12 Most Epic Character Introductions In Gaming History

8. Wander (Shadow Of The Colossus)

Team Ico had quite the challenge character-wise when working on their artful masterpiece Shadow of the Colossus: the protagonist, Wander, is mostly mute, though given his rather simple motivation throughout the game (to kill all 16 colossi in order to resurrect the maiden Mono), they were able to create an interesting character by immersing him in some gorgeous surroundings, and composing the visuals in an extremely cinematic manner, to the point that even Roger Ebert, who opposed the notion of video games being art, had to confess that the game came as close as he considered possible so far. The game opens with a beautiful shot of an eagle soaring over this mysterious land, with Kow Otani's ethereal score adding a chilling mood to it all. The eagle swoops past Wander on his horse, Agro, venturing along a cliff edge, before he passes through a forest, a rain-soaked valley, and finally to some ruins, which lead to a giant bridge (pictured above), allowing for a wonderfully expansive view of the surrounding area. We pan out and the game's title screen displays. Wander didn't have to say a single word, but we know from his journey already that it's going to be an epic, visually astonishing adventure like nothing we've ever seen, and that it certainly was.