The 12th Colossus is one of sixteen bosses fought in Shadow of the Colossus. It is found within a large lake in quadrant G2.
Path to the colossus[]
- See also: Map for this path
The 12th colossus' lair is northeast of the shrine, so the player will want to turn left when exiting. Hold up the sword once in the sunlight to get an idea of where to head. Look for two stone pillars in this direction to find a land bridge. Cross it and head along the eastern cliffside to find another set of pillars, indicating another bridge. Crossing this bridge, however, will put one in the middle of an enclosed forest. It's easy to get lost in here if the player doesn't know the way, but fortunately the way through is simple: As soon as the forest is entered, take a sharp right turn to find the exit close by. Once outside, take a sharp left turn to find a narrow path leading to the lake above the Misty Falls. Eventually, the player will reach what appears to be a dead end, as a giant boulder has long since wedged itself between the cliffs and a pillar on the other side of the path. This pillar, however, has a ledge the player can work their way across, leaving Agro behind. Don't jump into the water just yet, or one runs the risk of being forced into the strong currents of the upper waterfalls, and falling off them means death. The player can save at the nearby save shrine. Jump off the ledge on the other side to find another path, and follow this path until it ends, then jump into the lake below. Swim north, past the pillars, and set foot on one of the ruins dotting the lake.
Walkthrough[]
Watch the colossus' tusks; if they turn bright orange, seek cover. It will often attack by shooting a highly-damaging pulse of energy from these tusks; though they appear electrical in nature, Wander will not be harmed if he dives underwater. He needs to get onto the colossus' head first, even though there is no sigil. There are two ways to do this:
- The easier, but more time-consuming method is by swimming around him and climbing up its mossy back. This is easier if Wander remains hidden (underwater) for as long as possible.
- The more difficult, but quicker method involves taking cover on land. The colossus will become curious eventually and will put its two front limbs up on the structure to get a better look. The player can use this opportunity to jump onto one of the many "rims" on its head. (See the video for an example of how to do it). Be careful; it's a difficult jump to pull off.
There are teeth atop its head, around its rim. Hitting these with Wander's sword reveals something unusual: the colossus will go in the direction respective to the position of the tooth hit. Use this to steer the colossus towards one of the many covered ruins. Jump to the rooftop of the ruin when the colossus is as close as it will go, and very quickly take cover behind the central stub (expect to be attacked very shortly after landing).
When hidden from view, the colossus will soon sink into the water before lunging out onto the platform. This will expose a small patch of fur on its belly, its sole weakspot. After a few good stabs, the colossus will destroy the ruin, and the player will have to direct it towards another one to repeat the process.
- Time Attack times in Original and PS3 versions (Normal, Hard): 9:30, 10:00
- Time Attack times in PS4 Remake (Normal, Hard): 8:30, 9:30
Weakspots[]
| Location | Percentage of health | |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Hard | |
| On its belly | 100% | 100% |
| Teeth on its head (7) | Used to direct its movement | |
Tips & tricks[]
- Once Wander has made it to the top of a platform, the 12th colossus will almost always shoot at him. It's recommended to take cover for the duration of the blast, but don't stay hidden forever. It actually jumps onto the platform more consistently when it can see you.
- Since Wander can only get in a few stabs before the colossus goes back underwater, it is recommended that the player charges them up to their maximum power before stabbing its sigil. Doing this, and quickly, should kill it after using only two platforms. This is a big help on Time Attack.
Attacks[]
| Attack | Damage (Normal) | Damage (Hard) | Description | Demonstration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulse Beams | 15+ (in water) 45 (on land) |
40+ (in water) 75 (on land) |
Whenever the colossus has Wander on its sights, it will keep charging its horns and shooting pulse beams. Go underwater when it fires or hide behind cover. | 
|
Music[]
| Phase | Plays in | Music |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Plays after the colossus has heaved itself above the waters surface and the battle starts. | Creeping Shadow |
| Phase 2 | Plays while the colossus is reared up on a platform. | In Awe of the Power |
Development History[]
This colossus was created near the start of the game's development in 2003, and it used to be tested in Stage 14. Its nickname during development was 'Poseidon'.[1]
Poseidon[]
Stage specification of Poseidon.
Poseidon was originally created using the archetype of 'Turtle' (the 9th colossus), being referred to as 'Turtle custom' and 'Turtle II' on its concept arts. Due to this, it had several aspects from the original Turtle, such as: having a similar head design with horns that were used to guide the boss to somewhere, had a shell on its back with moss growing, and both likely had weakpoints on the stomach.
Battle specification of Poseidon.
On August 7th 2003, the battle specification of Poseidon was created, which explained all of the aspects of the fight. It was made different from the original Turtle by having the player guide the boss to a platform, in which the colossus would place its front hooves on top of it. That way, the player would be able to throw their spear at its weakpoint in order to damage it. After taking a certain amount of damage, the boss would leave the platform, and would destroy it, with the player having to repeat this process until it was dead. Aside from the spear, this strategy remained the same until after the E3 Demo.
As seen in the specification, the developers were considering adding hanging "ears" for the player to climb up - these were apparently scrapped and given to Kirin instead, but it's unknown if the boss actually had them in-game. Poseidon was also depicted with eyes in the concepts, but later on these would be removed.
Later in 2004, the boss' stage, Poseidon's Lake, would be placed on the seamless world made with a height map at quadrant G2, where it stayed in for the rest of development. The boss_zou entry in the BossStatus data sheet from the E3 Demo suggests that Poseidon used to be the 11th colossus at some point in development around the 2004 era.
E3 Demo[]
- Main article: Shadow of the Colossus (E3 Demo)#XIII
Poseidon reared up on a platform in the E3 Demo. Note the glowing belly.
In the version of the game from May 11th 2005 (known as the E3 Demo), Poseidon, now the 13th colossus, had some differences from its final incarnation.
Comparison between the E3 and final release models of Poseidon.
The middle of its arena had an indentation, which made the boss be mostly submerged when standing there. It charged longer before firing projectiles, had a much wider back and its legs were mossy, making it possible to use them to climb to the top. Its belly weakness had a bright green glow and had an animated effect; and you could only shoot it with your bow, not being able to jump onto it and grab it as there was no fur. After getting its health to 50%, it recoils backwards and physically closes its belly weakpoint, then charges forward destroying the platform Wander is standing on. The music that played in the battle was 'Grotesque Figures', likely as a placeholder.
Death model of Poseidon from the E3 Demo compared to its normal model.
Also in this version, Poseidon's death model, which is the dark shadow that covers a colossus' corpse after the battle is over, was based on an earlier design of the boss when it used to have horns. The design of the helmet was also different, matching the design seen on its idol statue.
Poseidon's Lake had no vines on the pathway for leaving the arena; meaning Wander was stuck there until after he beat the colossus. This, coupled with Poseidon's body staying submerged after it is beaten in this version, suggest that the Reminiscence Mode wasn't in the plans at all until near the game's release.
The control assign sheet for Poseidon additional animations had some interesting names for the teeth and stomach damage triggers, they were:
- Generic BREAST_R Damage Condition (Sword only) - For hitting the right set of teeth.
- Generic BREAST_L Damage Condition (Sword only) - For hitting the left set of teeth.
- Generic EYE Damage Condition (Sword only) - For hitting the front set of teeth.
- Generic MOUTH Damage Condition (Arrow Only) - For damaging the stomach with an arrow.
Preview[]
- Main article: Shadow of the Colossus (Preview)#XII
Poseidon standing in the center of the lake in the Preview version. The center had a large indentation in the lake floor which made the colossus mostly submerged underwater.
In the version of the game from August 10th 2005 (known as the Preview version), Poseidon now was the 12th colossus.
Its design was changed to look like its final incarnation, but its belly still had the green glow from the E3 Demo, however it now had fur and had to be stabbed. The indentation in the middle of the arena also remained, only being removed in the final release.
A short cutscene started when first arriving at Poseidon's Lake in this version, and the theme 'Commandment' played.
Trivia[]
- This is the only colossus that does not have eyes. The tips of its tusks serve as its eyes instead; they change color from blue to orange when attacking, like the eyes of all the other colossi.
- The 12th colossus doesn't actually swim. Rather, it walks along the bottom of the lake, similar to how hippopotami move through the water.
- The 12th colossus' tusks resemble the 2nd colossus' horns. These two colossi also have body resemblance.
- The 12th colossus' stance is quite gorilla-like, with two short rear legs and two long arms.
- Like the 4th colossus, the 12th possesses a set of skeletal ribs protruding from its underbelly.
- The 12th colossus has the longest introductory sequence of all the colossi at roughly 42 seconds long.
- The 12th colossus makes some vaguely bull-like roars and bellows during the time Wander fights it.
- After being defeated, the 12th colossus' body is seen sinking to the depths of the lake in which it resided. However, upon revisiting the lake after it has fallen, its body will have risen to the surface again. This is so that the player can enter Reminiscence Mode if they wish to do so. This is also true of the 5th and 7th colossi.
- The 12th colossus probably has the strangest and most alien appearance out of all the colossi. It has a shell like a turtle but the stature of a gorilla as well as tusks, something that is not found on either animal. Furthermore, it has teeth on top of its head. A close inspection of its tusks shows that they aren't actually tusks, as they appear to be made out of the same material as the colossus' helmet-like face.
- When the distances between individual colossi are compared, the straight line distance between the 12th and 15th colossi is the smallest, making both of them the closest colossi "neighbors".
- If the 12th colossus gets close enough to one of the ruined platforms, the player can go on the bottom part and jump on its head.
- Wander can direct the 12th colossus' movement by shooting its teeth with arrows or whacking them with the sword.
- The 12th colossus' only fur is on its belly; the "fur" on its back is actually moss. Its fur does have the same dark green color as regular moss.
- There is a glitch with the 12th colossus. After defeating it, if the player holds
during its death cutscene, they can keep holding onto its belly until the black tentacles hit Wander. - Although very difficult, it is possible to swim under the 12th colossus and grab onto its belly underwater. Defeating it this way is also possible.
- One can also glitch into the 12th colossus by constantly swimming against the right side of its body, near the arm.
- In the PS4 remaster, the 12th colossus' tusk have a metal barred casing around them up to the tips. In the death screen, however, these casings are gone.
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 Forbidden 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[]
- ↑ "This colossus was called Poseidon. It has tooth-like features on top of its head, but originally it had horns. It also originally had eyes. When we first developed this colossus, we were thinking of a strategy to shoot its weak spot with the bow." - Official artbook and guidebook, page 141.