The question, are games an art form, has been asked since their conception. I can appreciate how the average person may just see games as complicated toys however I believe Shadow of the Colossus will forever prove that games can be art. I don’t make this claim simply because of its beauty, Shadow of the Colossus is a work of art because more so than any other game it is able to grasp hold of your emotions and make you fall in love with its characters.
The concept behind the game is elegantly simple, a man loses the girl he loves and so travels to a forbidden land where he must vanquish 16 colossi, some of which stand over 200ft tall, with nothing more than a sword, a bow and his horse. Each battle is essentially an enormous puzzle where you must find the colossus’ weak points and then strategically scale the colossi to attack these areas. These epic bouts with the colossi are astonishing; in particular the moment where you leap onto the wing of a 500ft long flying serpent from the back of your galloping horse is truly unforgettable.
Whilst the fights are outstanding what really makes this game special is how it is able to create such a strong bond between you and your horse. This is mainly due to the fact that the horse controls so poorly at times, meaning having to wrestle with it during these grand battles and makes the sense of accomplishment when you use it correctly so much greater that you really start to care for your horse more than any other game character I can remember. This game truly is a work of art and demonstrates just how much potential gaming has to be a powerful art form in the future.
