The 1st Colossus, resembling a minotaur, is one of sixteen bosses fought in Shadow of the Colossus. Located a short way directly south of the Shrine of Worship, this humanoid colossus makes its home on a flat area accessible only from climbing the vines and ruins dotting a tall cliff.
Path to the colossus[]
- See also: Map for this path
Holding up the sword outside the Shrine will reveal a path directly south, toward the cliffs already in sight. The cliffs once housed a temple; once the player rides up some front steps into the entrance, a cutscene will play; these scenes are shown for many of the game's early colossi and hint that Wander is going in the right direction. To his right (the west), there are some vines growing on the wall; climb them and make some jumps off of jutting rocks to proceed. Later on, information will show at the bottom of the screen teaching how to do a rolling dodge to get past a fallen tree that is blocking the way. The maneuver is good for avoiding attacks (especially on Hard, where a single stomp or other heavy attack can kill Wander instantly). The player will also learn how to jump off of a ledge they are currently hanging on from and onto another. (Note that this entire section serves as both a climbing tutorial and a means of separating Wander from Agro. This is a common occurrence; of the sixteen colossi, Agro will only be able to make it to five of them - see the chart in the colossi article to see which ones.) After Wander has jumped successfully to the small path to the top of the cliff, walk a little farther south. A cutscene will play: the small trees at the cliff's edge shake as the 1st colossus steps forward from the west.
Walkthrough[]
The Colossus is walking further south from Wander at the beginning, not having noticed him previously. It will acknowledge him eventually, however, when it reaches the south wall and turns back around, so go ahead and get its attention by whistling to it (the same button used to call Agro) or shooting it with an arrow. Dodge its club if it gets a chance to swing it at Wander - one hit with the tree-sized cudgel means instant death on Hard Mode and a severe health loss on Normal.
Its right leg is armored, but the back of its left leg is fully exposed. If the sword is equipped, it will reveal something further - a minor sigil slightly further up. These spots are not actual weak points, but they do play an important role in allowing the player to reach higher places. Start climbing the leg and stab the point once over it; the colossus will briefly kneel to the ground, giving Wander a good opportunity to climb to one of the platforms on its back. Use these to rest and recover stamina, but don't get thrown off (crouching helps prevents this).
There are two smaller platforms above the bigger one; Hard Mode players will want to jump off the right one to reach the weakspot on its arm. For Normal, keep climbing to reach its upper back and head; the major sigil will start to glow when Wander holds his sword. The colossus will often buck violently to try and throw Wander off, but keep holding on. If his stamina is low, retreat to its upper back and maintain balance. A few good stabs in the head's weakpoint will finish the first colossus for good.
When it falls to the earth, a layer of darkness will erupt from the fatal wound, covering the colossus from head to feet. Several black tendrils will also pour forth from the same space and head for Wander; they cannot be outrun, and they embed themselves into Wander in seconds, rendering him unconscious. Before he reawakens in the temple, Wander hears Mono's voice again.
- Time Attack times in Original and PS3 versions (Normal, Hard): 2:30, 2:50
- Time Attack times in PS4 Remake (Normal, Hard): 2:30, 2:45
Weakspots[]
| Location | Percentage of health | |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Hard | |
| On top of its head | 100% | 50% |
| On the back of its right arm | N/A | 50% |
| On the back of its left leg | Used in climbing | |
Tips and tricks[]
- During the cutscene that plays after Wander stabs the minor sigil on its leg and the colossus falls down, the player is in complete control of Wander. If one is quick enough and knows what to do, it's possible to run right up to its head and grab on while it's down.[1]
- It is also possible to use the momentum of the colossus' leg shaking to propel oneself onto the ledge on its thigh by temporarily letting go of
and jumping when it levels its leg out somewhat flatly. - If timed just right, it is possible to jump onto the colossus' large club and use its momentum to launch up to the colossus' head. However, it is very difficult to pull off, so it is best recommended for players that are looking for a real challenge.
- When Wander is attacking the colossus' head, it will often try to throw its head backwards in an attempt to buck him off. Before it does this, however, its head will lower slightly. Stabbing the weakspot during this time with whatever charge Wander has got built up in his stab will cancel the animation and leave him ready for another attempt.
Attacks[]
| Attack | Damage (Normal) | Damage (Hard) | Description | Demonstration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon Strike | 40 (Shockwave) 60 (Direct hit) |
80 (Shockwave) Instakill (Direct hit) |
The colossus will perform this attack while Wander is far away from it, but still within reach. Avoid standing still at mid-range for too long. | 
|
| Stomp | 40 (Shockwave) 60 (Direct hit) |
80 (Shockwave) Instakill (Direct hit) |
If Wander stands near its hooves, it will adjust itself and lift either its left or right leg depending on the player's location. There is ample time to get away from this attack. | 
|
Music[]
| Phase | Plays in | Music |
|---|---|---|
| Intro | Plays upon reaching the stairs of the entrance to the colossus' lair. | Sign of the Colossus |
| Phase 1 | Plays when the colossus is close enough to the player after it notices you. | Grotesque Figures |
| Phase 2 | Plays once the colossus is crippled and kneeling. | The Opened Way |
Development History[]
This colossus was created near the start of the game's development in 2003, and it used to be tested in Stage 17 before being placed in the world map. Its nickname during development was 'Minotaur', and later changed to 'Minotaur A'.[2]
Minotaur[]
Sketches of the Minotaur's posture being broken by stabbing the knee.
This colossus was originally created as a standalone Minotaur, as its two other siblings weren't in the plans yet. Its strategy was somewhat similar to what it became in the final game. The player would have to stab the boss' knee to make it kneel, then grab onto its chin hair and stab it in the head - something that's still possible to achieve in the retail version.
Minotaur's development transition from a rough state to a finished design. Crude model (1) > Early model (2) > Finished model (3).
Like all other colossi, its model started very crude, with only a few textures to identify fur, skin, and armor. Similarly, its stage was also crude. Early on, it also likely lacked the temple that it later received its name from.
Wander hiding from the colossus in the old temple.
Later in development, its model was improved, and its arena received the temple, which was possibly originally from Stage 7 (Griffin's test stage), as it had the same textures that were present in the early model of the temple. The seamless model of Stage 7 (Valley) lacks the textures of the temple, implying they were removed from Griffin's arena and placed on Minotaur's stage. The Temple was used to make the player be able to hide from the boss, a strategy that would later be used for Minotaur B.
The HUD icon of the Minotaur.
As seen in early footage and listed in the PS3 Data Sheets, the Minotaur had a unique HUD icon, which was an icon in the shape of the colossus that used to show the weakpoint locations in early builds.
Early footage of the entrance to the Temple during the period when the world map was completely flat.
Between the end of 2003 and the start of 2004, the Minotaur and its arena were added to the first seamless world map, which was entirely flat except for the copied and pasted cliffs made out from the 'parts library'. It's unknown exactly where the arena was located at this point, but it featured a similar entrance with a staircase. The kites that fly over the colossus were seemingly a feature present since the early months of development, and likely were added around this period.[3]
Minotaur A[]
Early shot of Minotaur A.
After the start of 2004, it was decided that there would be two other Minotaur bosses after the development of Saru and Griffin was stopped, and so the Minotaur was now referred to as 'Minotaur A' in most of its data sheets. The Temple arena was placed on the second (proper) world map, which was made with a 2D texture and later converted and cut into 3D models, then edited by hand.
Various tests for Minotaur B and C were likely done on Minotaur A during this time before they were developed, as the names of two animations from the E3 Demo seemed to suggest as such. The first, used by Minotaur C, was named 'minotaur_A_add_mune_l_damage_forMinoB.anb', which is the animation that plays after Wander stabs the Hard Mode sigil on its chest. Due to the naming scheme, this animation seemingly was originally intended for Minotaur B, and was tested on Minotaur A before it was implemented on it. The second was an animation for Minotaur B named 'minotaur_A_add_body_back_damage_forMinoB'. This is the animation that plays after Wander stabs the sigil on its back. It seems they were already testing this weakpoint on Minotaur A before implementing it on Minotaur B.
Early screenshot of Minotaur A without its mace.
Also, in one early screenshot of Minotaur A, it lacks its mace weapon. One could interpret it as the boss having dropped it in a similar way to Minotaur C, and possible evidence of this can be found in the E3 Demo, as all minotaurs had a sheet named 'AnimObjDefMINOTAUR_WEAPON', while both Minotaurs A and C had an additional one named 'AnimObjDefMINOTAUR_C_WEAPON'. The Minotaur Weapon sheet has animations listed that seems to imply were used by Minotaur A, they are:
- objanim_minotaur_weapon_default
- objanim_minotaur_weapon_fall_start
- objanim_minotaur_weapon_land
- objanim_minotaur_weapon_land_loop
- camera_minotaur_weapon_c_fall_camanime
The boss_zou entry in the BossStatus data sheet from the E3 Demo suggests that Minotaur A used to be the 1st colossus at some point in development around the 2004 era. This placement never changed.
Late early screenshot of Minotaur A with the ruined temple.
After the world map was reduced at the end of 2004, Minotaur A's arena was halved in size, and the temple was made to be ruined as it was no longer used.
Screenshot possibly depicting Minotaur A with earlier versions of the final eyes.
The boss' torso design was eventually changed from a V shape to an A shape, and platforms were added to its back in order to make its battle easier. Also at some point in development, Minotaur A likely had moving eyes and eyelids, as the minotaurs and Dormin have skeletons that have unused left eye, right eye, left mabuta, and right mabuta bones ('mabuta' is Japanese for 'eyelid'). Cerberus (the 14th colossus) also had this featured, and it was still half-implemented in the E3 Demo. According to the data sheets, Kame (the 9th colossus) also had the same moving eyes and eyelids, in addition to having an eye damage animation. This idea would later be repurposed for Narga (the 10th colossus), as its eyes have the capability of blinking.
There existed a Dormin introduction dialogue for Minotaur A at some point in development. I read as: "A giant that walks along the valley... The servant shall rise from behind and make the earth quiver...". This dialogue was found by Youmoosotc.
March 2005 / Pre-E3[]
March 2005 entrance to the arena.
During March 2005 and the general period before E3, the entrance to Minotaur A's arena had some small differences, such as small steps on part of the climb, small block-shaped ruins in some areas, the lack of the fallen tree to roll as that ability wasn't implemented in the game yet, and the lack of a backwards jump to the top. The theme that played for the introduction cutscene was Lakeside instead of Sign of the Colossus.
E3 Demo[]
- Main article: Shadow of the Colossus (E3 Demo)#I
Minotaur A in E3.
In the version of the game from May 11th 2005 (known as the E3 Demo), Minotaur A had some minor differences.
Its hands had no armor, and its sigil had a lightning effect on it. The sigil lightning was also the case for Leo (the 11th colossus) and Cerberus (the 14th colossus) in this version. In early screenshots and trailers, this lightning effect can also be noticed in Knight (the 3rd colossus) and Snake (the 13th colossus). The arena intro music was changed to Sign of the Colossus around this point.
The boss also had some different behavior, such as staying kneeled for a much longer time after stabbing its ankle weakpoint twice; and taking longer to lift its weapon after striking, giving enough time for the player to climb onto it if they choose to do so.
Trivia[]
- This is the only colossus that is shown to have any form of wildlife near it, as there are several kites continuously circling around its head.
- This is one of only three colossi that wield a weapon, the other two being the 3rd and 15th colossi. It is also the only one of the three whose weapon doesn't resemble a sword.
- The 1st colossus is the fourth-shortest of all the colossi.
- This colossus shares physical similarities with the 6th and 15th colossi.
- The colossus' roars sound very similar to the bellowing of a bull, reflecting the developer nickname, "Minotaur A".
- This is the most centrally-located of all the colossi, with the absolute center of the Ancient Lands map being located in the northwestern corner of the Autumn Forest intersection between the longitudinal line between "E" and "F" and the latitudinal line between "4" and "5". The four squares surrounding the center of the Ancient Lands are therefore E4, E5, F4, and F5; the 1st colossus is located within F5.
- This and the 3rd colossus are the only colossi with major sigils on their arms. However, those are exclusive to Hard Mode. The 15th and 16th colossi come close, but they have minor sigils on their arms, not major.
- Stabbing the 1st colossus in the back of its leg twice will trigger the cutscene where it falls over and the music switches to "The Opened Way". If the player only stabs it in the leg once and is quick enough, they can climb it up and slay it with "Grotesque Figures" still playing.
- In the E3 Demo version, the 15th colossus carries the 1st colossus' club as a placeholder. There are some very minor differences on it that can also be seen in older screenshots of the 1st colossus.
Gallery[]
Original[]
Remake[]
Earlier versions[]
Other media[]
| The game | ICO ( Demo • Revisions from U.S. version • Ico HD ) | |
| Characters | Ico • Yorda • The Queen • Shadows • Shinkan | |
| The Castle | Altar • Warehouse • Spiral Stairs • Old Bridge • Stairs • Trolley 1 • Trolley 2 • Crane • Chandelier • Drawbridge • Main Gate • Graveyard • Dark Room • Windmill • Sunbeams • Stone Pillar • East Crag • East Arena • East Idol Stairs • East Reflector • Waterfall • Sluice • Cogwheel • Gondola • Water Tower • West Crag • West Arena • West Idol Stairs • West Reflector • Cage • Pipe • Elevator • Wharf • Queen's Room • Sandy Beach | |
| Items | Stick • Sword • Queen's Sword • Mace • Light Saber | |
| Miscellaneous | Idol Gates • Runic language • Sofas • ICO Stages | |
| Unused Content | Castle Soldiers • Unused Locations (Dynamite Room) • Unused Objects | |
| Other Media | Credits • Ico ~Melody in the Mist~ • Official Game Guide • Ico: Castle in the Mist • Development Timeline of ICO • Interview Archive | |
 Walkthrough | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Wander · Mono · Agro · Dormin · Lord Emon · Guards · Shadows |
| Colossi | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII · XIV · XV · XVI |
| Locations | The Ancient Lands · Shrine of Worship · Colossus Arenas |
| Main Items | Power-ups (Lizards · Fruit) · Weapons (Ancient Sword · Sword of the Sun · Queen’s Sword · Sword of Dormin · Bow & Arrow · Ancient Bow · Harpoon of Thunder · Life Sword) · Collectibles (Relics) |
| Gameplay | Hard Mode · Save shrines · Time Attack · Reminiscence Mode · Watermelon · Barrel |
| Media | Roar of the Earth (OST) · Official Art and Guide Book · Nico Bonus DVD · Film · Interview Archive |
| Releases | OPM Demo · PS2 original · PS3 remaster · PS4 remake · Credits |
| Early Builds | Preview version · PSU Preview version · E3 Demo |
| Unused Content | Unused Colossi · Colossus Test Stages · Unused Locations · Beta Mountains · Development Timeline of Shadow of the Colossus |
References[]
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovt7d13wXJA&t=0m35s | Normal Time Attack #01: Valus 0:31:52.
- ↑ https://teamico.fandom.com/wiki/File:FamitsuNicknameInterview.png | December 2nd, 2005 Famitsu - The Colossi Nicknames (1st to 10th Colossus)
- ↑ https://youtu.be/V62bwg5Arc8?t=99 | August 2004 promo footage.