Pages: 194
Publisher: Boss Fight Books
Released: December 2015
Reviewed by Nick Page
Looking back on the games that I have played, Shadow
of the Colossus (released in 2005) stands out as a unique experience: a
game with almost no story, but awe inspiring action and amazing visuals set to
an orchestral soundtrack that would feel at home in any given fantasy epic. A
young man carries a young woman’s body to a temple and makes a deal with an
incorporeal being: he will defeat a series of colossi to bring the young woman
back to life. In short, the game involves a series of long horse rides through
a beautiful country that each end in an epic battle with a big bad guy, your
only tools being a sword, a bow, and your trusty horse, Agro. Aside from the
lack of little bad guys, it sounds like plenty of other games, so what makes Shadow
unique? Many gamers would see at a glance what makes it so, but Suttner walks
the reader both through the game itself, as well as the lasting legacy of the Shadow
of the Colossus.
Suttner incorporates his
experience finding Shadow at E3, the largest video game industry event
of the year, and its subsequent effects on his life. He further establishes his
credibility as he describes his career selling games, writing about games, and
eventually working at Sony to “help shape the culture of independent games on
the PlayStation.” Suttner also cites creators of several other games, such as Fez and QWOP, and how the influence
of Shadow reaches new games and gamers even today. Having twice
interviewed the director for Shadow of the Colossus, Fumito Ueda, six years
apart, the author builds trust in the reader with primary research. Finally,
Suttner discusses the extensive research and videos of Michael Lambert, or
“Nomad,” who has extensively searched, researched, and catalogued every virtual
inch of this game’s world. The sheer volume of time spent with Shadow of the
Colossus under a microscope is itself fascinating, considering the subtractive
design philosophy of the director, “Like pruning tree branches, it’s necessary
to cut things out in order to improve the quality of a game.”
The
book is divided into 18 chapters that follow a playthrough of the game. Most of
them are given names from the cryptic description of each colossus given by
Dormin, the incorporeal quest-giver, as he provides clues to Wander, the mostly
silent protagonist, about how to destroy each colossus. Aside from the
introductory chapters that outline the basics of the game and its mechanics,
each follows the player on the journey to and conquest of each colossus. Along
the way, the reader is also given background on the creation of Shadow of
the Colossus, as well as the lingering affects the game has had on other
story-driven titles. There are no images of gameplay, but Suttner describes
each battle in detail, and as one would experience it in the moment of playing:
“My sword is driven home one final time as Malus groans in protest, holding a
huge hand to his face as his life drains away. . . . For a moment, there’s
nothing but death across the Forbidden Lands. I think of Agro [his horse and
only companion].” Suttner captures the sadness that builds in the player as it
dawns on him/her that victories do not come without cost.
Shadow
is part love letter and part Let’s Play, with a pinch of documentary and
strategy guide. A Let’s Play is a walkthrough of a game, sometimes in annotated
screenshots, often in recorded video with commentary by the player. My favorite Let’s Plays are those in which the
player explores all nooks and crannies of a game, completes every objective,
and speaks to the history, development, and legacy of a game. Suttner captures
a similar experience as he talks through the journey to and defeat of each of
the sixteen colossi. As one who has played and loved the game, it was a
fascinating way to relive Shadow of the Colossus in a way that both felt
familiar and new.
Suttner played through the
game yet again as he wrote his descriptions of the battles with each colossus,
and he describes a troubling realization: after he explores the very last
secrets of the game, he wishes that he could turn the last stone over again,
simply to leave some mystery, but that simply can’t be. It leads me to think
that the best experience would be for those unfamiliar with Shadow of the
Colossus to play the game before reading this Boss Book, or at least watch a
Let’s Play without commentary. Let Shadow of the
Colossus speak for itself, then turn to this book to fill in the gaps and
help make sense of the unique experience it has to offer.
Nick Page is the manager of educational technology at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. His favorite video game to play and/or watch on YouTube is Minecraft.
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