What’s it like to… Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) Time Attack

“What”s it like to …” is a series of articles to share some of my gaming experiences. It can be useful to those who want to know more about a title; how to deal with certain situations, learn something new by playing them, and what is it like to play a title with a specific goal in mind! So let’s get started.

There is no need to introduce Shadow of the Colossus. If you are a keen gamer with an interest in gaming history, then you know Fumito Ueda and his works. But what is it like when you want to experience the time attack mode in Shadow of the Colossus, specifically on the PS2? That’s the question! Then forget about the unique concept of the whole design structure of the title; now we see how an experience can be the prey for an extra mode.

NOTE: I avoid calling the Colossi by their name since they were created by the fans.

The game was a technical achievement on the PS2, and no one can deny that. The controls are also a new approach to creating a realistic title at the time, resulting in a more cinematic platformer vibe. Although, there are some problems here; the game was a technical achievement, but it suffered from frame drops. The controls fit the idea of a cinematic platformer, but it created luck-based movement and fights. Adding to that, I believe if you play any cinematic platformers like Prince of Persia, you’ll see that you can’t walk across any pixel on the screen as easy as you can imagine, and this is the problem in this case; sometimes in the Shadow of the Colossus, you can’t grab on to the Colossi wherever you want, and to do so, you have to utilize a trial and error method, which obviously takes more and more time in the time attack mode.

In Prince of Persia (this is the Genesis version) you have enough time to complete the whole level, which contradicts what we see in Shadow of the Colossus, a game that uses the same movement style, but in a 3D world.

Adding a time attack mode to a game that heavily relies on luck to progress results in a meaningless struggle against the system, throwing doubt on the logic of the mode.

The game is filled with luck-based moments. Once a colossus stops moving so quickly, players can replenish stamina over time. However, a violent shake can result in being thrown off the creature.

This mode shows problems that go mostly unnoticed in normal playthroughs, which makes sense because the game wasn’t designed for time-based stuff. Luck-based mechanics do add a level of realism but when fighting against a ticking timer, everything gets complicated. Let’s take a look at Colussus 13 for an example of why this just doesn’t work, a fight where Agro is needed to progress.

Colossus 13, first phase.

If we divide this fight into two phases, we can clearly determine where the design friction lies. In the first phase, you have to mount the horse and... wait! There’s another luck-based moment! Agro doesn’t always obey your commands, because it’s a real horse, not a car or a motorcycle. It seems logical for such a title, but it adds more uncertainty to your already luck-based arsenal. In this phase, you should also use your bow and make your way through the Colossus, but another problem shows itself; you can’t estimate perfectly when you should jump off of the horse to reach the Colossus, especially while you feel a sense of button latency, as a result of the frame drops.

Using the wings to get on this colossus is a must but you’re likely to fall off numerous times and after being tossed into the sand, the horse doesn’t always respond to being called back.

Apart from what was said, there is another problem with using the horse. Sometimes by pressing the triangle button, the character just jumps next to Agro, instead of mounting it, which is really weird. Also, you’ll face some rocks along your way to the Colossus, even though you have no way but to focus the camera on this creature itself, and have no opportunity to see the obstacles. In phase two, now you are on the Colossus itself, find its weak point, and then back again until the end.

Most of the elements in this battle in particular lean on luck and it’s not possible to experience the time attack with any enjoyment or confidence. Who wants to experience something luck-based with limitations to get some rewards? Maybe those who have masochism! To me, it’s like playing Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy with time limitations.

The hard time attack makes you think of the normal one as a walk in the park. Now in the hard time attack, there are more weak points to find, and with the fact that you can’t grab on to wherever you want, it’ll be hell for any player. Let’s take a quick look at another Colossus; Colossus 4 to be more specific. In this fight, you have to first deceive the creature, and you’ll be lucky if it only takes about 2 minutes. After that, you have two ways to get to the top of the Colossus but to be honest, none of them have any time advantages to maximize the attempt.

Colossus 4 is time-consuming and frustrating in time attack mode. There are three weak points but the ones below its neck are tricky to reach. Saving stamina is not an easy task at all in this battle.

For me, Colossus 4 was the hardest one in any time attack mode, no matter which difficulty the game was set to; this is the hardest battle. None of my examples can show how glitchy it can be to get to a weak point. Colossus 15 proves so, with great intensity.

There’s another weak point on the chest of Colossus 15 to find in time attack and getting there takes some maneuvering of the janky physics system. Dropping from above the point by releasing R1 is the best method.

You’ll lose many times fighting Colossus 15, and it doesn’t make any sense when the time given is not enough for such a luck-based battle. Also, the fastest way to replenish stamina is to fall on the ground, since standing on Colossus 15 is not possible for everyone. Not to mention that the game uses “death loop” method, through which you’re not supposed to stand on your feet after getting injured.

I think I have complained enough, but I should let you know about this fact: forget about the images used, you won’t see such a health bar or stamina gauge. I used such a screenshot because I couldn’t find any on the Internet! Sorry, I deceived you! But if you think you can utilize any items there, or have the increased stamina gauge (like your normal playthrough), you’re missing the point. You won’t see everything you have in the time attack mode and this is the reason the game becomes time-consuming too. It would be good if you could use your new weapons, even with lesser time given, but it didn’t happen for some reason.

Shadow of the Colossus leaned more heavily into being a cinematic platformer, rather than a more skill-based title, and the issues of including luck-based elements in both movement and combat were accentuated in the time-attack mode. Rather than a fun addition to elongate playtime, time attack is really a conflicting set of ideas that only diehard players will likely deal with. In conclusion, either avoid timed elements in gameplay centered around luck or learn from games like Prince of Persia which gives players a reasonable amount of time to succeed.

This handy chart of the various luck-based mechanics depicts bothersome elements.

Even as an extra mode, time attack in Shadow of the Colossus is a horrible experience and I don’t recommend this mode to anyone. Throwing out an action and relying primarily on hope is a sure way to continue the pain.

It can’t be good for one’s health, right?

Learn more about some of gaming’s strange past through further analysis of retro titles such as my thoughts on Sonic CD and why it’s still brilliant or my review of Assault Retribution on PS1.

Screenshots were captured using emulation by Justin Wood.