PS4 Review: Shadow of the Colossus

Colossi see what you did there…

Tales speak of an ancient realm where Colossi roam the majestic landscape. Bound to the land, these creatures hold a key to a mystical power of revival – a power you must obtain to bring a loved one back to life.

Shadow of the Colossus is a masterpiece and one that has easily stood the test of time along with ICO. So thinking of a version remade from the ground up was always going to be tough to live up to, but Bluepoint Games have had good experience in this field before, so maybe they could meet the expectations of fans?

First, I have to say this remake is truly stunning on PS4 Pro. It pushes the hardware to it’s limits and maintains a steady framerate throughout, all while looking breath-taking. Just looking at comparison screenshots from the 3 different versions and you can see just how much detail has gone into this remake. What makes Shadow of the Colossus stand out is the scale of the sad, yet beautiful Colossi and the immense ruins you come across and the attention to both in this remake is nothing short of remarkable.

The game may be made from scratch, but it is very much faithful to the original version and even adds a few extra collectables that weren’t in the original game. If, however, you weren’t a fan of the original game or PS3 HD remaster then chances are that this remake won’t sway you as much as you would hope. The controls and camera are still very much like the original, for better or worse.

Despite that, if you can just give it a chance then there’s an incredible game to be found here. Veterans of the game can rush through the game in a few hours, while newcomers may take a bit longer and gaining the Platinum trophy will obviously take a while longer.

The Verdict

Bluepoint Games’ remake of Shadow of the Colossus is a masterpiece that will please fans of the original and is well worth a go if you missed out on it before. It’s breath-takingly epic from start to finish and despite some control and camera issues, is still one of the best games out there.

Score: 9.0