Saru (サル - lit. "Monkey" in Japanese) is a colossus that, for unknown reasons, did not make it into the final version of the game.
Appearance[]
Saru's shape seems to be based around a orangutan, with long arms which it used to swing around the stalactices of its cave. Its legs were tiny and probably wouldn't be enough to support its whole weight. Its small head sat at the top of its torso, surrounded by crown-like spikes.
Strategy[]
The artbook says, "It hung from the ceiling, and you'd defeat it by dropping it to the floor."
That, coupled with early sketch designs, indicate that Saru was fought in a cave-like area where it would hang onto stalactites. It is unknown how Saru would attack, but theories often say it would throw stalactites at the player; although no known evidence of stalactites being separate objects exists in the PS3 data sheets. The idea of a colossus throwing objects was mentioned in an interview, but it is unknown if it relates to Saru. Wander would also likely had to either shoot the stalactites Saru was hanging onto or its arms to make it drop.
Sheet data reveals that Saru was able to jump 75 meters (246.06 feet). Possibly explaining how it got back to the roof after being dropped to the floor, suggesting the player had to drop Saru to the floor more than once.
Location[]
The image of Wander climbing Saru's back shows part of the debug menu. Translating it reveals that it may have lived in an arena named "Cave", and the coordinates, which are from Agro, don't really point to any location and are just limited to its test stage. It's likely that Saru never made it into the map as it was cut very early into development.
At one point, it was widely believed that I3 must have been Saru's lair, since B4's cave already had the 10th colossus in it and the Preview version seemed to point to the existence of a cavernous structure in the I3 quadrant. However, further analysis revealed that I3 was actually just a flat plain and most likely the 9th colossus' early arena location.[1]
Trivia[]
- In the screenshot of Saru, it is hanging using its two limbs. In early sketches however, several different designs of it are depicted holding onto stalactites with one, two, and four limb(s).
- In the PS3 data sheets, the name "Saru 2" was found in the sheet "se-frame-table" and nowhere else. It's possible that the developers tried multiple designs of Saru before the one shown in the artbook was selected.
- The sheet data reveals that all of the unused colossi had idol statues except Griffin and Saru, implying they were removed very early in development.
- Saru also lacks an entry in the sound effects parameters (sePARAM), again like Griffin.
- Due to the low quality image that was chosen for Saru, a surprising amount of people incorrectly saw its chest as its face. However, a sketch of Saru shows the face clearly, which was small and on top of the chest.
- There seems to be some kind of error with Saru's texture segment, as a sprite texture likely for controls display (r1_alert_e) is listed on it.
- It's possible it replaced the fur texture originally on it for some unknown reason, as the texture list from the sheets has a texture named "mi2_saru_fur" that isn't in any texture segment.
- According to the data sheets, Saru did not have a unique HUD icon, which is an icon in the shape of the colossus that used to show the weakpoint locations in early builds. Saru most likely used another colossus' icon or never had one in the first place since it was cut really early in development.
- Saru is one of the few colossi to not have a volume control sheet, the others are Griffin, Spider, Worm and Evis.
Gallery[]
References[]
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 |
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 |