# Shadow of the Colossus (ワンダと巨像)
**Shadow of the Colossus** (ワンダと巨像, *Wanda to Kyozou*, also known as "Wanda and the Colossus") is a 2005 action-adventure game developed by Team Ico and published by Sony for the [PlayStation 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-2), in which a young man named Wander must defeat sixteen giant colossi to revive a dead girl[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/shadow-of-the-colossus/) • [2](https://los40.com/2026/06/06/fumito-ueda-rompe-una-decada-de-silencio-con-gen-atlas-la-gran-sorpresa-poetica-del-summer-game-fest/). Fumito Ueda directed, designed, and served as art director, with Kenji Kaido producing[3](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/dice-feature-climbing-the-colossus-ueda-kaido-on-creating-cult-classics-). The game was remastered for [PlayStation 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-3) in 2011 and rebuilt from the ground up for [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4) by Bluepoint Games and JAPAN Studio in 2018[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shadow-of-the-colossus-review-a-timeless-classic/1900-6416845/) • [5](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/shadow-of-the-colossus/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original release | 2005, PlayStation 2, developed by Team Ico, published by Sony[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/shadow-of-the-colossus/) |
| Japanese title | ワンダと巨像 (*Wanda to Kyozou*)[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/shadow-of-the-colossus/) |
| Key creators | Fumito Ueda (director, lead designer, art director); Kenji Kaido (producer)[3](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/dice-feature-climbing-the-colossus-ueda-kaido-on-creating-cult-classics-) |
| Premise | Wander, with his horse Agro, seeks a mystical power of revival by defeating the colossi of an ancient realm[5](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/shadow-of-the-colossus/) |
| Structure | Sixteen colossi are the only enemies; the game removes common enemies and towns, leaving a desolate map[2](https://los40.com/2026/06/06/fumito-ueda-rompe-una-decada-de-silencio-con-gen-atlas-la-gran-sorpresa-poetica-del-summer-game-fest/) |
| Later versions | PS3 HD remaster (2011); ground-up PS4 remake by Bluepoint Games and JAPAN Studio, released February 6, 2018[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shadow-of-the-colossus-review-a-timeless-classic/1900-6416845/) • [5](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/shadow-of-the-colossus/) |
| Reception | The 2018 remake holds a Metacritic score of 91 based on 100 critic reviews[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/shadow-of-the-colossus/) |
## Design and development
After finishing ICO, Ueda had two ideas for a next project: a solid, meaty action game and a lighter action puzzler, which the team informally called the "Man Game" and the "Woman Game." The team chose the grander concept, which became Shadow of the Colossus[6](https://shmuplations.com/shadowofthecolossus/). Kaido said ICO had done well overseas and turned a profit, but went mostly unnoticed at first release, so he wanted a game whose appeal, epic scale, and easy-to-convey premise were apparent from the start[6](https://shmuplations.com/shadowofthecolossus/).
**Only bosses.** Ueda's central design decision was to make the colossi the only enemies. He reasoned that beating up enemies weaker than the player seemed unheroic, and that his image of a hero was someone who stands courageously against a stronger foe; adding weaker non-boss enemies would also have weakened the impact of the boss fights[6](https://shmuplations.com/shadowofthecolossus/). The design removes common enemies and towns, offering a desolate map whose only objective is hunting the sixteen giants[2](https://los40.com/2026/06/06/fumito-ueda-rompe-una-decada-de-silencio-con-gen-atlas-la-gran-sorpresa-poetica-del-summer-game-fest/).
The colossi were designed by first imagining the scene of the battle, then fleshing that image out into a game design[6](https://shmuplations.com/shadowofthecolossus/). Difficulty was balanced so that the colossi's imposing menace supplies the pressure, and the game is easy to play and hard to die in; Ueda said the team imagined one or two strategies per colossus, but players found many approaches the developers did not envision[6](https://shmuplations.com/shadowofthecolossus/).
**Team and schedule.** Both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus took about four years to develop, with roughly twenty and thirty-five staff respectively. Kaido tried to expand the team for Shadow, advertising for applicants and receiving 500, of whom only ten met the team's standard; he judged that a larger team would not necessarily have shortened development[3](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/dice-feature-climbing-the-colossus-ueda-kaido-on-creating-cult-classics-). Ueda animated a pilot video himself to sell the concept internally, a method he had used for ICO[3](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/dice-feature-climbing-the-colossus-ueda-kaido-on-creating-cult-classics-).
Early in development the project was originally conceived as an online game[7](https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2009/05/20/toro-and-kuro-interview-the-creator-of-shadow-of-the-colossus). Ueda joined Sony Computer Entertainment in 1997 after starting his career at the studio Warp on Enemy Zero, which allowed him to work on ICO and Shadow of the Colossus[7](https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2009/05/20/toro-and-kuro-interview-the-creator-of-shadow-of-the-colossus).
## Story and characters
The player controls Wander, a young man who carries the body of a deceased maiden to the Shrine of Worship and sets out with his horse Agro to obtain the power of revival held by the colossi[5](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/shadow-of-the-colossus/) • [8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2018/02/02/a-stunning-new-take-on-shadow-of-the-colossus/). Ueda said the relationship between Wander and the girl is deliberately left almost unexplained, because he did not want to tie them with a commonplace reason like love; he wanted to convey a pure, innocent emotion[6](https://shmuplations.com/shadowofthecolossus/). The protagonist was made slightly older than ICO's boy in part because overseas audiences, particularly in America, do not tend to like games where you control a child[6](https://shmuplations.com/shadowofthecolossus/).
Ueda later said he was surprised at how invested players became in the relationship between Wander and his horse[9](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/28/the-last-guardian-fumito-ueda-interview).
## Versions and reception
The original PS2 version ran with an unstable frame rate, often around 20 fps, and a 2011 HD remaster for PlayStation 3 alleviated these problems[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shadow-of-the-colossus-review-a-timeless-classic/1900-6416845/) • [10](https://gbatemp.net/blogs/tech-talks-shadow-of-the-colossus-all-3-versions-ps2-ps3-ps4-analysed-and-compared.14075/). In 2018 [Bluepoint Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/bluepoint-games), with JAPAN Studio, released a ground-up remake for PlayStation 4 on February 6, introducing the game to a new generation with higher visual fidelity and improved performance[5](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/shadow-of-the-colossus/). The remake was announced at E3 2017 as a surprise, and was not a re-release of the PS3 remaster[11](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/we-played-a-half-hour-of-shadow-of-the-colossus-ps/1100-6454534/).
Critics received the remake strongly: Metacritic records a score of 91 from 100 critic reviews, with 97% positive[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/shadow-of-the-colossus/). Reviewers noted that Bluepoint rebuilt every aspect of the game's world while leaving the underlying structure and mechanics intact[4](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shadow-of-the-colossus-review-a-timeless-classic/1900-6416845/), and that the remake offers filters to approach the original's desaturated look, enhance color, or enable a night mode[12](https://as.com/meristation/2018/01/30/analisis/1517299260_172742.html). TechCrunch called it a rare remake that proves a more satisfying experience than the original[13](https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/30/shadow-of-the-colossus-ps4-remake-exceeds-the-original/), while some academic and fan commentary treats it as a case of largely graphical improvement, with narrative and gameplay nearly identical to the 2005 game[14](https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/10024/227597/2/SoiniJulius.pdf).
## Legacy
The game is widely described as a masterpiece and one of the strongest examples of [video games as an art form](https://www.edgepedia.org/video-games-as-an-art-form); when asked about that reputation, Ueda said he was flattered but wondered which part exactly critics meant, adding that he believed it could be made even more artistic[15](https://blog.playstation.com/2010/09/24/team-ico-talks-fumito-ueda-on-the-last-guardian-shadow-of-the-colossus/). Its minimalist, emotionally driven approach influenced a broader current in independent games, alongside [thatgamecompany](https://www.edgepedia.org/thatgamecompany)[16](https://as.com/meristation/2018/02/16/analisis/1518735660_173196.html), and its visual language of vast, lonely worlds continues to be cited as an influence on new games[17](https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/how-fumito-ueda-mirrors-edge-and-blame-influenced-motorslices-surreal-industrial-world).
Ueda's team, later organized as GenDesign with members from ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, went on to make [The Last Guardian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-last-guardian), released for PlayStation 4 in 2016 after a long development[18](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/23/the-last-guardians-long-journey-an-interview-with-fumito-ueda.aspx) • [19](https://time.com/4588009/the-last-guardian-review/). His next game, [Gen Atlas](https://www.edgepedia.org/gen-atlas), published by [Epic Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/epic-games), was in very early development as of recent reports[20](https://www.gamesradar.com/upcoming-ps5-games/).
## References
1. [Shadow of the Colossus Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/shadow-of-the-colossus/)
2. [Fumito Ueda rompe una década de silencio con 'gen ATLAS', LOS40](https://los40.com/2026/06/06/fumito-ueda-rompe-una-decada-de-silencio-con-gen-atlas-la-gran-sorpresa-poetica-del-summer-game-fest/)
3. [DICE Feature: 'Climbing The Colossus: Ueda, Kaido On Creating Cult Classics', Game Developer](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/dice-feature-climbing-the-colossus-ueda-kaido-on-creating-cult-classics-)
4. [Shadow Of The Colossus Review: A Timeless Classic, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shadow-of-the-colossus-review-a-timeless-classic/1900-6416845/)
5. [SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS, PlayStation.com](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/shadow-of-the-colossus/)
6. [Shadow of the Colossus – 2004 Developer Interview, shmuplations](https://shmuplations.com/shadowofthecolossus/)
7. [Toro and Kuro Interview the Creator of Shadow of the Colossus, PlayStation LifeStyle](https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2009/05/20/toro-and-kuro-interview-the-creator-of-shadow-of-the-colossus)
8. [A stunning new take on 'Shadow of the Colossus', The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2018/02/02/a-stunning-new-take-on-shadow-of-the-colossus/)
9. [The Last Guardian creator: 'I can't face playing my own game', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/28/the-last-guardian-fumito-ueda-interview)
10. [Tech Talks: Shadow of the Colossus – all 3 versions analysed and compared, GBAtemp](https://gbatemp.net/blogs/tech-talks-shadow-of-the-colossus-all-3-versions-ps2-ps3-ps4-analysed-and-compared.14075/)
11. [We Played A Half Hour Of Shadow Of The Colossus PS4, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/we-played-a-half-hour-of-shadow-of-the-colossus-ps/1100-6454534/)
12. [Análisis de Shadow of the Colossus (PS4), MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2018/01/30/analisis/1517299260_172742.html)
13. ['Shadow of the Colossus' PS4 remake exceeds the original, TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/30/shadow-of-the-colossus-ps4-remake-exceeds-the-original/)
14. [Soini, Julius, thesis on remakes, Tampere University](https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/10024/227597/2/SoiniJulius.pdf)
15. [Team Ico Talks: Fumito Ueda on The Last Guardian, Shadow of The Colossus, PlayStation.Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/2010/09/24/team-ico-talks-fumito-ueda-on-the-last-guardian-shadow-of-the-colossus/)
16. [Fe, Análisis, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2018/02/16/analisis/1518735660_173196.html)
17. [How Fumito Ueda, Mirror's Edge and Blame! influenced Motorslice's surreal industrial world, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/how-fumito-ueda-mirrors-edge-and-blame-influenced-motorslices-surreal-industrial-world)
18. [The Last Guardian's Long Journey: An Interview With Fumito Ueda, Game Informer](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/06/23/the-last-guardians-long-journey-an-interview-with-fumito-ueda.aspx)
19. [Review: After Years in Development, The Last Guardian Is a Thing of Wonder, TIME](https://time.com/4588009/the-last-guardian-review/)
20. [New PS5 games for 2026 and beyond, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/upcoming-ps5-games/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual PlayStation-platform game titles › Action-adventure and open-world titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license