Colossus VIII

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Colossus VIII
Thy next foe is... A tail trapped within a pail deep within the forest... A shadow that crawls on the walls.
Profile
Developer Nickname	The Gecko
Height	16 feet (4.9 meters)
Length	56 feet (17.1 meters)
Gameplay
Time Attack goals (Normal/ Hard)	8:00/7:30 (Original, PS3) 6:00/7:00 (PS4)
Agro	No
Sigils	Normal: 2 major Hard: 2 major

Kuromori is the nickname given to the eighth colossus. Resembling a gigantic lizard, this wall-climbing colossus can be found in a tall, narrow arena located in quadrant G6.

Path to the colossus

See also: Map for this path

Video - Path to Kuromori

Shadow of the Colossus - 8th Colossus 1 2

The sword will direct the player southeast to a canyon. When the path branches, head left and look for a cave entrance. This passage leads to an area inside the cliffs filled with greenery and waterfalls. Be cautious to not jump here and fall; Wander won't walk off one of the ledges, but will leap. Head east from here along the path to find a temple surrounded by a ring of water. Wander will have to part ways with Agro here. Inside the temple, there will be a ridged pillar to climb up to get to the other side of the room. The hallway beyond leads to the arena.

Walkthrough

Video - Battle with Kuromori

Shadow of the Colossus - 8th Colossus 2 2

The colossus is initially unaware of the player; use this time to become familiar with the arena. There are many staircases connecting its many tiers; go to the highest one. Once there, equip the bow and whistle to get the colossus' attention. Once done, quickly run to the other side of the arena while the colossus climbs up the walls. Its legs look suspicious, like the bottom of Quadratus' hooves. Shoot any of them with an arrow and the colossus will recoil that leg from the wall. Shoot any other leg and the colossus will fall to the bottom of the arena, exposing its two weakspots on its ventral side. The higher the colossus was when it fell, the longer it will take to right itself. If any part of this does not go according to plan, watch out, as this colossus carries a particularly vicious attack: It can launch electric projectiles that will leave a cloud of poison gas on impact, rapidly draining Wander's health as long as he remains in the impact radius. Get out of sight and recover, and when ready, go back up to the top of the arena and get its attention again.

Time Attack times in Original and PS3 versions (Normal, Hard): 8:00, 7:30

Time Attack times in PS4 Remaster (Normal, Hard): 6:00, 7:00

Weakspots

Location	Percentage of health
	Normal	Hard
On its belly, between its front legs	50%
On its belly, between its back legs	50%
On each ankle (4)	Makes it lose its grip

Tips and tricks

• It is also possible for Wander to climb to the topmost layer, get its attention, and then go down a few layers and shoot at its legs. That way, it gets stunned for a long time and the player loses little health.
• After shooting Kuromori down and it's lying on its back, one can jump from any layer and hold the grab button to latch onto its belly. This causes it to glitch and act as if Wander is holding onto a ledge, meaning no health is lost and the battle can be completed in minutes even on Hard Mode.
• Another way to save health is to shoot Kuromori's legs and while jumping down, grab onto the lowest ridge sticking out of the wall. Letting go from here slows Wander enough so that he takes almost no damage.
• While Kuromori is "charging" its attack, Wander can use his bow to hit its head. This makes Kuromori temporarily shake it around, apparently disoriented, which causes it to shoot its projectiles randomly and not directly towards Wander. If timed correctly, this can be very useful if running away is not an option. Using the Harpoon of Thunder on Hard Mode will increase the time Kuromori shakes its head, thus making it more effective than using the bow.

Music

• After entering Kuromori's lair, "Black Blood" plays.
• Once Kuromori becomes aware of Wander's presence, "Liberated Guardian" plays.
• When Kuromori falls on its back, "A Despair-filled Farewell" plays.

Trivia

• Kuromori is the first of the four colossi that uses a ranged attack. Its attack amongst these four, however, is unique in that it is the only long-range attacker whose projectiles leave a cloud of damaging gas that lingers for quite some time. This gas covers a fairly large area and can drain Wander's health quickly if he remains in it for long.
• Kuromori is the only colossus seen scaling walls.
• Kuromori is the third-smallest colossus after Celosia and Cenobia. The two same pieces of music, "Liberated Guardian" and "A Despair Filled Farewell", play whilst fighting all three colossi.
• Many people have found a way to jump onto Kuromori's belly while it's climbing up. This is not recommended, however, as it is not only difficult to perform but very glitchy if Wander holds on too long (such as being launched miles into the air or being turned invisible with clipping).
• Kuromori shares some similarities with the colossus that immediately follows it: Basaran. Both Kuromori and Basaran, while being two of the six quadrupedal colossi, are the only two whose legs extend out to the sides of the their bodies rather than directly downwards, as is the case with all the other quadrupeds. This gives them both a distinctly lizard-like gait and makes them appear more reptilian. Both have to be attacked around the feet in order to tip them over to gain access to their weakpoint sigils, both use long range projectile attacks, and each are viewed as being highly aggressive. Finally, both Kuromori and Basaran have heavily-armored and ridged backs.
• Kuromori makes a lot of hissing and seething bellows while it's fighting.
• Out of all 16 colossi, Kuromori has the shortest death sequence of all, roughly only seven seconds long.
• From the location in which it is fought, Kuromori is one of three colossi that cannot see the pillars of light that the fallen bodies of other colossi emit, with the other two being Barba and Dirge.
• The fight with Kuromori is the only battle wherein Wander will cover his face. When Wander is in the poisonous gas that Kuromori fires, he puts his arm over his mouth.
• The trees outside of Kuromori's lair have the same texture as some colossi's skin, especially Barba's; both are bluish with dark spots.
• When Kuromori walks, it leaves burn-like marks into the ground.
• In the PS4 Remaster, there is a trophy that can be obtained for killing Kuromori before it can flip back on its feet for the first time.

Gallery

Kuromori 3.jpg

Image of Kuromori taken from the official artbook.

Kuromori about to shoot Wander.

Kuromori climbing on the walls.

The entrance to Kuromori's arena.

Kuromori's arena seen from above.

An early development model of Kuromori.

Another early development model of Kuromori.

Sketches depicting various early designs of Kuromori.

Size chart of Kuromori.