SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS GAMEPLAY

Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as Wander and the Colossus (ワンダと巨像 Wanda to Kyozō?),[1] is an action-adventure video game developed by SCE Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and in PAL territories in February 2006.[2] It was directed by Fumito Ueda and developed by International Production Studio 1, also known as Team Ico; the same development team as Ico.[3][4]

The game's plot focuses on a young man named Wander, who must travel through a forbidden land with the objective of defeating sixteen creatures, known simply as "Colossi",[5] in order to restore the life of a girl named Mono. The game is unusual within the action-adventure genre in that there are no towns and dungeons to explore. There are also no characters to interact with and no enemies other than Colossi to defeat.[6][7] Shadow of the Colossus has been described as a puzzle game, as each Colossus' weakness must be identified and exploited in order for it to be defeated.[8][9]

Shadow of the Colossus is regarded as an influential title in the video game industry and an example of a video game as an art form due to its minimalist landscape, immersive gameplay and emotional journey. It received critical acclaim and achieved good sales figures compared to Ico, due in part to a larger publicity campaign. Its soundtrack was also widely praised. The game has won numerous awards for its audio, design, and overall quality. Shadow of the Colossus is also referenced numerous times in debates about the art quality and emotional perspectives of video games.[10] Today, it is widely regarded as one of the best video games of all time.