You’re riding across a bridge that feels like it’s a thousand miles long. There is no music. No side quests. No NPCs waiting to tell you about their lost chickens. Just the rhythmic clop-clop-clop of Agro’s hooves against stone. It’s haunting. Honestly, Shadow of the Colossus on PS4 shouldn't work by modern standards, yet it’s probably the most important remake Sony ever published. Bluepoint Games didn't just slap a new coat of paint on a 2005 PS2 classic; they rebuilt the entire thing from the ground up to make sure that sense of isolation felt heavy, tangible, and heartbreaking.
Most games try to fill every second of your time with "content." This game does the opposite. It gives you a sword, a horse, and sixteen giants to kill. That’s it. But in that emptiness, you find something that most $100 million blockbusters miss: a soul.
The Bluepoint Magic: More Than Just Pixels
Bluepoint Games has this weird, specific reputation for being the masters of the remake. Before they tackled Demon's Souls, they spent years obsessing over every blade of grass in the Forbidden Lands. When you play Shadow of the Colossus on PS4, the first thing you notice isn't the resolution—it's the lighting. The way the sun filters through the trees in the forest before the sixth colossus, or the way the sand kicks up in the desert. It feels real.
The original PS2 version ran at what, 20 frames per second if you were lucky? It was a cinematic slideshow. On the PS4, and especially the PS4 Pro, it hits a buttery 60 FPS in performance mode. That smoothness actually changes the gameplay. When you’re hanging onto Gaius’s stone arm as he swings it through the air, the fluid motion makes the scale feel even more terrifying. You aren't just fighting a boss; you’re fighting physics.
The developers used the original code for the colossi logic. This means the giants move exactly as they did in 2005, but they look like they belong in 2026. Their fur—which is basically your climbing wall—reacts to the wind and your grip. It’s gross and beautiful all at once.
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Why the Gameplay Loop Still Divides People
Let's be real: some people hate this game. I get it. You spend 15 minutes riding through a wasteland where literally nothing happens. Then you find a boss, spend 20 minutes trying to figure out how to climb it, and then you kill it. Then you’re warped back to the start. Wash, rinse, repeat.
But that’s the point.
The game is a tragedy. Every time Wander kills a colossus, he looks worse. He gets paler. Dark energy veins start popping out. The "victory" music isn't triumphant; it's somber and mournful. You aren't a hero. You’re a kid who made a deal with a literal voice in the dark (Dormin) to save a girl named Mono, and you’re destroying ancient, neutral wonders of the world to do it.
The Control Scheme Struggle
If you’ve played the PS4 version, you know the controls are... polarizing. Bluepoint added a "Modern" control scheme, which maps the jump button to X instead of Triangle. Thank god. But Wander still feels "heavy." He stumbles. He trips over his own feet. Some critics at the time of the remake's release said it felt dated. I’d argue it’s intentional. Wander isn't Kratos. He’s a desperate boy who doesn't know how to fight. If he handled like a refined assassin, the stakes would vanish. You’re supposed to feel like you’re barely hanging on by your fingernails.
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The Secret Everyone Was Looking For
For over a decade, fans of the original game searched for a "17th Colossus." They looked in every corner of the map. They tried to glitch through walls. When the PS4 version was announced, the community went into a frenzy. Did Bluepoint add a new boss?
The answer was no... and yes.
Instead of a new boss, they added a massive scavenger hunt. There are 79 gold coins (Enlightenments) scattered across the map. If you find them all—which is a massive pain, honestly—you unlock a secret door under the main temple. Inside? The Sword of Dormin. It’s a cool nod to the "Team Ico" fanbase and a way to reward people for actually exploring that massive, empty world. It doesn't change the story, but it’s a legendary piece of fanservice.
Technical Nuance: PS4 vs. PS4 Pro
If you’re playing this on a base PS4, you’re getting 1080p at a mostly steady 30 FPS. It’s fine. It looks great. But Shadow of the Colossus on PS4 Pro is where the game actually shines. You get two choices:
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- Cinematic Mode: Native 4K at 30 FPS.
- Performance Mode: 1080p at 60 FPS.
Even years later, the 60 FPS mode is the way to go. The sense of speed when you’re riding Agro across the plains is night and day. Plus, the HDR implementation is some of the best on the platform. The contrast between the dark, damp caves and the blinding sunlight when you emerge is enough to make you squint in real life.
The Ethical Dilemma of the Colossi
Each colossus is a puzzle. Take Avion, the fifth one. He’s a giant bird perched on a pillar in the middle of a lake. You have to shoot him with an arrow to get his attention, then jump onto his fur as he swoops down. Suddenly, you're hundreds of feet in the air, the wind is roaring, and the music—Kow Otani’s legendary score—swells into this epic orchestral masterpiece.
And then you kill him. He falls into the water with a pathetic thud. The music cuts out. Silence.
You start to realize that these creatures weren't doing anything to anyone. They were just existing. The PS4 remake handles these deaths with a lot of visual weight. The way the black ink-like blood sprays out and the way the colossi collapse feels more visceral with the updated graphics. It makes the guilt hit harder.
Actionable Steps for New Players
If you're picking this up for the first time, don't play it like a standard open-world game. You'll burn out.
- Turn off the HUD: Go into the settings and minimize the UI. You don't need a mini-map. Use your sword’s light to guide you. It makes the experience much more immersive.
- Don't skip the lizards: You'll see small lizards with glowing tails at save points. Kill them (or shoot their tails). They increase your stamina. You’re going to need a lot of it for the final three colossi.
- Eat the fruit: Look for trees with hanging fruit and shoot them down. This increases your health bar.
- Use the Photo Mode: Seriously. Bluepoint’s photo mode is incredible. You can change filters, focal lengths, and even play the entire game with a specific "look" (like a grainy black-and-white film).
- Play with headphones: The sound design is subtle. You can hear the wind whistling through the cracks in the stone and the way Wander’s breathing changes when his stamina is low.
Shadow of the Colossus on PS4 remains a weird, beautiful anomaly. It’s a game about nothing and everything at the same time. It’s about the cost of love and the selfishness of grief. Even if you aren't into "boss rush" games, you owe it to yourself to experience the atmosphere at least once. Just be prepared to feel a little bit like a monster by the time the credits roll.