Labyrinth is the developer name given to the unused arena of the early version of the 16th colossus, when it was still called 'Buddha' and was not the final boss.
Description[]
Labyrinth was set in an open area which once housed a city now in ruins, with Buddha standing at its center. The arena also featured multiple entrances around it that led to underground paths that connected to several others, forming a network of complex tunnels in the likeness of a labyrinth, which is likely where it gets its name from.
A sketch created in 2003 from the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus PS3 booklet is described by Ueda as "an image of it (Buddha) standing alone in a place where a city once stood".
Location[]
The location of Labyrinth in a mockup version of the early map.
The textures, besides suggesting that it was located somewhere along the southern half of the Forbidden Lands, also match with the textures from the leftover models of J7 and I8. Both of these quadrants appear to have been connected in the past, with "I7" being in the center of them. Buddha appears to have lived in I7 when the southeastern area of the map was larger.
Trivia[]
- Buddha is the only colossus to have two separate arenas related to it listed in the sheets - Labyrinth and Sanctuary.
- The sheets indicate that F8 was just a normal quadrant and not a colossus arena originally, suggesting that Labyrinth wasn't located at F8.
- A texture from Labyrinth called "mk_drygl_mip" has another variant (mk_drygl_02) that is only listed in "buddha_A_boot_body", which is the strange rock monument found in the E3 Demo build. There's also another texture, called "ym_bk_wall", that is only used in the Sanctuary's collapsible bridge.
- A texture from the 5th colossus' arena set on the material "buddha_wall_1" (the texture name being "mk_canyaonst_03"), seems to be a larger, alternate version of another texture related to Buddha that is not used in its final arena, called "ot_buddha_st_3" (Buddha Stage 3).
- Strangely, the "ot_buddha_st_3" texture is not listed in Labyrinth either, only encountered today on the bridge from Lakeside.
Gallery[]
| The game | ICO ( Demo · Revisions from U.S. version · Ico HD ) | |
| Characters | Ico · Yorda · The Queen · Shadows · Shinkan | |
| The Castle | Idol Gates · Yorda's language · Saving Benches Altar • Warehouse • Spiral Stairs • Old Bridge • Stairs • Trolley 1 • Trolley 2 • Crane • Chandelier • Drawbridge • Main Gate • Graveyard • Dark Room • 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 | |
| Other Media | Ico ~Melody in the Mist~ · Official Game Guide · Ico: Castle in the Mist | |
 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 · Watermellon · 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 |