![]() ![]() So, what cements the first colossus in players’ minds so irrevocably? Maybe it’s because the opening cutscenes only just ended, and the direction of the game is as yet unclear, imbuing the colossus with an air of mystery. Introductory bosses are often forgettable, especially in standalone games. Yet for all that, there’s something really special about it-something intimate, almost. It doesn’t even have its own music, which you would think a first boss might. It’s not as big as many of the colossi that follow, or as memorably designed (see: the sixth and fifteenth colossi). Once things start falling into place, however, the fight becomes a satisfying challenge. What keeps the fight this low is the frustration it’s apt to cause actually getting the colossus to one of the geysers isn’t easy due to its lumbering gait. There’s no real danger once Wander’s on the “shell,” however, so the rest is a piece of cake. Leading the colossus to one of the geysers powerful enough to flip it on its back while dodging its ranged attacks puts the bond between man and horse to the test. It’s not the colossus’s movement speed that Wander needs Agro for, however, it’s the consecutive energy blasts the creature shoots from its mouth. Ironically, it closely resembles a tortoise. ![]() Without her speed, defeating the ninth colossus is nigh impossible. The sleek black mare can’t follow her rider into every colossus’s lair, but when she can, it usually means she’ll be integral to the coming battle. Wander’s horse Agro is a near-constant companion, grounding the game emotionally despite the relative lack of dialogue. Execution and context are what make one colossus stand taller than another, so let’s see how they all stack up. They all generally run a similar course: find a way onto the colossus, seek out its magic sigil(s), and stab away. No two boss fights are created equal, and Shadow of the Colossus is no exception (though Kow Otani’s transcendent, guilt-inducing soundtrack picks up much of the slack). It’s a bold design choice on the developers’ part, but it works extremely well for both the story and the game itself… most of the time. In order to do that, he must defeat the sixteen colossi that represent said idols, upon which the latter will collapse. Indeed, Dormin-a being that communicates through two intertwined, disembodied voices-is eerily happy to inform protagonist Wander that in order to resurrect Mono-the dead girl he brought with him to the Forbidden Lands-he must destroy the sixteen idols in the Shrine of Worship. Spoilers Ahead RELATED: The Ending of 'Shadow of the Colossus,' Explained The bosses aren’t merely a means to shake things up or test your grit, they’re the whole point of the game. That’s where Shadow of the Colossus is different. No matter the game, however, bosses generally serve as points of transition and change, breaks from regular gameplay that challenge your knowledge of the mechanics. Still others, like the Boom Box boss microgame from WarioWare: Smooth Moves, are just dumb fun. Others, like The Last of Us’ David, are story-driven, climactic encounters that change the characters forevermore. Some, like Dark Souls’ Asylum Demon, are introductory, planting the seeds of what’s to come. Boss fights come in almost as many varieties as video games themselves do.
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