Shadow of the Colossus (2005)

Shadow of the Colossus
Also known as: Wander to Kyozou (JP) Developer: Team Ico Publishers: SCEA (US), SCEI (JP), SCE Korea (KR), SCE Australia (AU), SCEE (EU) Platform: PlayStation 2 Released in JP: October 27, 2005 Released in US: October 17, 2005 Released in EU: February 17, 2006 Released in AU: February 16, 2006 Released in KR: December 15, 2005 This game has unused areas. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused objects. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has unused items. This game has unused music. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has regional differences. This game has a prototype article This game has a prerelease article

In Shadow of the Colossus, a young man makes a deal with a mysterious entity who has him murder 16 Colossi, at 10 FPS, to return a girl from the dead.

To do: Literally everything. See all these .jpgs converted into .pngs, someone's going to have to retake all these screenshots and rerip these textures. Also remember there's prototype articles too that need some love. Nomad's blog has a lot of various info. It's a great place to start. (Don't re-upload his pics here as done previously. We have guidelines.) Elaborate more on the regional differences and see if there's any more text differences between the North American and European versions. Differences in the PS3 port. E.g. missing graphical effects and incorrect timings

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Prerelease Info

Console Output Strings

Cut Area Remnants

Cut Colossi Remnants

Early Area Textures

Debug Menus

Apply the below code to re-enable some lingering debug menu code that is still present in the game.

USA code:

Re-enable Debug Menus
201289E8 8E02000C
201289EC 30420100
201289F0 10400003
201289F4 00000000
201289F8 0C494898
201289FC 00000000
20128A00 8E02000C
20128A04 24030200
20128A08 14430003
20128A0C 00000000
20128A10 0C51066E
20128A14 00000000
20128A18 8E02000C
20128A1C 24030400
20128A20 14430003
20128A24 00000000
20128A28 0C4E2016
20128A2C 00000000
20128A30 0C4D06FA
20128A34 00000000
20128A38 084D4501
20128A3C 00000000
213513F4 00000000
213513FC 0C04A27A

With the code on, while in-game, press the following on Controller 1 to enable debug menus:

• Select for ADPCM Test.
• L3 for gazeparamediter
• R3 for Light Editor.

On Controller 2, you can also press R2 + X to spawn Agro anywhere. Agro will then drop down from the sky at your position.

While using any of these menus, use Circle to confirm an option, and X to exit.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

ADPCM Test

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This menu allows you to listen to music, ambient sounds, and speech samples.

gazeparamediter

Sadly, this menu no longer works. It would allow you to change the player's coordinates.

Japanese	English
ポジションX値	Position: X value
ポジションY値	Position: Y Value
ポジションZ値	Position: Z Value
リセット	Reset
〇押し	Press 〇

Light Editor

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: Is it really no longer functional?

Sadly, this menu no longer works. It would likely edit lighting somewhere.

Japanese	English
カラー-R	Colour: -R
カラー-G	Colour: -G
カラー-B	Colour: -B
有効範囲半径	Effective Range Radius
終了までの時間	Time Until End
色変化レート	Colour Change Rate

Unused Areas

The world map is divided up into 100 quadrants, categorized into a 10×10 letter-number grid. However, not every quadrant is legitimately accessible to Wander in the final game, and some of these inaccessible areas are covered up by clouds on the map display. A few of the unused quadrants still contain early collision data, textures, and models that were never completed.

H8

Almost all of this square is solid, meaning most of it can be walked on, but Wander will freeze if he ventures too far south.

The elevation is much lower than the ground level (-121 meters) of the used quadrants, sitting at the surface of the ocean. In the northeast corner of the quadrant, a large blue triangle and a floating mountain can still be seen.

J4

This area has unique terrain and textures, and is the border of the cut arena Crater which would have housed the cut colossus Phoenix. While Crater, which was in the neighbouring I4, was nulled out, J4 remains.

J8

Another blue square this time with 16 odd blue triangles at its far east side. These blue squares have no collision detection (unlike D8 and H8) and all cause Wander to freeze if he ventures too close, though the camera can still be moved.

A3

Untextured terrain at A3. Its assigned texture is missing.

This once connected to Yamori_A's arena at B3.

I8

These mountains are found at I8. They once connected to the unused Buddha colossus' arena at I7.

J6 and J7

Unfinished mountains. These also made up Buddha's arena, Labyrinth, at I7.

I2

Situated at I2 on the world map is the most notable piece of unused architecture in the game: the dam. It lacks collision data.

Interestingly, it resembles the Gondola area from Ico, the game's prequel.

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Nearby the dam floats a rocky mountain with a hole that resembles a cave entrance. This was the path to I3, which was at the time Basaran's arena.

Just north of the dam is a small strip of grass that ends with some unique orange brick structures perched on a cliff. The grass strip ends at the boundary of I2 but would have continued west into H2 if it had been finished. Originally, this area was reached through H1, the original arena location for Argus. The cloudless world map in the Preview version of the game even appears to depict a path leading from the back of 15's lair to this area.

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  A wider shot of I2, with the cave (on the left) and the brick ruins (on the right).

Unused Textures/Objects

Textures

Colossi

Filename	Texture	Notes
hn_sz_stone_worm_snake_04f		The left side of this texture, used for Colossus 13's Shrine of Worship idol, is never seen. It depicts the removed Colossus Worm, one of the 24 original Colossi.
sz_hn_sirius_hifu07_f		This texture is all that remains of the Colossus known as Sirius, another of the original 24. "Hifu" translates to "skin".

Ico Leftovers

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page.

Leftovers from Ico exist within the game.

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  arms_icon_ico_sword_s

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  windmill

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  icob_toothD01

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  icob_eye02

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  icog_fuku22
  "Fuku" translates to "clothing".

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  icog_facft05_36

Objects

Items

Two unused items can still be found within the game's code.

Mask of the Titans

A fourth mask item that would have been used to enhance the damage Wander dealt to Colossi. Unused text related to this item is also present.

 That is the
 “Mask of the Titans”…

 By wearing it, thou
 shalt gain the power to
 inflict deeper wounds
 upon a colossus…

Eye of the Colossus

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: Is it completely missing from the final version or does it have partial leftovers? Either way, most of this probably belongs in the Preview sub-page.

An item that, while semi-functional in the Preview version, was removed from the final game. It allows players to witness battles through the eyes of the Colossus they are fighting.

It is, however, buggy and unfinished. Two pieces of unused text describing the item also remain within the game:

 That is the
 “Eye of the Colossus”…

 By using it
 near a colossus,
 thou shalt be able to
 see what the colossus sees…

This item is activated by pressing R3. It works well for some of the Colossi (such as 1, 4, 5, 6, 13, and 15), but for others it is clearly unfinished as when the Colossi move the camera can clip into their bodies. You have to be near the Colossus to activate it. If it moves too far away, you will hear a low beeping sound when you use it, indicating the Colossus is out of range. It has no function at all with Colossus #3, though it's not clear why.

You can even use it before the colossus is activated (again if you can get close enough). You see a single stationary frame of what the colossus sees and then watch it come to life from its point of view. There is no camera control while using the item but you can zoom in and out with R2.

Another feature is you can use it when the colossus is dying, so you can watch it fall to its death from its point of view. By pressing R3 again you can watch the death scene from Wander's point of view to get a unique perspective instead of the usual in-game death scenes. You have full control of Wander as the colossus is dying unlike in the normal death scenes where Wander is locked.

(Source: Pikol)

Ico Leftovers

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  Water melon

Unused Music

An unused music track exists within the game. It seems to be an alternate theme for Violent Encounter but unlike the rest of the game's music, it is not orchestrated.

Unused Text

To do: Give the unused text associated with Colossi some explanation.

The text relating to the colossi are hints from Dormin to assist the player in defeating the colossus.

Colossus 3 (Knight)

The colossus’s sword
shall be thy path…

Dormin hinting how to climb the colossus.

Colossus 5 (Bird)

Use thy sword to find its vitals…

Dormin hinting how to find the vitals on the colossus.

Colossus 7 (Eel)

Grab on to the
colossus’s tail…

Dormin hinting to grab onto the colossus' tail when it raises it up out of the water.

Sever the power of the
radiating horn at its root…

Dormin hinting on how to stop the electricity radiating from the colossus' horns by stabbing the vital point at the base of it.

Colossus 8 (Gecko)

Draw it out to
higher ground…

Dormin hinting to coax the colossus into climbing up the walls of the arena.

Colossus 10 (Snake)

Aim for its eyes…

Dormin hinting to shoot the colossus in its eyes.

Colossus 12 (Poseidon)

Cross to higher ground…

Dormin hinting to reach higher ground.

Colossus 14 (Cerberus)

Climb from where the colossus
and the earth are connected…

Dormin hinting to climb the pillars in the arena.

It cannot pursue thee at the
top of the tower. Proceed forward…

Dormin hinting to progress forward, as the tower the player is on cannot be toppled by the colossus.

Colossus 16 (Evis)

Climb higher from that place…

Dormin hinting to climb up, presumably when the player reaches the under area of the colossus.

The Ending

All is normal.

This line appears nowhere in the final game. While the tone of the Japanese line indicates that it is spoken by one of the soldiers, none of Emon's men have any voice acting other than an occasional "Ho!", presumably translating to "Yes!", in response to his commands. The only exception is one soldier saying "Lord Emon!", as seen further down in this article. However, in the ending cutscene of an unfinished preview version, a demo of the game released in an incomplete form, one of the soldiers speaks when Emon and his men arrive at the Shrine of Worship. This voice clip does not appear in the final game, and the line has no subtitles, even in the Preview version. It's possible that the voice clip corresponds to this unused line. Perhaps the soldier did not detect anything unusual upon first arriving at the shrine and thus reported "All is normal."

The idols have been destroyed! 

Emon originally exclaimed this in despair upon entering the temple.

You used a forbidden spell!

Emon accuses Wander of treachery.

Look…

This line was originally supposed to precede a line that does appear in the game, when Emon instructs his solders to behold Wander: "Look… He’s possessed by the dead."

Pitiful mortals…

Dormin addresses the humans.

and encased Us in stone monuments

Hidden File Names

The map files associated with each Colossus arena indicate the developers' nicknames for these areas.

Colossus Arena	File Name
Colossus 1 (Minotaur A)	Temple
Colossus 2 (Mammoth)	Proto
Colossus 3 (Knight)	Arena
Colossus 4 (Kirin)	Kirin's Hill
Colossus 5 (Bird)	Canyon
Colossus 6 (Minotaur B)	Canossa
Colossus 7 (Eel)	Lakeside
Colossus 8 (Gecko)	Underground
Colossus 9 (Turtle)	Geyser
Colossus 10 (Naga)	Gravewind
Colossus 11 (Leo)	Leo's Cave
Colossus 12 (Poseidon)	Poseidon's Lake
Colossus 13 (Snake)	Desert
Colossus 14 (Cerberus)	Ruins
Colossus 15 (Minotaur C)	Parthenon
Colossus 16 (Evis)	Sanctuary

Oddities

This page or section needs more images. There's a whole lotta words here, but not enough pictures. Please fix this.

The giant dead tree that can be seen above the south entrance of Colossus #10's cave (B2) is devoid of leaves. However, its low-poly version seen in the opening cutscene has leaves on it.

To do: This info belongs to the prototype articles of the respective builds.

In the demo versions of the game, it is possible, via hacking, to reach the tree, which again appears as a leafy low-poly model. This suggests that the tree may not have originally been quite so dead.

In the Preview version, there is some extra land behind the cliffs to the west of the tree that feature what look like vines leading up to it.

In the E3 demo, this tree (both low-poly and high-poly) possesses leaves.

Regional Differences

North American Version

• In time attack mode, you can move about 1.8 seconds before the timer starts. The Japanese and European versions fixed this so that you can only start moving when the timer starts.
• In time attack mode, you can make the Colossus hit the pillar at 9:XX. The Japanese and European versions fixed this so that you can only make the Colossus hit the wall at 17:XX.

European Version

• A Bonus Features menu was added to the title screen. It contains a making-of documentary, a trailer for Ico, and a gallery of concept art.
• The bridge on the way to Colossus #8 is now part of the mountain.
• At startup, a menu will display for language selection as well as selecting 50hz or 60hz. Progressive scan support is also retained and the game will switch to 50hz when playing back the bonus movies.
• The "Sony Computer Entertainment Europe presents" screen is an image from the game as opposed to a standard white text on black background screen.

• The fonts for menu text and dialogue subtitles were changed in the European version.

North America	Europe

• There are some text changes for certain menu options.

North America	Europe	Notes
progressive scan mode has occurred. Do you want to keep this setting?	The display is now in progressive mode. Do you want to keep this display mode? (If there is no response, the screen will return to the menu in a few seconds.)	Displays after selecting "YES" for the progressive scan option. The US text does not capitalize the "P" in the first sentence.