9 Reasons Why Shadow Of The Colossus Is A Video Game Masterpiece

8. Tense And Intuitive Gameplay

Revolving around a central grip meter, the game uses this to gauge how much time you have left to cling to the Colossus before you lose your grip and fall. This can create some of the tensest experiences you will have, as you try to gauge whether you have enough grip to reach that final weak spot and finish the battle, or whether you should retreat to a portion of the Colossus to lick your wounds and try again.

Not to mention, you must use you own intuition to figure out how to get onto the beasts in the first place. By using your surroundings and reading the Colossi, you must find an opening and instinctively go for it.

While clinging to a giant creature hell-bent on flinging you from its body is exhilarating, the game juxtaposes them directly with long treks on the back of your horse as you hunt down the Colossi in the first place. Not only do these quieter, more sombre and reflective rides break up gameplay, but they introduce you to the barren empty world, giving you a sense of how epic and brilliant the Colossi are after you stumble onto one of them.

While sometimes frustrating, the pace is unique and challenging, forcing you to think on your toes and snap decisions on what your next move is. The game perfectly executes the dichotomy of the two portions of gameplay; the tense and high-powered fights serving to accentuate the quiet and sombre moments, and vice versa.