The Graphic Designers Tell It Straight (Part 5)

The Team Members Talk Shadow of the Colossus

Is there anything in Shadow of the Colossus that you’d like players to see, or play styles you’d like them to try?

Nakano: We put a lot of effort into the atmosphere of the world, so I’d like the players to take it all in.

Niwa: When I came into the office on my days off, I had fun with the variety of ideas that went into the in-development stages, so I’d like for the players to seek out these stages and enjoy them as well.

Wander gazes up at a Colossi for the first time.

Suzuki: I figured that the thing players would focus on most was the cutscenes that have you looking up at the Colossi, so I gave them my all. I hope they feel a chill as their gaze travels up the bodies of the Colossi.

Haneda: I want players to see Agro’s pose at the oasis. The way her back legs sit on top of the rocks is weird.

Fukuyama: Don’t say that! [Laughs] Haneda makes Agro do weird poses and then shows them off.

Haneda: I suppose I want players to search for things they might not expect to find. [Laughs] Even we, the people who created the field, were occasionally surprised when someone told us about something new.

Hasegawa: I’d like players to mount Agro and really take their time exploring the field.

An in-game Colossi size montage by Nomad.

Tanaka: This might sound weird, but once players finish the game and come back to the real world, I’d like it if they found themselves wondering “So, is that how big a Colossi is?”, and thinking of them on a realistic scale. I hope that the experience of playing the game adds some spice to their lives.

Fukuyama: I’d like it if, after playing through once, they think to themselves “I’d like to pay that world another visit,” from time to time.