Shadow of the Colossus Ranked

 

Hello everyone!

Today I will be ranking the colossi from the game Shadow of the Colossus based on design and fight criteria. Shadow of the Colossus is a video game created by Team Ico originally released for the PlayStation 2. It had a remaster for the PlayStation 3 and 4-I’ll be ranking based on the PlayStation 4 remaster.

The game is about Wander, a boy who ventures to the Forbidden Lands to bring a girl named Mono back to life. He must defeat 16 colossi to do so.

As stated before, the ranking is based on design criteria and fight criteria. Design will be ranked by the colossus’s individuality and uniqueness compared to other colossi (Uniqueness), the arena design (Arena), and the elements that went into the colossus’s design (Elements). Uniqueness and Elements will be ranked on a 1-5 scale with 5 being the best. Arena will be ranked on a 1-10 scale with 10 being the best.

Fight is ranked by the colossus’s in-game introduction (Intro), the fight difficulty level (Difficulty), and by how entertaining or how fun the fight itself was (Entertainment). Intro is ranked on a 1-5 scale with 5 being the best. Difficulty is ranked as Easy, Mild, Somewhat Difficult, or Hard. Entertainment is ranked as Not Entertaining, Somewhat Entertaining, Entertaining, or Highly Entertaining.

We will be reviewing each colossus in the order it appears in-game. With that out of the way, let’s get on to the ranking!

1. Valus

Design

• Uniqueness: 2/5

Compared to the other colossi, Valus isn’t particularly unique as a creature. He, Barba, and Argus are all listed in the game’s design notes as “minotaurs”, a blatant statement that he is of similar design. He is a very basic design with not much that distinguishes him from other colossi that are a more detailed variation.

• Arena: 4/10

The arena that Valus inhabits is nothing special, but the bits of shrubbery and valley area gives it a quaint feeling. It serves its purpose as an introductory layout while still having some details to keep it from being boring.

• Elements: 3/5

While Valus isn’t particularly unique, the building elements incorporated in his design are interesting and make him look like more than a lumbering beast. Although some dislike the feature for only being there to progress the player, it adds a layer of mystery and intrigue about the colossus. It sparks the question of where the colossus comes from and how a living creature became one with the stone.

Fight

• Intro: 3/5

For the first colossus of the game, the introduction serves its purpose. It introduces you to a large, thundering beast that could squash you like an ant if you’re not careful. The ground shakes and you hear the rumbling steps, demonstrating the size of the massive beast.

• Difficulty: Easy

As the first fight it is meant to be a tutorial, and even then, it’s still an easy fight to complete. The game guides you through killing him.

• Entertainment: Somewhat Entertaining

Since it’s the first battle, it teaches you how to play, but also gets you excited for what else you might face. It makes you wonder what the others could possibly look like and gets you pumped.

 

2. Quadratus

 

Design

• Uniqueness: 4/5

Although it is one of many quadrepedic colossi, Quadratus manages to stick out from the others in terms of size, design simplicity and its distinct shape. It does share some features with other colossi, such as the bull-like horns with Pelagia and Celosia, and the weak spots on its feet with Basaran and Kuromori, but overall, it has enough variation in how the traits are displayed to be easily recognizable.

• Arena: 4.5/10

As a whole, the colossus’s arena isn’t super impressive, but it has several smaller details that make it nice. The shoreside design probably wasn’t the best for a large mammoth-like bull but by itself its a decent work of scenery. The large cliffs and the bridge pillars make the player feel small and add a bit of depth to what could have been an open expanse.

• Elements: 2.5/5

The colossus has a nice simplistic design, with a few cool elements, but there wasn’t much incorporated into the design. There are some stonework details and scaling in the skin, like that of an elephant, but there were no major elements besides the horns that stuck out.

Fight

• Intro: 4/5

Seeing as Quadratus literally busts through a wall as an entrance, it’s really no wonder that he has a high intro. Debris comes crashing down as the colossus plows through the wall with minimal effort, revealing a new, more animalistic colossus while letting you see just how much power it has.

• Difficulty: Mild

The player has to shoot the bottom of the colossus’s feet to get up his body this time, making it a little harder to get the battle really started. It also has an extra weak spot sigil, meaning that the player has to stab both ends of the colossus and avoid falling off to win.

• Entertainment: Entertaining

The colossus is big, kind of scary, and a much different fight dynamic. This colossus can’t hit you with a weapon, but he can certainly crush you under his massive hooves.

 

3. Gaius

Design

• Uniqueness: 4.5/5

Gaius is easily recognizable amongst the colossi, even earning a spot as the poster colossus for the PS4 remaster of the game. His design is a fantastic blend of stone, skin, and fur, and is a breath-taking opponent. After two animalistic colossi, his appearance alone changes the battle dynamic by taking on the guise as a human-like rival. Malus also has a human-like appearance, but Gaius’s mobility and sword engage the player in a very different style of battle.

• Arena: 8.5/10

The arena is a literal floating arena. It’s described in-game as a floating canopy, which is on a lake. The view of the rest of the world adds to the otherworldly feeling of the platform. It has the isolation of a real gladiator arena, while providing the player with the whole world as the audience, literally.

• Elements: 5/5

The way Gaius’s design incorporates the earth with flesh and fur is nearly seamless. In his dormant stage, Gaius looks like a pile of ruins. However, when he stands up, his towering height and power are displayed. The stonework makes up the armor for him as well as a massive sword arm, creating a spectacular design.

Fight

• Intro: 3/5

Although he only sits up, Gaius’s simple reveal makes you quickly realize how tall he is. This new foe isn’t just another beast-this is a rival. The human-like figure makes him seem like more of a threat, and his reach is a lot greater than the other two colossi.  That sword arm is looking pretty threatening all of a sudden, isn’t it?

• Difficulty: Somewhat Difficult

Getting the colossus to move where you need him to is not an easy task. The player needs to break the armor on the colossus by tricking it into hitting a large metal disk in the center of the arena. Easier said than done…

• Entertainment: Entertaining

Gaius is a fantastic colossus and the fight is exhilarating. He’s tougher than the last two, but not impossible. Being able to fight something more humanoid gives the player a sense of diversity and rivalry with this massive warrior.

 

4. Phaedra

Design

• Uniqueness: 3.5/5

The colossus is fairly distinguishable on his own but shares enough similarities with other quadrupeds that it isn’t the most unique. The rib-like structures on his stomach are also seen with Pelagia, although Phaedra has a much slimmer and more skeletal design. The tassels on his face are a feature credited to only him, but Barba also has facial features that can be climbed.

• Arena: 9/10

The grassy plains and catacombs make for a mysterious and slightly eerie sight. The initial beauty is given a darker view when the player goes through the graves and catacombs in the middle of the field, provoking the question: what is the colossus guarding here?

• Elements: 3/5

While some of the features like the ribs and the tassels on the colossus are cool and add to the design, there weren’t very many elements to the colossus, making it a more simplistic design with a few areas of detail. The tassels themselves are very distinct elements, with accessories that resemble reign ornaments.

Fight

• Intro: 2.5/5

Phaedra literally just opens its eyes and stands. It’s not laying down, just sitting. The only intimidating thing is it’s cry when it awakes.

• Difficulty: Somewhat Difficult

Another case of luring the colossus, it’s difficult to get Phaedra to pay attention and go where you want him to go, making the fight harder than it needs to be.

• Entertainment: Not Entertaining

It’s what makes this colossus more difficult less entertaining. It feels more like trying to get a disobedient animal to go where you want it rather than an epic fight and it takes forever to get onto him.

 

5.  Avion

Design

• Uniqueness: 5/5

Avion is absolutely one of a kind in the game, despite being one of two flying colossi. His distinct bird design makes him very recognizable and very much his own colossus. His model very closely resembles the appearance of the archeopteryx, the first bird. The crest on his head is more pointed and triangular in comparison to the facial designs of other colossi, who are more square in shape.

• Arena: 7/10

The arena isn’t the only lake arena in the game, but it manages to separate itself with a variety of ruins, platforms and other structures in the water. There are also several fine details like brickwork, fences, and moss on the buildings to add to the design. When the player is riding Avion across the arena, it’s a landscape with a wide variety of structures to appreciate; when the player isn’t hanging on for dear life.

• Elements: 3.5/5

Simplistic in its design, most of Avion’s fine details were in the stone crest on his head, with some neat ridges along the tips of the wing and on his tail. The headpiece for the colossus had some nice layering and scary-looking points.

Fight

• Intro: 4/5

When you first approach the arena, you think you’re facing a water colossus until it pans up and you see the massive bird swoop overhead. It’s a fantastic entrance for a colossus that flies, a step up from the previous land colossi.

• Difficulty: Hard

The player is expected to fall off of Avion at least once, and it can be a hassle to get back on. Timing is so important with this colossus and it’s easy to fall off into the water.

• Entertainment: Highly Entertaining

This colossus is so different from the other’s you’ve faced and the view from his back is fantastic. The pace is much faster and the player feels the urge to work quickly. The difficulty makes it all the more rewarding when the player is able to pull off a crazy stunt to stay on the bird when it barrel rolls.

 

6. Barba

Design

• Uniqueness: 2.5/5

Compared to Valus and Argus, Barba isn’t that unique, however, among the other two minotaur-like colossi, Barba is the only one who doesn’t use a weapon and has a beard. The way his weak spot sigil is placed is slightly skewed to the left on his head, and not centered like the rest of the colossi. He is also the tallest of the minotaurs.

• Arena: 5.5/10

Barba’s arena is an underground temple. It’s good at inducing anxiety during the chase sequence of the fight, but it isn’t particularly spectacular in anything but height. There are several walls for the player to climb over, but they serve no real purpose beyond being obstacles. This also isn’t the only temple to be found in the game, and the others have traits that are much more impressive than the underground one. The outstanding height of the ceiling and large pillars are nice accent features, but overall, the arena is about the middle spectrum.

• Elements: 4/5

The elements incorporated in Barba’s design were subtle and clever, such as the placing of his sigil and the unique beard that no other colossus has. Barba is canonically stated to be intelligent, and his head sigil is position a little to the left rather than on the center of his head, as well as being slightly pointed to the left. The left side of the brain is responsible for cognitive thought and reasoning. The clever detailing gives this colossus a higher ranking in element design.

Fight

• Intro: 2.5/5

Barba also emerges from behind a wall, like Quadratus, but this one just comes down by itself and the colossus steps out. What makes it a decent intro is the sheer terror you feel when you realize just how close you are to the massive beast-and he has no problem trying to crush you.

• Difficulty: Easy

The fight is really just a matter of running away and climbing over the walls in front of you. Once you get to cover, you get the colossus to bed down and climb his beard. Once you get on him, it’s not hard to take him out.

• Entertainment: Somewhat Entertaining

It’s not the most entertaining thing, but the initial chase is good for giving the player anxiety from trying to escape.

 

7. Hydrus

Design

• Uniqueness: 3.5/5

There are two other serpentine colossi, but Hydrus separates himself through his combination of catfish and electric eel features. He has long thin spines that shock and the classic catfish whiskers as well as a number of glowing sidelights.

• Arena: 3.5/10

The lake arena Hydrus resides in is one of the least impressive arenas, with a few ruins scattered around the surface. Even under the water is too dark to see any cool or outstanding details besides the massive kelp.

• Elements: 4/5

The elements added into Hydrus’s design are cool and unique, with the spines producing an electrical charge and the facial whiskers growing long and drifting serenely in the water. The colossus also has unique marks in its fur pattern that reveal the diameter of the spines’ electric shock in the water. The glowing sidelights add a subtle detail that adds a world of difference when compared to the earlier variations of the colossus.

Fight

• Intro: 3/5

It’s not super flashy, but the way the camera pans down underwater and Hydrus slowly swims onto the screen is fantastic. It’s quiet and eerie, letting the player hear only the crackles and sparks from Hydrus’s electric spines.

• Difficulty: Hard

Timing and guessing the position of an underwater colossus is hard, and a bit frustrating. The player has to time for the breach and approximates the location at which the colossus would surface.

• Entertainment: Entertaining

The different dynamic with battling this colossus makes it entertaining in the same way Avion is. This is the only colossus that will swim underwater for prolonged periods and you’re restricted, meaning you have to be more clever with your timing.

 

8. Kuromori

Design

• Uniqueness: 4.5/5

Despite being the third smallest colossus, Kuromori is still massive and very distinct in design. It’s the only colossus with the ability to climb up walls, although later in the game, we see Argus climb over a cliff-side ledge. The colossus does share some physical similarities to Basaran but is very much identifiable on its own. It’s one of the only colossi with a visible mouth and is the only one with the mouth constantly open. The colossus is also much flatter than the others, allowing it to crawl close to the ground and force the player to stare it in the eyes as it chases them.

• Arena: 10/10

Kuromori’s arena is both pretty and intimidating. It is essentially a gladiator pit overrun by moss and greenery. The sun is able to filter down into the arena, giving the appearance of an area that was abandoned by humans and reclaimed by nature. The bottom of the arena is several stories down from the arena entrance, a fatal fall from the top. It’s very confined compared to the other arenas yet gives the lingering feeling of freedom with its open ceiling, allowing the player to see the sun.

• Elements: 4/5

Kuromori’s face seems to be sculpted from stone, with a permanently gaping maw and column-like design. The crests down his back are numerous and threatening, giving the colossus the appearance of a well-protected beast. Kuromori also literally glows with his power, more so than other colossi with bioluminescence, boosting him in the element category.

Fight

• Intro: 1.5/5

As terrifying as Kuromori is, the reveal was the most uninspired and boring thing I’ve seen in the game. It was abrupt and we didn’t get a close up of the colossus.

• Difficulty: Mild

The fight is a game of lure and shoot. After luring the colossus, you shoot the weak spots on his legs and let him fall to the ground. You hop down the side of the arena carefully and stab its stomach before it gets up. It’s not a super complicated fight and you just need to repeat the steps a few times.

• Entertainment: Entertaining

Kuromori is the stuff of nightmares (or mine at least), with a wide gaping maw that spits acidic gas at the player. When it rolls back onto its stomach, you better be climbing the stairs as fast as you can. It’s like egging on a large dangerous animal but ten times scarier when you’re the one playing.

 

9. Basaran

Design

• Uniqueness: 3/5

It is even mentioned on his Wiki page that Basaran shares many physical similarities with Kuromori, however, the other colossus still has enough to separate him as being more unique. Basaran’s problem is that he’s the middle ground for a colossus like Kuromori and a colossus like Quadratus. He’s got the ridges along his back and the side-jutting legs of Kuromori, as well as the ranged attack. However, he also shares Quadratus’s greater size, and bulkier form, placing him more in the midrange of the two colossi.

• Arena: 3.5/10

On paper, Basaran’s arena is cool and unique; it’s a massive geyser field in a dried-up lake bed with some dead trees. Unfortunately, the arena is so shrouded in mist, it’s nearly impossible to see the colossus without being within his striking range, and even then it’s difficult to see. It’s frustrating to deal with and nearly impossible to get the timing correct on the geyser eruptions.

• Elements: 3/5

The ridges on Basaran’s back a decently designed, giving him a wicked look. The scaling on his legs was also well done, and the furry stomach is an interesting choice. His face is also oddly designed, giving his a more textured look compared to the other colossi’s faces. However, he isn’t the only one with some of the elements, and some of the other colossi, such as Kuromori, do the elements a little better.

Fight

• Intro: 3.5/5

It is so hard to get this colossus over the geyser spouts at the right time and even harder to shoot the protected weak spots on his feet. Falling off the colossus after the hassle of getting on is an absolute nightmare, especially after trying to lure him, shoot him and climb his stomach.

• Difficulty: Hard

The fight is fun and challenging when it goes smoothly. Unfortunately, most of the time, the player is left frustrated and screaming at the game due to the inability to get the colossus to actually wander over a geyser at the right time. It gets really old really fast.

• Entertainment: Somewhat Entertained

Since the player sees the colossus’s eyes before they see everything else is sudden and very intimidating. Basaran stares at you and suddenly rises, dirt falling from his body as it begins to exit his little cave. His intro isn’t flashy, but the sudden appearance of his eyes followed by a ranged attack is very effective.

 

10. Dirge

Design

• Uniqueness: 3.5/5

As previously mentioned, Dirge isn’t the only serpentine colossus, but he is vastly different in his design and environment from Hydrus. Dirge is fast, super-aggressive, and has massive eyes and a terrifying pair of mandibles. Although he doesn’t have his mouth open often, when it is opened, it’s one of the scariest things in the game-especially since he’s chasing you down at the same time.

• Arena: 6.5/10

While it is a simple, circular arena, it is mostly underground with an open ceiling to let light filter in. The massive stone columns are cool to look at and the sand adds to the desert cave vibe. It’s simple in the aesthetically pleasing way.

• Elements: 3/5

Dirge doesn’t have a lot of major elements to his design, besides those massive choppers, but the blend of rocky back spikes and fur work well for him. His face was well designed, with many crevices and edges. He also is the only colossus that demonstrates an ability to blink, giving him a mechanic that none of the others have.

Fight

• Intro: 4.5/5

The colossus bursts from the ground and slithers around like a massive snake. The brief glimpse of the colossus’s mandibles opening leaves the player questioning what they saw, leaving the beginning sparks of terror. When the player notices the massive beast closing in and the fact that they are trapped in a dome with this thing, the tension spikes tenfold.

• Difficulty: Hard

It’s so hard to steer your horse while looking behind you to shoot the colossus in the eyes. Having to lure the colossus back and forth can be aggravating, but the terror factor adds a lot of thrill and exhilaration to counter it.

• Entertainment: Entertaining

While the difficulty may ruin the fun for some people, in most cases, the fear-driven adrenaline allows the player to have fun while they try to fight this massive serpentine terror. Staring this horrifying monster in the eyes is inevitable and the up-close nature of the fight is a 180 from battling Hydrus. Now you’re the hunted.

 

11. Celosia

Design

• Uniqueness: 2.5/5

When you first encounter him, Celosia is absolutely a unique and individual colossus that’s impossible to mistake. He’s smaller, faster, and able to pummel you several times in a row before you recover. After 10 massive opponents, he’s the surprise outlier. Spoiler alert, he’s not the only one. If Celosia had been the only small colossus, he would have ranked much higher for individuality. However, at the end of game development, the colossus was literally cloned, meaning he and his counterpart are the most similar colossi in the game.

• Arena: 5.5/10

The arena is part temple, part cliff-side. It is a nice, almost unique blend of locations that could have been interesting. However, the two are a bit haphazardly tossed together and don’t look that great. The hall with flaming pedestals was pretty cool, but it is still dark and hard to see, and the area feels uncomfortably small when battling the colossus.

• Elements: 3/5

The armor the colossus wears is well designed with intricate details carved into it. The tail and body shape give the impression of a massive lion, letting the player feel like they’re truly being hunted by a massive predator. The horns on his face are a lot slimmer than the horns of other colossi and they stick further out to the side, much like an elephant.

Fight

• Intro: 3/5

The colossus leaps over a massive crevice to the platform the player is on and the drastic size difference surprises them. However, with this smaller size comes speed and mobility that most of the other colossi don’t have. The entrance is effective at surprising the player with a colossus that’s extremely different from its predecessors.

• Difficulty: Hard

The increased mobility of this colossus allows it to turn on a dime and keep on coming, even if the player dodged the first time. The colossus also has a mechanic added that the others don’t have. He must be driven back with a torch. Trying to force him off the cliff proves more difficult than thought, especially when the fire can burn out. After forcing the colossus off the cliff, the player has to try and land on his back or risk falling off and getting repeatedly slammed up the hill.

• Entertainment: Somewhat Entertaining

The fight is certainly a different dynamic due to how fast the colossus moves with you on it and the very short window of stab time. However, repeated failures can reduce the entertainment in trying to kill him. The terror factor is not near the level of Dirge, making the fight seem tamer due to coming after him.

 

12. Pelagia

Design

• Uniqueness: 4.5/5

Pelagia shares its skeletal ribs and height with Phaedra. But after that, this colossus is a league of its own. Pelagia for one has no face and no eyes. The lack of facial features adds to the creepy nature of the colossus and certainly make it unique among the other colossi. It also has large tooth-like structures on the top of its head, horns that shoot lightning and unique, gorilla-like body shape.

• Arena: 8/10

Although it’s another water habitat, Pelagia’s arena is gorgeous, simple, and has an absolutely stunning entrance. The water is the clearest of all the lakes and space is the most open of the water-bound colossi. The platforms in the water are beautifully designed with a cylindrical shape as opposed to the rectangular ones found in Avion’s lake.

• Elements: 5/5

This colossus is by far the most beautifully designed. It doesn’t have as much fur as most of the others, with the majority of the skin being scaled. The back and head are covered in beautiful grasses and a few other stray plants as well as the occasional moss and barnacles. The horns shoot lightning and have heavy metal bands around them that emphasize the “thunder” it keeps in them. The teeth on its head are so unique and an element reserved for only this colossus.

Fight

• Intro: 4/5

Pelagia’s entrance is slow but spectacular, especially in the PlayStation 4 version of the game. The pan down into the lake shows the massive colossus resting. When it pans back up, the colossus slowly emerges from the water, looking like a massive island at first. The way the grasses on its head and back dance in a soft breeze was a subtle and breathtaking feature.

• Difficulty: Somewhat Difficult

The fight does require swimming and luring, but the player is much more mobile than in the fight against Hydrus and the player is able to directly influence where the colossus moves by smacking the teeth structures on the colossus’s head. It is slower-paced, giving the player a bit of breathing air.

• Entertainment: Entertaining

The fight moves like a trickling stream, slower, but refreshing and interesting to watch. The colossus is spectacular to look at but can also blast the player to smithereens with the ranged attack from its horns.

 

13. Phalanx

Design

• Uniqueness: 5/5

Phalanx is a serpentine colossus in name due to it’s “limbless” design, but this colossus is absolutely one of a kind. It flies, rather than swimming or burrowing. From the top, its shape vaguely resembles a dragonfly with 4 wings and a long body. It also has a face shaped like the nose of a beetle, long and pointed as well as three eyes, two on the right side and one on the left.

• Arena: 7.5/10

At first glance, the arena is just a massive desert-scape with some giant rock plateaus. However, upon closer inspection, there are a series of mysterious stone arches and rings surrounding the area. Following Phalanx’s flight pattern reveals that it tends to stay within the ring boundary, sparking the conversation among fans as to whether or not the rings are responsible for somehow keeping the otherwise free colossus from leaving its area. Due to the mystery surrounding these strange structures, the arena is far more interesting than a simple desert-scape.

• Elements: 5/5

All the things that make Phalanx one of the most unique colossi are the same things that give it a high element design score. The colossus is the largest of all of them and it is so massive that it requires gas bladders to help it fly. The colossus is also able to burrow thanks to its face and its ability to fold back the sails on its back, making it an underground and flying colossus.

Fight

• Intro: 5/5

Showmanship is important when it comes to a big introduction. Phalanx absolutely nailed it with its entrance, bursting straight up from the ground and continuing until it’s entire massive form was able to freely twist around in the air. It’s strange and absolutely colossal. The colossus also stirs up tiny dust devils with some of its wing movements, and its banking turn in the massive sandstorm is fantastic to watch.

• Difficulty: Hard

The first part of the battle relies heavily on timing and the player’s ability to aim a bow. After shooting Phalanx’s gas bladders, it drifts lower to the ground and drags its wings in the sand. The player must perform a timed jump from their horse to the wing and proceed to climb up onto the massive colossus. From there its a matter of finding the weak spots and taking it down.

• Entertainment: Entertaining

Once the player gets onto Phalanx, the fight is taken high into the sky. Phalanx flies much higher than Avion, albeit a lot more stable. The colossus is able to barrel roll, thrash and even dive into the sand if necessary. It’s not excessively difficult to get onto the colossus, and after that, the fight gets easier.

 

14. Cenobia

Design

• Uniqueness: 1.5/5

Unfortunately for this colossus, it is the least unique in the game. As the copy of Celosia, Cenobia has very few features in his design that belongs to him alone. He was the last colossus to be added to the game, leaving less room for originality. That being said, Cenobia’s mane-like armor around his head is a feature that belongs to him and not his counterpart. He also has more rounded paws, a shorter tail, and darker armor.

• Arena: 8/10

The arena for this colossus may be criticized by some as complicated and unnecessarily hard when fighting the colossus, however, the design itself is gorgeous. The arena is one of the more expansive ones and is all outdoor ruins. The way the environment is incorporated into defeating the colossus is clever and the massive columns would be beautiful to look at if one was simply a tourist to the area.

• Elements: 4/5

Despite the lack of originality, the way the colossus’s elements were incorporated were still clever and different enough to give Cenobia his own look. The mane is a cool element that belongs to Cenobia and none of the other colossi. The armor is also more angular and chiseled looking, giving the colossus a pleasing geometrical pattern in his details.

Fight

• Intro: 4/5

Cenobia is seen initially sitting atop the temple steps. Once he notices you, however, he bounds down the steps and charges. The cutscene ends with him charging and once the player is released into the gameplay, it’s a mad dash for the nearest raised surface. The intro is short, sweet, and immediately launches into the action.

• Difficulty: Hard

The fight requires a lot of climbing and timed jumps. The arena is very heavily involved, and mistiming a jump can lead to the player getting pummeled. However, it isn’t impossible to recover and the fight doesn’t need to be restarted if the player falls from one of the pillars.

• Entertainment: Entertaining

The puzzle-like element to the fight makes it cool and a change from the usual stab and go battles. There are a lot of dynamics involved in the fight and the player is able to have moments of breath if needed.

 

15. Argus

Design

• Uniqueness: 2.5/5

As stated before, Argus is not the only minotaur, and his design is more of a blend between Barba and Valus. He does carry a sword rather than a mace, like Valus, and is capable of using his fists if he loses his sword. His fur is much darker than the other two’s and has a soft light grey gradient near his head. He also has several small talisman-like objects that hang from his body, a feature the other two don’t possess.

• Arena: 7/10

Argus’s ruins are large, expansive, and very breath-taking. There is a fantastic valley-side view and the large overhead bridges are thrilling to cross. The sheer size of it all makes it awe-inspiring to look at.

• Elements: 3.5/5

With Argus, the points are in the fine details. The small little talismans on his front and the subtle color gradients in his fur give him more depth and add to the guardian look he is meant to have.

Fight

• Intro: 5/5

Watching a massive colossus haul itself over the edge of a cliff, right next to you no less, is terrifying to witness. You’re left face to face with this massive colossus and the suddenness give the player a jumpscare. It is honestly something to be seen to be understood, as the massive beast is breathtaking and ready to destroy you.

• Difficulty: Hard

The fight requires a lot of set up before you can get to actually start fighting the colossus. You have to lure Argus over to part of the ruins and cause him to step on it so the stone raises you to the next level of the temple. After that, there is a lot of dodging as you try to climb the building. Once you get to the top levels where the bridges are, the colossus must be lured to destroy the bridge. Then you can jump on the head and go from there. There is also the problem of getting Argus to drop his weapon and then trying to climb onto his hand to stab the sigil.

• Entertainment: Somewhat Entertaining

The fight is decent, but it’s overly complicated and the colossus is frustrating to try to climb. A combination of faulty mechanics and the colossus slightly moving his hand is absolutely irritating and causes the fight to lose it’s entertainment fast.

 

16. Malus

Design

• Uniqueness: 4.5/5

Malus is very distinguishable from the other colossi as the tallest one, and as the big boss fight. As the final colossus, he is a literal tower with a threatening ranged attack. Although he doesn’t move, he is still formidable and scary and has a neat design that makes him appear as a living building.

• Arena: 6/10

The arena isn’t super impressive on the top, with many underground tunnels to get the player around. Malus himself is part of the arena, as the player must navigate up his multilayered battle skirt, which is laid out like a massive building in design.

• Elements: 4.5/5

The level of detail in Malus’s battle skirt is phenomenal, managing to be a maze of fence, brick, ledges, platforms and large walls that the player must navigate. On his shoulders, Malus also has fencing, acting as shoulder decoration or armor.

Fight

• Intro: 3/5

The introduction is just a camera pan up, but it’s fairly effective at making the player realize how tall the colossus is. This is the big final boss and he doesn’t need a flashy entrance for the player to know he’s the final fight.

• Difficulty: Hard

Malus has the greatest ranged attack, able to attack the moment the player enters the arena. He may not move, but he doesn’t need to. The rain and darkness make it hard to see, and the closer the player gets, the faster the attacks come. Climbing the colossus himself is like a vertical maze, the player has to climb around all the sides of the colossus in order to get to the head.

• Entertainment: Entertaining

The fight works well as a final boss. It truly emphasizes the player coming to the big boss, rather than being hunted down. The player has to choose to approach as a challenger and the whole fight is symbolic of the struggle to literally climb to the top. The fight isn’t super action-packed, but it still feels like a fight against a powerful and tough opponent.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and hear what I had to say. If you’d like to talk more about the game, ask questions, or get references for cool videos about the game, let me know!

-Ashton Estill

Interested in learning more or seeing the colossi in action? Check out this video with All Colossi Intros.