You know that feeling. The wind is whipping across a desolate plain, your horse’s hooves are rhythmic against the dirt, and suddenly, the earth shakes. It isn’t just a boss fight. It’s a tragedy in motion. When we talk about Shadow of the Colossus all colossi, we aren't just listing enemies in a video game; we are cataloging sixteen distinct, heartbreaking encounters that redefined what "scale" means in digital art. Team ICO didn't give us a traditional RPG. They gave us a funeral march.
Honest truth? Most games make you feel like a hero for killing the big bad. Here, every time a colossus falls and those black tendrils pierce Wander’s chest, you feel like a piece of your soul just evaporated. It’s a lonely experience. No towns, no NPCs, just you, Agro, and these magnificent, moss-covered mountains of flesh and stone that mostly just want to be left alone.
The Architecture of the Giants
The variety among the sixteen colossi is staggering. Fumito Ueda and his team didn't just scale up character models. They built levels that happen to be alive. Take Valus, the first one. He’s the tutorial, basically. But even he feels gargantuan because of the way the camera pans up, making you feel like an ant. You're grabbing onto fur, stabbing a sigil, and watching this ancient thing stumble. It's crude. It's violent.
Then the game throws a curveball. You find Quadratus in a seaside cave. Or Gaius, the Knight, who requires you to use his own armor against him to reach his head. If you’ve ever stood on that circular platform in the sky, looking up at Gaius’s sword-arm, you know the literal vertigo this game induces. It isn't just about "hitting the weak spot." It’s about the struggle to even stay on. The stamina circle is your lifeline. It blinks, it drains, and your palms get sweaty because one slip means a long, punishing walk back up.
Water and Air: Breaking the Pattern
Not all of them walk. Some of the most memorable encounters in the hunt for Shadow of the Colossus all colossi happen when the ground disappears. Hydrus, the electric eel in the lake, is pure nightmare fuel for anyone with even a slight case of thalassophobia. You’re swimming in murky water, seeing those glowing spikes approach from the depths, and you realize you aren't the hunter—you’re bait.
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And Phalanx. Man, Phalanx is something else. This massive sand-serpent doesn't even fight back. It just drifts through the desert air, beautiful and indifferent. You have to chase it on Agro, jumping from your horse onto its shifting fins. It’s the peak of the game's cinematic ambition. Killing Phalanx feels less like a victory and more like an act of environmental vandalism. It’s beautiful, and you destroyed it for a selfish goal.
The Mechanical Weirdness of the Mid-Game
The game gets experimental in the middle. You’ve got the smaller, aggressive ones like Celosia and Cenobia. They aren't tall; they’re fast. They’re basically angry stone bulldogs that will stunlock you into oblivion if you aren't careful. These fights shift the tone from "climbing a mountain" to "surviving a bullring." You have to use the environment—pillars, fire, crumbling ruins—to crack their shells.
Wait, let's talk about Kuromori, the wall-scaler. This lizard in the colosseum is one of the few that uses projectile attacks. It’s a puzzle. You have to lure it up the walls, then shoot its legs to make it belly-flop to the floor. It’s frantic. It’s claustrophobic. It’s a sharp contrast to the wide-open spaces of the Forbidden Lands.
- Argus (the 15th) is a gatekeeper that requires genuine platforming skill.
- Malus (the 16th) isn't even a creature anymore; he’s a literal tower that shoots lightning.
- Basaran is the turtle-like beast that makes everyone frustrated because getting him over the geysers is a nightmare of AI pathfinding.
Why the Order Matters
The progression of Shadow of the Colossus all colossi is a descent. Wander’s physical appearance changes. He gets paler. His hair darkens. The shadows he absorbs after each kill are literally poisoning him. By the time you reach the final stretch, the "heroic" music has mostly faded, replaced by somber strings and the sound of your own heavy breathing.
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The game forces a specific perspective. You are the villain of someone else’s story. These creatures were the seals holding back Dormin, a primordial entity. Each time you "win," the world gets a little darker. It’s a brilliant subversion of the boss-rush genre. You aren't getting stronger; you're getting more desperate.
The Technical Magic of 2005 (and 2018)
We have to acknowledge the technical wizardry here. On the original PS2, this game was chugging at 15 frames per second, but it didn't matter. The inverse kinematics—the way Wander’s feet actually stick to the uneven surfaces of the colossi—was decades ahead of its time. Bluepoint’s 2018 remake polished the visuals to a mirror sheen, but the soul remained the same. The fur tech? Incredible. The way the wind affects your cape while you're hanging 200 feet in the air? Unmatched.
Some people complain about the controls. They say they're "clunky." Honestly? They're supposed to be. Wander is a kid swinging a sword he can barely lift. He’s not a ninja. He’s a desperate person. The clunkiness adds to the tension. If it were as smooth as Devil May Cry, the sense of scale would vanish. You need to feel the weight.
Practical Insights for the Modern Shadow Hunter
If you are going back to tackle Shadow of the Colossus all colossi today, whether on a retro setup or the PS4/PS5 remake, there are things you’ll miss if you just rush the sigils.
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Don't ignore the lizards. See those shrines? Look for the lizards with glowing tails. Eating them increases your stamina. In a game where the primary mechanic is "don't let go," stamina is more important than health. You can also find fruit in the trees to bump your health bar, though that's less critical unless you're playing on Hard Mode where one stomp from a colossus will send you to the game-over screen.
Learn the "Jump Stab." Most players just hold the attack button and let go. If you jump and mid-air strike the sigil, you can sometimes deal massive damage in a single blow, skipping entire cycles of the fight. This is essential for the Time Attack trials, which unlock the cool stuff like the Whistling Arrow or the Flash Arrow.
Respect the horse. Agro is your only friend. In fights like Dirge (the sand snake with the terrifying eyes), Agro is literally your legs. If you try to run on foot, you’re dead. Learning how to steer Agro while looking backward to aim your bow is a skill that takes practice, but it's the most rewarding part of the game's mechanical depth.
The Lasting Impact
Shadow of the Colossus is a lonely masterpiece. It doesn't give you a map full of icons. It gives you a sword that reflects light and tells you to go find your own way. By the time the credits roll, you've seen sixteen wonders of the world, and you've systematically destroyed every single one of them. It’s a haunting reminder that some things are meant to be admired, not conquered.
To truly master the experience, focus on the following steps:
- Engage with Time Attack Mode: After beating the game once, go back to the statues in the temple. Beating the colossi under time limits unlocks items like the "Cloak of Deception" or the "Queen's Sword" (from ICO), which change how the game feels.
- Explore the Map Edges: There are no "secrets" that change the ending, but finding the secret garden at the top of the shrine (requires massive stamina) is a rite of passage for every fan.
- Use the Photo Mode: Especially in the remake. The lighting on Avion (the bird) as you soar over the lake is one of the most beautiful sights in gaming history.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: Kohei Tanaka’s score is half the experience. "The Opened Way" is a classic, but "Revived Power" is what makes your blood pump when you finally land on a colossus's back.
The game is a cycle of grief, scale, and silence. It’s a reminder that in the world of video games, sometimes less is infinitely more.