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Shadow of the Colossus was planned to have a much happier ending during development, however, it was scrapped as the team felt when dealing with the topic of resurrection, a happy ending couldn't be possible. It was then changed to the current ending, which most of the staff were satisfied with.

The ending was originally alluded to in a Famitsu interview, and was lated described in the official guidebook. In 2023, its storyboards were made public in the The World of Fumito Ueda artbook. The early ending was known in these storyboards as ED 0.6, while the final ending is known as ED 1.0.

Famitsu Interview[]

A Famitsu interview has Fumito Ueda explain some elements of the game's story as well as the reasoning behind not including a happier ending. Below is a snippet of it translated:

Ueda: "After defeating a colossus, a black band-like object pierces Wander, right? In that case, you can control Wander, but you can't change the fact that the black belt sticks into him. I have been saying in various places that the end is the same. It is the fact that it cannot be reversed that makes it sad. I had storyboarded a happy ending, but I felt it was too opportunistic. I felt that there could be no happy ending when dealing with the taboo subject of reanimation. On the contrary, I don't think there could be a happier ending than that. I was also thinking of changing the ending if you have the save data of "ICO". I still think there are parts of the ending that I wish I had done differently. ...... Sometimes I wonder if the ending would have been different without "ICO". In a sense, I may have been tied to "ICO" in some ways (laughs). But there were many people on the team who said that the current ending was better."

Famitsu: "I would like to ask you about the voice that plays after the colossus is defeated."

Ueda: That is the voice of the girl. We didn't play subtitles, but there is an exact line in the setting. It is an appeal to Wander to stop what he is doing.

Official Guidebook[]

The game's official guidebook has Fumito Ueda describe the alternate ending. Below is the entirety of it translated:

"The voice of a girl that can be heard after defeating the colossus, she says something that seems to hold Wander back. At first, it's just her breathing, but as the girl regains consciousness, she starts speaking to Wander. From the black band that pierces Wander's body after defeating the colossus, there's no escape. This fact cannot be changed, and it's sad. Actually, I had thought of a happier ending. However, considering the use of resurrection in the story, a happy ending seemed unlikely. I also considered that the ending would change slightly if there was a save data from "ICO," but I decided against it. Another idea was that the girl would be the one to come back to life first. While Emon and the others were torturing Wander, the girl would be revived through the use of resurrection, becoming something beyond human, and her body would glow. One of the guards would try to kill her with a sword, but it would be deflected and the sword would end up stuck in the ground. Emon and the others would panic and escape, sealing this land once again, leaving Wander and the girl to live together. Originally, Wander was supposed to undergo significant transformations each time he defeated a colossus, and in the end, I wanted it to be like "Beauty and the Beast." The awakened girl still couldn't see, so she would search for Wander blindly. However, Wander's appearance would have changed.

The staff roll begins as they ride off together on Agro, with birds flying and Agro coming out of the shrine's exit. Then, they both come out supporting each other. Wander's sacrifice is his transformed appearance, which cannot be undone. In the early stages of production, Wander had horns on his head, which is a remnant of that. Now, looking back, there are parts that could have been better for the ending. If "ICO" didn't exist, the ending might have been different, but in the end, many in the team thought the current ending was good. In the staff roll, the remains of the colossi are shown one by one, and I wanted to include flashback scenes there. When the girl touches Agro, Agro's memories would flow into her, and she would understand. Since Agro's leg was broken, it's possible that she couldn't bear her weight and die. But surviving with just one injured leg after falling from such a place is a miracle, isn't it? Furthermore, the ending continues from the opening. Birds fly in the sky, the weather turns into thunder, and then the moon appears, returning to the first scene. The ancient land is unsealed by Wander's arrival, and time starts moving again."

Storyboards[]

The World of Fumito Ueda artbook has storyboards of the entire alternate ending. They are all below. Translations will come at a later point in time. Pages 1 through 6 are used in the final ending. However, from page 8 onwards the ending differs heavily: In the page 8 of the final ending one of the guards stabs Wander with the Ancient Sword, while in the early ending's page 8 he is saved by Mono instead, leading to a completely different outcome.

Page 1[]

ED0.6Page1Glimpse

Page missing from the artbook, but can be glimpsed in the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection booklet, containing the scene of Emon and his guards arriving at the Shrine of Worship.

Page 2[]

END0.6Page2


Page 3[]

END0.6Page3


Page 4[]

END0.6Page4


Page 5[]

END0.6Page5


Page 6[]

END0.6Page6


Page 7[]

END0.6Page7


Page 8[]

AltEnding1


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Intense light emanates from the heroine.

The shaman is blown away by the force of the light.

A pattern begins to cover the heroine's body.

The shaman who fell down stares at the heroine with a surprised expression.

The shaman rushes to get up.

Page 9[]

AltEnding2


The heroine emits blinding light and wind, captivating Guard I.

Camera rises.

The protagonist also gazes at the heroine.

The clouds are seen flowing rapidly through the skylight.

The panicked shaman is in disarray, flustered and unsure.

The shaman tries to escape from the scene while uttering the sealing command.

Page 10[]

AltEnding3


Orders the guard to attack the heroine with a spinning backwards gesture.

The guard slowly approaches the heroine.

Pan up.

The guard aims for the heroine's neck and prepares the sword.

The guard thrusts the sword with great momentum.

Shrugging movement → The heroine awakens and it is repelled by a barrier-like thing similar to the one used by the woman in ICO.

Page 11[]

AltEnding4


Guard 1, who lost his sword, grimaces in pain after receiving a shock to the hand.

Backs up to where the protagonist is.

Sword drops in front of the camera.

Fearful guard.

Fleeing guards.

The heroine continues to glow.

Page 12[]

AltEnding5


Eyelids move (they do not open).

The heroine slowly gets up.

A face that looks dazzled.

Explores the top of the pedestal by feeling around (unable to see).

Finds the edge of the pedestal and cautiously pushes her foot forward.

Opens her eyes slightly.

Page 13[]

AltEnding6


Heroine's perspective (glowing) - buffer blur.

Gets off the pedestal. Protagonist in the background of the screen.

Protagonist is unaware. Some of the shadows are watching the heroine. ???

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Page 14[]

AltEnding7


Page 15[]

AltEnding8


Page 16[]

AltEnding9


Page 17[]

AltEnding10


Page 18[]

AltEnding11


Page 19[]

AltEnding12


Page 20[]

AltEnding13


Page 21[]

AltEnding14


-

Close-up of the bosses' faces? Continuous flashback.

Blinks briefly.

The heroine retreats in fear.

-

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Pages 22 - 23[]

Not found in the artbook, but they likely contain the scene with Emon riding away while the bridge starts collapsing, like the final version.

Page 24[]

AltEnding15


Page 25[]

AltEnding16


Page 26[]

AltEnding17


Page 27[]

AltEnding18


-

-

-

Pan up.

Atrium Frame-in.

-

Page 28[]

Missing.

Page 29[]

AltEnding19


Page 30[]

Missing.

Page 31[]

AltEnding20


Followed by the silhouette of two people.

???

Light shines on the silhouettes. ???

-

The protagonist looks up.

Bird crossing the camera → cut transition (wipe). Small glimpse at the heroine. (???)

Page 32[]

AltEnding21


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-

-

-

Crossfade with weather change, the position of the bird also slightly varies.

-

Page 33[]

AltEnding22


Darkness.

???

Changing direction and descending.

Closest to the surface of the earth.

Camera approaches the shadow.

Horse with two riders (zoom).

Page 34[]

AltEnding23


Camera overtakes the horse, framing the horizon.

END

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SotCFullTemplate
The Game Shadow of the Colossus ( Demo  · Pal Release  · Shadow of the Colossus HD  · PS4)
Characters Wander  · Agro  · Mono  · Dormin  · Lord Emon  · Guards  · Shadows
The Colossi I  · II  · III  · IV  · V · VI  · VII  · VIII  · IX  · X  · XI  · XII  · XIII  · XIV  · XV  · XVI
Unused Colossi ( Devil  · Evis  · Griffin  · Phoenix  · Roc  · Saru  · Sirius  · Spider  · Worm  · Yamori A  · Buffalo  · Quetzalcoatl)
Magic Sigil  · Hard Mode
Colossus Arenas Temple  · Proto  · Arena  · Kirin's Hill  · Canyon · Canossa  · Lakeside  · Underground  · Geyser  · Gravewind  · Leo's Cave  · Poseidon's Lake  · Desert  · Ruins  · Parthenon  · Sanctuary
Unused Arenas ( Badlands  · Cave  · Crater  · Devil's Plain  · Dune  · Hillock  · I1  · Labyrinth  · Sluice  · Stonehenge  · Valley )
The Forbidden Lands Shadow creaturesSave shrinesFruit treesWhite-tailed lizards

The Shrine of Worship
Umbral GladeStone Arch GorgeDried MarshNorthern SpanDesert FortressMisty FallsRavine EntranceHalf-moon CanyonWestern PlainRound Stone HillLair to the WestStone Bridge CliffCliff PathLair on the MesaWestern CapeArch Bridge PlainBlasted LandsAutumn ForestEastern BluffValley PlainSouthwestern CapeSouthern PlainGreen CapeThe Broken Seal

Soundtrack Roar of the Earth
Walkthrough Time AttackGolden Coins
Other media Nico  · Official artbook/guidebook  · Collectible figurines  · Film adaptation
Giantology campaign
Hoaxes Jebal-Barez skeletonTamil Nadu tsunami giantSulu Sea eel statuePolarneft conspiracySayre family vacation
Characters Eric BelsonCasper ShillingEd GuylerArkady SimkinBoris AtlasovAndrew and Ellie Sayre
Media Giantology podcasts (FirstInterview with Arkady SimkinThirdFourth) • IPICP memo
SotC Template CoverLogov2 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
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