The main goal of Shadow of the Colossus is to seek out and kill the sixteen colossi (巨像 Kyozō) in the Forbidden Lands. The colossi are imposing creatures that have dark fur (and sometimes moss) resembling grass. Surprisingly, not all of them are huge in size, but all of them require some thinking to find (and especially to exploit) their magic sigils.
When Wander is killed while fighting a colossus, a game over screen appears, featuring the head of the colossus he was fighting.
Icon | Number | Dev. Name | Fan Name | Agro * | Time Attack Goals (Normal / Hard) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PS2 | PS4 | |||||
I | Minotaur A | Valus | No | 2:30 / 2:50 | 2:30 / 2:45 | |
II | Mammoth | Quadratus | Yes | 4:00 / 4:30 | 3:30 / 4:30 | |
III | Knight | Gaius | No | 6:00 / 5:00 | 6:00 / 6:30 | |
IV | Kirin | Phaedra | Yes | 5:30 / 5:00 | 5:00 / 6:15 | |
V | Bird | Avion | No | 5:30 / 5:30 | 5:00 / 4:15 | |
VI | Minotaur B | Barba | No | 3:30 / 6:30 | 3:30 / 6:00 | |
VII | Eel | Hydrus | No | 12:00 / 8:00 | 9:00 / 7:30 | |
VIII | Yamori B | Kuromori | No | 8:00 / 7:30 | 6:00 / 7:00 | |
IX | Kame | Basaran | Yes | 7:30 / 5:30 | 5:30 / 5:45 | |
X | Narga | Dirge | Yes | 6:00 / 5:00 | 5:30 / 4:30 | |
XI | Leo | Celosia | No | 5:30 / 5:30 | 4:30 / 4:15 | |
XII | Poseidon | Pelagia | No | 9:30 / 10:00 | 8:30 / 9:30 | |
XIII | Snake | Phalanx | Yes | 12:00 / 13:00 | 12:00 / 10:15 | |
XIV | Cerberus | Cenobia | No | 9:00 / 9:00 | 9:00 / 8:15 | |
XV | Minotaur C | Argus | No | 11:00 / 11:30 | 7:30 / 10:00 | |
XVI | Evis | Malus | No | 9:30 / 13:00 | 9:30 / 10:45 |
Appearance[]
All colossi have the appearance of gargantuan beasts. Though no two are exactly alike, most appear to be organic in nature. They have flesh, bones and appear to have organs too as seen with the 13th colossus' air sacs; and are also able to breathe (the 8th colossus' idle animation and the 14th colossus' animation after losing consciousness are some examples). Some parts of their bodies appear have hardened skin, while others are made out of soft parts that can be stabbed, and although it's Dormin's energy, they bleed as well. Some of their armor may look like the stones of a building, giving the colossus the look of architecture. Most colossi are (partially) based on animals and creatures.
Magic Sigils[]
- Main article: Magic Sigil
All colossi have magic sigils signified by a dim blue-green or yellow glow. They come in two types: the major and the minor sigil.
The major sigil, a glowing pattern of light similar to the design on Wander's tabard, is the one targeted to slay the colossus. Striking these points inflicts great damage to a colossus and are the only way of mortally wounding them. Some sigils will vanish after a certain amount of damage has been done, forcing Wander to find another.
The minor sigil appears as a wound in the colossus' skin. Striking this does only minor damage, but is often necessary to reach the major sigil.
"Blood"[]
Colossi have a black, ichorous blood coursing through their bodies. Whenever damage is done to a colossus, this black blood will gush from the wound, creating a black mist. Striking a major sigil on the body will cause a geyser of blood to eject, indicating the severity of damage done.
Eyes[]
The last key feature is their eyes. While no two colossi are alike, many have the same eyes: a glowing, pulsating iris surrounded by black with a deep pupil in the middle.
Whenever a colossus is passive, its eyes are normally a shade of sky blue. When angered or hurt, the eyes glow a fierce orange. One exception is the 12th colossus, who has no eyes but instead has two tusks on its head that change colors.
Energy[]
Some colossi can generate powerful bursts of energy, and there are places on their bodies that mark the presence of this energy. These colossi can create strong, concussive blasts of brutal force. Others use the energy to further armor themselves against Wander's attempt to scale them and attack their weak spots. Touching these places can do damage to Wander. Colossi that use energy in battles include the 7th, 8th, 9th, 12th, and 16th Colossi.
Idol Statues[]
Sixteen gigantic idols line the east and west sides of the Shrine of Worship's main hall. The idols correspond to the colossi; when Wander defeats one, the idol explodes once he is returned to the Shrine (with one exception: the 16th statue implodes earlier, once Lord Emon's entourage reaches the shrine's main hall).
Even after a colossus' idol is destroyed, it is still available in Time Attack before clearing the game again.
The idols are arranged in a specific order. The southernmost one at the east side of the hall belongs to the 1st colossus, and the 2nd colossus' idol faces it on the west side of the hall. The 3rd colossus' idol is next to the 1st, and so on. The idols are all roughly the same size, despite the actual enormous range of sizes in the colossi (especially the relatively small 11th and 14th colossi).
In the E3 Demo version and earlier, the order of the sixteen colossi was different than that of the final game. The 16th colossus' idol was also absent, and in its place was a copy of the 1st.
The black tendrils[]
When Wander kills a colossus, several black tendrils escape from the fatal wound and into Wander. The tendrils cannot be outrun and can even go straight through solid objects if necessary.
When Wander absorbs the tendrils, he blacks out and is later returned to the Shrine of Worship through mysterious means (his unconscious body begins to levitate, and he travels slowly through the air until he reaches the shrine once more. In the game's finale, the first few seconds of this process are shown.)
Dormin's essence accumulates inside Wander with each colossus felled, increasing his health, stamina, and physical strength. This is reflected in the amount of damage a single stab will do to sigils; this becomes very apparent with subsequent playthroughs. Four to five games in, Wander can kill a colossus that has only one major sigil with a single well-charged stab.
Reminiscence Mode[]
If Wander returns to a fallen colossus' lair, one will notice that the corpse of the colossus has decayed, loosely resembling its original form. If is pressed next to (or on top of) any of the remains, Wander will pray before them, and a prompt to enter "Reminiscence Mode" will pop up. Here, the player can choose to fight the colossus again, and if they do, the battle will be loaded up again, complete with a vignetted grainy old-film filter.
The player is not timed in this mode, so this is not a substitute for Time Attack. Much like that mode, however, the battle will end if Wander strays too far from the arena. Also if Wander defeats a colossus in Reminiscence Mode and he dies afterwards, he will be teleported to the corpse of the colossus just defeated.
Pillars of light[]
After defeating a colossus, a gigantic pillar of light will appear in the skies far above its corpse. These can be seen from every corner of the Forbidden Lands and serve as a record of Wander's travels and deeds. Early screenshots show that these have been a part of the game from very early on in its development; although they were the way of guiding the player to the next colossus they needed to battle instead of the sword's light.
Their early inclusion in the game and their profound appearance in general has led to many theories about what they symbolize and why it was so important to have them there. One theory is that they are only present in order to remind players about the location of a colossus' corpse if they wish to fight them in Reminiscence Mode.
Another, more elaborate theory is that they were created from each time Wander's unconscious body was returned to the Shrine of Worship. A cutscene following the 12th colossus, shows a closeup of a pillar as it is forming; the dramatically swirling clouds and the hole at their center are noticably larger, as if opening up for something to pass through. And, following the death of the 16th colossus, Wander's body is briefly seen lifting up into the air. The white tunnel that Wander enters before waking within the Shrine is thus the view his soul sees of this process.
A very unique feature of the associated White Tunnel is Wander's ability to hear Mono's voice. It is only here that he hears her as, only here does he enter into the world of souls, albeit unnaturally.
Trivia[]
- A few colossi are modified in-game to be bigger or smaller than their actual model size. Below is a list of all the colossi and their size modifications (if they were modified):
- Minotaur A - 1.0 (No modification).
- Mammoth - 1.0 (No modification).
- Knight - 1.0 (No modification).
- Kirin - 1.5 (Size increased in-game by 50%. The original model size matches the early sketches of it).
- Bird - 0.5 (Size decreased in-game by 50%).
- Minotaur B - 1.25 (Size increased in-game by 25%).
- Eel - 0.45 (Size decreased in-game by 55%).
- Yamori B - 0.25 (Size decreased in-game by 75%).
- Kame - 1.0 (No modification).
- Narga - 1.0 (No modification).
- Leo - 1.0 (No modificiation).
- Poseidon - 1.0 (No modification).
- Snake - 0.85 (Size decreased in-game by 15%).
- Cerberus - 1.0 (No modification).
- Minotaur C - 1.175 (Size increased in-game by 17.5%).
- Evis - 2.0 (Size increased in-game by 100%. The original model size matches the early sketches of it).
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 |