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

4. A Lesson In Subtlety

A frustrating trope of modern games is that the concept of subtlety can be lost on a lot of the larger more mainstream titles. Which is a major annoyance when it often appears that developers don’t trust players to pick up on the smaller, more subtle points, often hammering them over the head in a vain attempt to ensure the player understands. However, subtlety apparent in Shadow of the Colossus and used expertly.

The game makes a point never to reveal too much and allow the player to piece the story together themselves through little hints and design choices. Instead of having a cut-scene where the main character remarks on their corrupted state, Team ICO simple give the slight visual hints. The slow corruption of the player model alongside the mysterious black poison and black shades that appear after every colossus and at the beginning of the hunt for the next.

Where other developers might have made that increasingly apparent, Team ICO trust the player to at least pick up on these hints and be enriched for doing so. That sense of figuring it out and noticing it yourself can really draw you into the experience.

And there are a multitude of other small little details that are the subtle little differences that players can pick up on. The story itself is very sparse and is only truly revealed towards the end. And even then, the events that transpire only really reveal tiny details.

Overall, I just wish that game developers can trust in their players to put the smaller clues together themselves and if not, they can be enriched for noticing them on a second playthrough. Making sure they player sees everything and notices everything crucial can feel almost like pity.