Shadow of the Colossus
‘Jack and the giants’ with added Satanism is back in 4K… but is that enough to tempt you into the forbidden land once again?
It might not come with a photograph and a tacky badge, but Shadow of the Colossus still ranks as one of the more questionable remakes of this console generation. First released on Playstation 2, this cult favourite was then upgraded to HD for the PS3 and has now been buffed up all over again with 4K resolution and HDR. It’s easily the best-looking edition of what was already an awe-inspiring game. But unless you’ve got a PS4 Pro, reacquainting yourself with all its heartache isn’t really necessary.
Skipped out on Shadow until now? It’s a simple story to get your head around. Your girlfriend is dead and to revive her you must trek across a vast and barren land, killing the 16 monumental beasts that inhabit it. Somewhere between slaying your first and last achingly grandiose Colossus, you’ll probably realise you’re not the good guy in this story. But, hey ho, these monsters ain’t gonna top themselves.
Such a touching, thoughtful parable did a huge amount to change perceptions of what a game could be back in 2005, and even now few indie-minded titles can match Shadow for sheer scale. Dwarfed by everything in a sparse, indifferent world, there’s plenty to admire in the game’s epic ambition – even though its awkward controls, occasionally nightmarish camera and repetitive boss fights remain.
Basically, everything that made Shadow both rapturously lauded and somewhat divisive is still in place with this remaster. If anything, that’s a credit to the job developer Bluepoint has done dragging Team Ico’s original into the present day with a stunning array of fresh lighting, textures and effects that bring an old game to life all over again.
Only Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Gran Turismo Sport come close to competing with what is a technical tour de force on Sony’s 4K console. Beneath that glorious sheen, the wizened hallmarks of an ageing classic remain very much intact. Rob Leedham