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

5. Smart Sound Design

Another integral aspect of a great game is the sound design. The choice of music and sounds are what make or break the key moments of the game. Poor choices when it comes to sound design can skew the entire game and make it a mess. Shadow of the Colossus however, gets the sound design perfect.

The tense and exciting bouts with the Colossi are back by rousing epic music as you clamber across their body. As you scurry across the ground, the sound focusses more on the looming threat, sounding more claustrophobic as it tries to make you feel threatened. But as you get onto the Colossus, it picks up, that epic sense of climbing atop the mighty beast only accentuated by the rousing music.

And after the Colossus falls, a more sombre tone. This sombre sense is repeated in the large explorative portions of the game as you ride through the desolate landscape. A conscious choice was made to have no music and very little sound. Only the slight whistling of the wind can be heard, driving home that sense of isolation and loneliness, serving to emphasise the dichotomy of the two contrasting gameplay portions.

Some of the music within the game is the most memorable pieces and really sell the first time you took on a colossus. Everything in the game is there to make those encounters truly remarkable and memorable and the music really sells it.