gameplay was irritating.

    I
  5. Robospy1
    Jun 28, 2023
    5
    I know people love this game, but sorry, this doesn't do it for me. I appreciate what they were going for, but the controls have aged poorly (which shouldn't be a problem for a remake) and the game is just kind of boring. The Collosi aren't even fun to fight, which is the only interesting part of the game, whereas the open world is empty and a waste of time. I'm sure some people will sayI know people love this game, but sorry, this doesn't do it for me. I appreciate what they were going for, but the controls have aged poorly (which shouldn't be a problem for a remake) and the game is just kind of boring. The Collosi aren't even fun to fight, which is the only interesting part of the game, whereas the open world is empty and a waste of time. I'm sure some people will say that the emptyness and lonelyness is part of the art here, but it just isn't enough to keep me invested.… Expand
  6. Uncl3s4mbr
    Jun 19, 2023
    7
    Boring game for my taste. The graphics are great, the environment beautiful, but the controls over the horse sucks, the camera control sucks and the Colossus are easy to kill. The hardest part is to find the Colossus. This game are for the people that like the explorer and contemplate the environment.
  7. YannySp101
    May 1, 2022
    7
    Shadow of the Colossus was a fascinating experience for me because I didn't play the original version on the PS2 back then, however, it was more complicated than I expected.
    After hearing how unique and special this game is for years now, I finally decided to play it.
    The story in Shadow of the Colossus is slightly ambiguous, but the vast, empty environments and the melancholic atmosphere    Shadow of the Colossus was a fascinating experience for me because I didn't play the original version on the PS2 back then, however, it was more complicated than I expected.
    After hearing how unique and special this game is for years now, I finally decided to play it.
    The story in Shadow of the Colossus is slightly ambiguous, but the vast, empty environments and the melancholic atmosphere make up for the story's ambiguity. Overall, it's a surprisingly decent story even if it's absent for the most part.
    Unlike the story though, the gameplay is very basic, even though it's oddly enjoyable and satisfying.
    The Colossi are absolutely spectacular; they're undoubtedly the highlight of the game, alongside the immense scale of the game and its gorgeous environments.
    Also, the music is really good and the audio design is fantastic.
    However, even though the gameplay is interesting, the repetitious nature of the gameplay loop gets slightly boring after a while, and the controls, camera and handling are so clumsy and bad in some instances, they make the game almost unplayable at times, ruining the entire experience, and that's very unfortunate.

    Pros:
    + Serviceable narrative
    + Exciting albeit basic gameplay
    + Immense scale
    + Stunning visuals
    + Great music

    Cons:
    - Tiring gameplay loop
    - Very awkward controls, camera & handling

    Narrative: 6/10
    Gameplay: 4/10
    Music: 8/10
    Graphics/Audio: 9/10

    Final Rating: 6.5/10
    - Pretty Good -
    Shadow of the Colossus looks like a PS4 game, however, it still plays like a PS2 game, unfortunately.
    Regardless, it's a very unique and special experience even to this day... I just expected something more from a high quality modern Remake.

    Do I recommend it?:
    If you're looking for a fun videogame experience, I probably wouldn't recommend it, but if you're looking for a unique videogame experience, I'd say yes.    … Expand
  8. FRIST_008
    May 8, 2023
    7
    Довольно годный логический босс файт, который оставляет у тебя ощущение, что ты маленький, а и не так просто тебе то, убить что-то большое на самом деле.
  9. Jimmymcjim
    Mar 23, 2023
    7
    i like the feel of the game. the story was confusing in a good way tho and i liked killing big things
  10. Agusto101
    Feb 28, 2023
    6
    Repetitivo , aburrido y genérico lo único que destaca son los gráficos y el diseño de los colosos fuera de ahí bastante mediocre ni loco me atrevería a llamarlo obra maestra.
  11. blasecube
    Feb 8, 2023
    5
    A huge disappointment.

    During the PS2 era I had a Gamecube. I really liked it, but always felt jealous about all my friends with PS2. Since then I was told about the amazing games the PS2 had that made it superior. One of them being Shadow of the Colossus. I was honestly very excited to try it. I had already experienced Sony's storytelling on its more modern kins in the likes of The    A huge disappointment.

    During the PS2 era I had a Gamecube. I really liked it, but always felt jealous about all my friends with PS2. Since then I was told about the amazing games the PS2 had that made it superior. One of them being Shadow of the Colossus.

    I was honestly very excited to try it. I had already experienced Sony's storytelling on its more modern kins in the likes of The Last of Us or Horizon: Zero Dawn. I was, however, cautious, as I knew this was essentially still a PS2 game.

    Still through those lenses, I cannot say it's a good game. The controllers (supposedly improved) feel bad, camera is awful, the bosses, while being the best part, were only fun until I figured out how to get on them. I get that it's a game that it's supposed to make you feel sad and guilty, but the only time it managed to do it was nearly the end, and I would call that time just plainly cheating.

    I cannot help to compare to other games from that generation like Zelda: Wind Waker on the GameCube, the first two Yakuza games on PS2, or even Phantom Dust in the original Xbox, that managed to be better than Shadow of the Colossus on, essentially, every single aspect.    … Expand
  12. petriAND
    Jan 27, 2023
    6
    Gameplay - 5/10 , controls are sh**, repetitive tasks you get bored after the 4th colossus, i mean they
    are a bit different, each of them but god damn it gets boring fast even at 6 hours
    long gameplay it felt long. Story - 5/10 , very generic, your lady is dead, and in order to revive her you need to beat this colossi, that's it. I resumed it with 10 words. Visuals - 7/10, the    Gameplay - 5/10 , controls are sh**, repetitive tasks you get bored after the 4th colossus, i mean they
    are a bit different, each of them but god damn it gets boring fast even at 6 hours
    long gameplay it felt long.

    Story - 5/10 , very generic, your lady is dead, and in order to revive her you need to beat this colossi,
    that's it. I resumed it with 10 words.

    Visuals - 7/10, the art of the game is good, and the animations are very well made but even for 2018
    game the textures are not that great

    Sound/music - 8/10

    Fun - 5/10, because of bad controls and repetitiveness the game overall feels longer than it is and
    you'll get frustrated at some point because of those things

    Still better than The Last Guardian, which was almost unplayable.    … Expand
  13. JustSingleGamer
    Jan 26, 2023
    5
    Çıktığı zaman oynasam büyük ihtimalle daha çok sever ve daha yüksek puan verirdim fakat, kamera sorunları ve kontrol zorlukları yüzünden son boss'ta Playstation'ı söküp camdan atacaktım. Onun dışında evreni ilgi çekici, oynanışı eğlenceli fakat dediğim kontrol ve kamera sorunlarından bazen çileden çıkarabiliyor. İlk çıktığı dönem bir oyuncu değildim o yüzden oyun mu yaşlanmış, yoksaÇıktığı zaman oynasam büyük ihtimalle daha çok sever ve daha yüksek puan verirdim fakat, kamera sorunları ve kontrol zorlukları yüzünden son boss'ta Playstation'ı söküp camdan atacaktım. Onun dışında evreni ilgi çekici, oynanışı eğlenceli fakat dediğim kontrol ve kamera sorunlarından bazen çileden çıkarabiliyor. İlk çıktığı dönem bir oyuncu değildim o yüzden oyun mu yaşlanmış, yoksa sorunlu bir oyun mu yorum yapamıyorum.… Expand
  14. Andrei20
    Jan 26, 2023
    7
    Stunning visuals, great story, I can see why someone would love this game in the ps2 era but the gameplay hasn't aged all that well, the controls are abysmal and the gameplay at its core requires a lot of patience. Still im overall positive about this game although it is very likely that won't be coming back to it.
  15. tigris77
    Jan 5, 2023
    6
    i gave this a 6 even though the original on ps2 was a 9, because it was a superb game for its time, but the controls show their age like most ps2 titles

    what they did with this remake is an hd reskin, no control improvement, no camera improvement, otherwise a great game, great puzzle bosses, great story, you still have to play this if you never played the original, go with this one it    i gave this a 6 even though the original on ps2 was a 9, because it was a superb game for its time, but the controls show their age like most ps2 titles

    what they did with this remake is an hd reskin, no control improvement, no camera improvement, otherwise a great game, great puzzle bosses, great story, you still have to play this if you never played the original, go with this one it looks awesome    … Expand
  16. Mastereed
    Nov 14, 2022
    5
    IS IT A REMAKE, ISN'T IT?

    BEFORE WE BEGIN: I would like to write this review starting from the fact that I have played ICO but not the original Shadow of the Colossus for ps2. In addition, I have played the game for about fifteen hours and got the platinum. IMMERSION: The game starts in a desolate land in which we and our horse are the protagonists and soon we realize that very few    IS IT A REMAKE, ISN'T IT?

    BEFORE WE BEGIN:
    I would like to write this review starting from the fact that I have played ICO but not the original Shadow of the Colossus for ps2. In addition, I have played the game for about fifteen hours and got the platinum.

    IMMERSION:
    The game starts in a desolate land in which we and our horse are the protagonists and soon we realize that very few other life forms are present;
    We are immediately given our mission: defeat all the colossus, useful to achieve a certain end, easily guessed from the first minutes of the game.

    TO THE EYE:
    The real strength of this game is the art direction. It has really been taken seriously, referring with magnificent glimpses to real existing works of art and natural places. Every second spent galloping through these lands makes the player feel more and more insignificant compared to the giant mountains, grasslands and pits. If we want to put a point on the graphics, it is nothing extraordinary and we often run into buggy shadows and lights.

    TO THE EAR:
    Shadow of the Colossus certainly offers several noteworthy soundtracks, but unfortunately it does not boast a satisfying variety and we will often find ourselves listening to the same ost over and over again.

    GAMEPLAY:
    Also in this aspect, unfortunately, the game does not offer much variety and the things to do can be counted on the fingers of one hand; apart from the obvious colossus hunting we can try our hand at so-called time attacks, that is, a trivial time trial against the colossus; we can immerse ourselves in the memories of the protagonist, making us fight the same colossus again; we can hunt for lizards and fruits to increase our survive ability and finally it is possible to try our hand at playing the game's higher difficulties.

    ACHIEVEMENTS:
    Fortunately, in the remake version of the game, the trophies have been changed and now getting the platinum is no longer an adventure that requires hundreds of hours; apart from finishing the game in speedrun and without ever dying, the only stubborn challenge is to complete the time attacks in normal and hard, given the clunkiness of the gameplay.

    BUT WHY 5?

    CONS:
    The answer is easy, this is the third edition of this game, it is supposed to be a remake but, apart from the mere aesthetic and obvious render side of the game, it has a whole host of problems that, for a 2018 game, should not exist. Starting with the obvious horse mechanics, which are really clunky, slow and stupidly poorly programmed, which more than once will get us stuck on some rock or have us flog our horse in a fury of triangle spamming, the game itself is really clunky, even in the combat phases, the main mechanic of the game; there are countless times where we will see our character get stuck in walls, in colossus, fly away for no reason, die in outrageous ways and so on. Let's not even mention the AI of enemies that very often leaves something to be desired. (Don't get me wrong, the original game the 9 deserves it all).
    Most of the times you will be fighting with the camera clipping into walls and colossus instead of fighting them.
    Finally, the story is really trivial and forgettable and it probably has fewer dialogue lines than this review!

    PROS:
    Not to repeat myself, the good parts are obviously the music and these damn gorgeous landscapes! Man how beautiful it is.

    RATING
    Gameplay: 4
    Music: 7
    Story: 2
    Art Direction: 9
    _    … Expand
  17. Alirezaaenine
    Nov 12, 2022
    6
    Your real enemies are camera and your horse control !! I’m in middle of this game still and really sometimes want to cancel playing and delete game ! Game sounds nice but horse control !! Finding colossuses !! Camera angles!! Really make you angry
  18. lesiuML
    Oct 4, 2022
    6
    I heard a lot of good things about this game and unfortunately it was just useless hype. Both camera and character movements are horrible... I just couldn't enjoy gameplay because it's so frustrating all of the time. I finished the game for the first time and I understand that it could be an masterpiece on ps2. But in ps5 era this game isn't anything special. Story is really really bad andI heard a lot of good things about this game and unfortunately it was just useless hype. Both camera and character movements are horrible... I just couldn't enjoy gameplay because it's so frustrating all of the time. I finished the game for the first time and I understand that it could be an masterpiece on ps2. But in ps5 era this game isn't anything special. Story is really really bad and almost nonexistent. Music is occasional and it's hard to compare it to such great boss games like dark souls. Open world while really beautiful it's empty and lifeless. Game is really good but only at the beginning when you are fighting first colossus but further on game is just boring, frustrating and pointless.… Expand
  19. pimy0
    Sep 3, 2022
    7
    + Прекрасно проработаны локации и боссы
    + Интересный лор
    + Головоломки
    - Ужасное управление, портит большую часть геймплея

    В общем в игре больше хорошего, чем плохого. Твердая 7
  20. alexdim00
    Aug 13, 2022
    6
    Nice remake and job with the graphics. It's Exciting when you meet the colossus but all the experience is ruined by the awful gameplay system.
  21. 9bb
    Jul 22, 2022
    6
    The art in this game is outstanding. The music and atmosphere is masterfully created. The world purposefully empty since you extinguish what little life is left in this world. However. The gameplay is simply not fun. Slowly climbing the colossi got boring after a while. Slowly climb up to the weak spot. Hold in the button Let go. Repeat until the game is done. I get that the world is emptyThe art in this game is outstanding. The music and atmosphere is masterfully created. The world purposefully empty since you extinguish what little life is left in this world. However. The gameplay is simply not fun. Slowly climbing the colossi got boring after a while. Slowly climb up to the weak spot. Hold in the button Let go. Repeat until the game is done. I get that the world is empty but perhaps making the world a little smaller so that you were closer to the colossi would have been nice. I really wanted to like this game and I kind of do. But it is not the masterpiece it is made out to be… Expand
  22. Timenick
    Jul 4, 2022
    6
    People are calling this a masterpiece but in what exactly does this game exceed? Simple answer, in absolutely nothing.

    Graphics: 6/10 Not bad and the colossi look amazing, but everything else in the game lacks detail and style. Gameplay: 6/10 Fighting large monsters can be amazing but the execution is sometimes subpar and there isnt anything to do in the game besides that, and a    People are calling this a masterpiece but in what exactly does this game exceed? Simple answer, in absolutely nothing.

    Graphics: 6/10
    Not bad and the colossi look amazing, but everything else in the game lacks detail and style.

    Gameplay: 6/10
    Fighting large monsters can be amazing but the execution is sometimes subpar and there isnt anything to do in the game besides that, and a large portion of the game is just roaming around in empty environments.

    Story: 6/10
    The way its told isnt uninteresting but there isnt really much of a story to tell.

    This is a slow, somewhat empty, short game that really doesnt have a lot of content. What IS here is good though, but not great. Surely not a 10/10 game. And yeah I get the point of it but that doesnt mean its good or justifies the weaknesses this game has.

    Slightly over average 6/10    … Expand
  23. zach_grech
    May 3, 2022
    7
    The world and story are excellent. An amazing experience. Bosses are all unique which makes it fun to figure out the puzzles they present. However, the controls are incredibly outdated and clunky which decreases the overall quality of the game significantly.
  24. bancandrei
    Apr 23, 2022
    5
    The atmosphere is on point, but I found the rest of the experience not as rewarding as most players. Sure, exploring a mostly empty world would have been nice, but I guess I was looking for more impressive vistas or things to discover.
  25. Diegohh87
    Apr 21, 2022
    6
    O jogo é nostálgico, história bacana e tudo mais, mas a jogabilidade do game é terrível, deveriam ter arrumado isso, pra andar de cavalo é horrível e pra ele subir certo nos monstros e horrível, ele cai toda hora sem motivo, não acerta os pulos, o time do salta e da andada é muito ruim.
  26. Jollyolfun
    Mar 16, 2022
    7
    This game is simply a spectacle. You go around killing giant creatures to sate a god who can save your friend. The movement is super janky though.
  27. oscar_valdillo
    Dec 29, 2021
    6
    Too much boring (in my opinion) A big map but wasted, i played this game because of the bundle of ps4 and after that i sold it
  28. Slckaer
    Dec 16, 2021
    6
    The controls ruined this game for me, especially the camera.

    The game is ok. In PS2 era brilliant but nowadays it's nothing special.
  29. KAM1054
    Nov 16, 2021
    6
    The camera is atrocious and you have to keep fighting it. It's very frustrating. The jumping mechanic is so awkward that landing or going onto a colossus is hit or miss. The ending was not worth going through all those frustrating issues. In all honesty giving this a six because of the improved graphics. If you haven't played this when it first came out on the Ps2 like I did, I say playThe camera is atrocious and you have to keep fighting it. It's very frustrating. The jumping mechanic is so awkward that landing or going onto a colossus is hit or miss. The ending was not worth going through all those frustrating issues. In all honesty giving this a six because of the improved graphics. If you haven't played this when it first came out on the Ps2 like I did, I say play this for a few hours for an experience and put it away for who knows how long unless you can power through the issues.… Expand
  30. iCampoRamil
    Nov 12, 2021
    7
    El remastered no me pareció demasiado bueno, aún así, la historia es una obra maestra.
prev
Page:

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 »