Shadow of the Colossus: Show, Don’t Tell!
Often times, we play video games for the same reasons that we watch a movie or read a book. We want to enjoy a good story, and we also want to take part in an activity that we enjoy. As we age, our preferences begin to change, and our intelligence begins to influence how we feel about a particular story. On a certain level, we want any media that we consume to have a bit of respect for us as users. One of the games that have stuck with me ever since the PlayStation 2 era of gaming is Shadow of the Colossus for this very reason.
What is Shadow of the Colossus?
First of all, this game was created by Team Ico and came out on the PlayStation 2. It’s the story of a young warrior Wander, on a mission to revive Mono, a young maiden who has died. In the game, you travel through the Forbidden Land, slaying giant creatures call colossi, per the instructions of an ethereal voice from the heavens. The story is simple, but that’s what makes it so special. There is depth in simplicity.
This game has had several remakes, and I have bought each and every one of them. This game is considered to be a classic and a masterpiece.
Show and Tell, or Don’t?
Intelligence and ego are critical aspects when it comes to interactive media. We develop ideas and opinions through our own thoughts, and experiences tend to be personal. This is what makes a story difficult to tell.
I have to be respected as a user. In my head, I’m pretty smart, right? Most people will think the same way about themselves. This creates a particular set of challenges when it comes to creating a story in a game. Game designers and developers must know their audience. Why?
- Is my audience young? Trying to tell a story that is complex, subtle and nuanced might not be the best move. The complex elements that a writer wants the user to feel and understand could be completely disregarded.
- Is my audience older? A simple story where every single bit of information is spoon-fed to the user can become frustrating. That could insult their intelligence as users.
From here on out, there are gonna be spoilers, so if you want to experience this story without spoilers, play the game first. I’ll leave a trailer before the next section for anyone who is unsure about whether they would want the game or not.
Shadow of the Colossus’s Simplicity and Depth:
Let’s set the scene, towards the middle of Shadow of the Colossus, you’ve slain several colossi. Each slain colossi has become enveloped in dark, misty energy, which pierces Wander with black tendrils. Wander begins to look less and less human. The player is not informed of this, though dialogue though. Instead, this transition is all visual. As of now, we know about four characters:
- Wander, the silent player character.
- Agro, Wander’s horse and companion throughout the adventure. He’s just horse though, he doesn’t have any special qualities.
- Mono, the dead maiden.
- Dormin, the ethereal voice telling Wander where to go next.
Three out of the four characters don’t talk. Dormin, who does, is just giving the player objectives. The only one who has been talking to me as the player is Dormin.
How this Changes the Experience:
Instead of having a massive info dump mid-game, I’m left to my own devices as a player, and that’s what makes this experience so wonderful. I remember the exact thoughts I experienced when I first played this game in middle school.
- The colossi don’t do anything until I show up. Are they actually harmful, do I need to kill them?
- My player character is looking a little demonic, am I the bad guy?
- Is the voice at the temple lying to me?
- I feel a little uncomfortable continuing on my journey.
By allowing me, the player, to come to my own conclusions and develop my own questions, created a story that had a much stronger impact on me as a person. I began to feel a lot more emotionally, and I got to experience my own internal conflict. Throughout Shadow of the Colossus, I got to feel a lot sadder because the game didn’t tell me to be sad. A story that shows the user, rather than telling the user is a lot more memorable, in a good way.
Shadow of the Colossus is NOT a Happy Story!
At the end of the games, all of my suspicions as a player were answered. Dormin, the ethereal voice was actually an ancient evil that was sealed away. He uses Wander’s selfish goal as a means to unseal himself, by manipulating a young, desperate warrior. Wander is a morally ambiguous character, too. We know that he loved Mono, to the point that he would do anything to get her back. This is a character trait that defines his goal but is also his primary fault.
Shadow of the Colossus only confirms the player’s suspicions at the very end, when a character named Lord Emon declares that Wander is Possessed. He only confirms what has happened with the story, but this is in the last half-hour of the game.
The Final Piece to the Puzzle:
Affirmation is the final piece needed to really ensure that the user is satisfied in this case. Shadow of the Colossus seeks to tell a simple story with nuanced characters and choices. This means that the story does have some depth, or at least the depth is in the way the story is presented.
Lord Emon is effective in telling the user what has happened at the end of the game, because at this point in the game the user is still speculating, and he acts as a form of confirmation or denial about the user’s thoughts.
This Doesn’t Need to Apply to all Games!
If a developer wants to make a game where characters tell the player what is going on at all times, that is fine. That’s the magic of gaming in general, there’s a genre for all users.
One of my favorite games of all time is Borderlands 2, where it is made very clear in both dialogues and through the game’s visuals, that Handsome Jack is a bad guy. He says mean things, does bad things, and really makes sure you know he’s the villain. Which I will talk about in my next story.
