Shadow of the Colossus: How Music Tells Its Story
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- Опубликовано: 11 окт 2024
- Arguably one of the most significant aspects of Shadow of the Colossus' legacy is its simple but profound story. In this episode of Writing on Games, I want to examine why Kow Otani's genius soundtrack might be at the centre of it all.
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Intro Text Provided by Lashman - / robotbrush
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Interview with Kow Otani - • SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS...
Sif boss footage from Boss Fight Database (really sorry I forgot to credit you in the video!) - • Dark Souls: Great Grey...
FFVII from Nomadic Gaming - • Video
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Thank you so, so much for your continued support!
Production work by Nico Bleackley
![Why People Love Shadow of the Colossus so Much [Spoilers]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-XuHWdSGOIY/mqdefault.jpg)
SotC plays with your morality:
Wander, a boy that wanted to revive Mono and doesn't care about the price.
Mono, a girl sacrificed because she had a cursed fate and was probably killed by Emon's religion in their village.
Emon, a shaman that knows the story of Dormin, is the supposed leader of religion.
He kills an innocent girl, because of a prophecy. Morally ambiguous at best. Some would say undeniably evil.
He orders the murder of a defenseless boy. He can call it a mercy-killing all he wants, Wander wasn't hurting anyone at the time, and certainly had the will to live. Morally ambiguous at best.
Dormin, a deity that can control life , seen as evil by their horns and sealed because of the fear the people had (betrayed posibly).
I don't see Dormin as evil. Powerful, dangerous, yes. But we never see him do anything morally reprehensible.
He attacks Emon and the soldiers, but they are trying to seal him away, as their ancestors did once before.
He possesses the Wander but he does say that he is "borrowing" his body, so he was probably going to give it back, even if he hadn't been sealed.
The killing of the colossi gradually destroy the wanderer's body, but he did tell him ahead of time that what he was about to do might cost him dearly.
He promises to revive Mono once his power has been restored, and does so, even as he is sealed away again.
He has a lot of negative imagery connected to him, but when you see the top of the hole from which Dormin spoke, there is a beautiful "Garden of Eden", more full of life than anywhere else in the forbidden lands.
I think Dormin is someone who gained more power than his peers could accept, and sealed away in fear.
Much like in real life, the only people in Shadow of the Colossus that can be considered unambiguously good are the ones with no agency in their lives.
Dormin ability is disrupting mortal law but what make it's terrifying is that his ability could provide some sort immortality to any human he like,most likely a evil ruler etc,thus lead the sealing of his power.
A very interesting take on the characters, I like this a lot.
Wow.. Reading this I realize I have felt simpathy for dormin all this time.
I love this theory you are the villain in someones story and clearly lord emon and his men saw him that way but didnt learn from their religious ways by killing mono so it ultimately came back to bite him
I have to say, as a musician, I wasn't expecting you to go into this much detail. Considering it's not your channel's usual area of expertise, this is impressively detailed musical analysis. Most of the time when games analysis channels cover music, they do it in very very basic terms using simple non-musical language that essentially means they can't go much further basic terms like "epic" or "tragic" or "mysterious". You making this video using real musical language and proper analysis makes it both more insightful and more useful to any aspiring composer, so thanks for that.
By the way, did you transcribe the scores yourself or did you find them online? If so, where can I find them? I'd love to do some analysis on them myself.
Thank you! Tried to keep things approachable and flowing so there's a lot I could have talked about that I chose not to, but I'm glad it still had some substance to it.
As for the transcriptions, I just threw together the very brief sections I needed myself in a very simple manner. I'd be incredibly interested in seeing a full score at some point for sure.
8-Bit Music Theory is a channel that does this a lot.
rainbow_lizard Haha! I was thinking the same thing lol
It's possible to analyze music without gushing out theoretical jargon, most western music theory based analysis on RUclips aren't very accessible for people without a classical background.
you probably dont care but if you are stoned like me during the covid times you can watch pretty much all of the new movies and series on Instaflixxer. Have been watching with my girlfriend during the lockdown :)
"you saved someone you loved, but you couldn't save everyone you loved" that is strikingly, hauntingly beautiful. you grow to love the different colossi but the goal is to kill them. there is no way to save them unless you don't play the game, but in that vein, you will be leaving wander to his pain and mono to her continued death. what a masterpiece
I must say, Hamish: there's several fantastic(ally) insightful videos on your channel already; but you've really outdone yourself this time. This is an incredible piece of work. Respect.
Great work. As a composer myself, I've always learned a lot from this particular soundtrack. My favourite moment is the music that accompanies the battle against the final colussus - most final bosses have even grander music to heighten the sense of importance, but the music Otani has written takes a step back and doesn't need to further embellish the sheer physical presence of the colussus. It's funereal, slow, a lament to the falling colossi but also to Wander's last shreds of humanity which are about to be lost.
One of the best soundtracks in any piece of media. A true masterpiece. I wish Otani would compose for games more.
If you want to listen to more of his music, Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan season 1, 2 and its prequel season 3 were all composed by him. Super SotC vibes and super fitting for a samurai anime... considering the ending will have you in tears...
0:33 "You just deliberately killed a living breathing being who had done nothing against you other than trying to defend itself against your murderous intent. You should feel asham... NEVERMIND, HAVE A TROPHY!"
Is there a way to turn this off?
I think you can hide them, but I'm not sure... but that's a reason why I despise achievements
Yes, you can turn off trophy notifications.
Thank god
Yeah, that was SUPER bothering me too. I'm glad I posted about it on Facebook and some of my friends pointed out the option. It's so... CRASS.
Trophy pops never bother me, tbh, but I can see why people are bothered by these ones. It does seem a little disrespectful. If I remember correctly, on the PS3 there was an option to save after you warped back to the temple and that's when the trophy popped. So they could have at least picked a better moment in the remake.
What makes it unique is 1-Minimalism in design 2-a perfect implementation of what Emmanuel Kant would call "The sublime" by that we mean that dreadful moment that becomes a pleasurable one once it's seen from a safe distance. In this case, seeing the struggle with the giants from our TVs. You called that unease with our actions in the video and i agree with that description.
the best example of that is the fight scene with the flying Colossus.
Thanks for the great. video and the beautiful analysis.
I have long championed this soundtrack as the best game soundtrack of all time. Utterly stunning.
I'm neither a musician, nor a music nerd and, the first time I played this game, I was 14. I never really knew why, until I got older, but I always had tears come to my eyes as I defeated the Collossi. Just by watching in the course of your video, the same thing happened again... This history is told by the amalgamation of all it's resources and the soundtrack plays one of the most important roles here. It's just... Timeless and emotional. Your video just helped me realize what kind of emotions I've really felt playing this game. Thank you for doing this
Thank you for attempting to do a more music analysis based video! I find critics often focus on the narrative or mechanical elements of a game but aren't able to discuss the soundtrack as eloquently as you do. Your point about Shadow of the Colossus was something I respected about the game since I first played it, but many players overlook
I'm not a musician, but I'm a visual artist. This game has always been a shining example of an interactive work of art. Thank you for a musician take on the game. I didn't understand all the terminology, but I enjoyed and appreciated it. Of the "Trilogy" SotC is my favorite, no contest. If there's a , ps5 VR hologram, 8K turbo edition, I will gladly buy it a 4th time without hesitation.
This was a really pleasant change. We're working on music for our project so this came at a very opportune time. Thanks for doing these videos. They are always doing in a fantastic fashion.
I wanna give a shoutout to some of Kow Otani's anime work as well. His soundtrack for Haibane Renmei is breathtakingly beautiful, and maybe his best work period, it's definitely up there.
I second this notion. Haibane Renmei has a wonderful soundtrack, and I love the show itself too.
Thank you for the pointer. I'll go check it out.
Don’t forget Hakuouki: Shinsengumi Kitan. All 3 seasons of that anime were also composed by him.
This is my favorite game of all time
lovely video. I played shadow of the colossus for the first time last week and felt that the music was spectacular, hell the opening theme made me tear up and thats before I even knew anything about the story
I don't know how I missed this video when you first released it, but I am glad I found it. SotC might have my favorite score in all of gaming.
One of the most heartrending aspects of the colossi death scenes is how you see the life fade from their eyes as they topple to the ground a lifeless pile of rubble. Powerful stuff.
Aaah... I love this game, its soundtrack, its staff.
I often just can't listen to the soundtrack because it's just that good. It's almost transcendental. Meditative.
Hearing it again in the video, opens you up to that kind of mindstate. It feels nice.
6:08 I felt that...
Any time I've revisited this video this is the moment that always jumps out at me. It's taken two years for anyone to notice.
Thank you for talking about the music in this video game
I can't remember the last time I felt like I actually learned something from a video essay.
Hi, I'm Adam Neely, and welcome to Writing on Games
midimachine and "The Lick" starts to play continously for five straight hours.
I fucking love your videos bro.
This is something I feel is your best strength when it comes to analyzing videos: music in video games. We hardly ever get to hear how great composers are in games, only briefly mentioned and gloss over it with the main plot or gameplay. Music or lack of however in a video game is just important because there is a tone that is set when it plays. When we hear Gustavo Santoella's string plucks in The Last of Us's theme, there is this powerful Western like somber tone and as it plays throughout the game in small intervals it feels as fleeting and yet memorable at the same time.
Or how Souls games give their own bosses their own theme which distinguishes them on a musical medium as well. Gywn's theme in Dark Souls by Motoi Sakuraba or Yuka Kitamura composing Lady Maria of The Astral Clocktower, those stand out for their tones and establish not just boss but at the same time the tone too.
There are so many people to commend in video game soundtracks and I think you should focus on that more at points. Overall great video and a fantastic game to boot.
7:45 Schopenhauer's metaphysics of music comes to mind.
Was watching an anime about the Shinsengumi called Hakuouki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom and was super puzzled by the music. It was so familiar... and sounded like a game I use to play... with grand, epic scale.... *read the end credits* Kow Otani was the composer?! Now I love that anime’s music even more!!! Seriously, go look it up and enjoy. Shinsengumi Kitan is the OST you’ll be looking for. 👍
I've been waiting for a video on SotC's soundtrack for a long time. This is amazing, thank you.
This was so touching, I teared up a little. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this subject.
Hey Hamish, thanks for making these videos.
Just looking at the sky in this game tells a lot, so beautifully melancholic.
Me: oh yeah this'll be just another one of those game essays about music that just vaguely talk about it. Might as well watch it.
Hamish: uses theory and actually goes into specific detail.
MUSIC STUDENT INSTA LOVE
...we need more channels like you and 8 bit music theory
As a music comp major this episode made me incredibly happy. You're easily my favorite channel over the last years, keep up the great work!
I loved this one. One of the greatest soundtracks ever made!
My favorite part of the song where you defeat a colossus is when it uses the Joe progression to transition to BK minor
My favorite track is "Death of Ritual", the song that plays during the Malus fight. That theme captures everything you're feeling at that point in the game. You feel fear because of the Colossus itself, you feel anxious and at the same time, excited to get the fight over. And it also captures a sense of sadness.
You truly feel the music, excellent of excellent findings and comments for this magnificent soundtrack 👏👏
This was the first OST of a game that made me truly notice it. It felt like a whole other character by itself. This music made me feel hope, sadness, dread, regret, and just pure, untainted emotion. It takes a special kind of talent at art making to give you all of those feelings.
2:18 - in retrospect, I have always been sensitive to music soundtracks, whether they were a match and what was the spirit they conveyed in the presentation in movies and then in games and, when I heard the piece while entering the temple for the first time, I knew that something in the proposition here was going to be memorable, nuanced and special among its peers and likely for some time to come. Just stellar.
Another thing worth mentioning is how the "Colossus-Themes" evolve over time. The early themes like "Revived Power" come off as more heroic and triumphant while over time the themes become much more melancholic, culminating in "Demise Of The Ritual" which sounds more like a mournful Requiem.
oh dear lord......you really got it!........loved your deep analysis.....please keep it up
On top of everything else, you know a lot about music too. You really are full of surprises. I love your channel, and I always look forward to your videos.
Amazing soundtrack and analysis. Very much appreciated!
I used to blast this OST nonstop. It really fit the aesthetic perfectly.
Probably the best video essay on sotc out there
Wondrous incite that I have always felt about this game and the score.
Best video game ost of all time
Really loved this video! A perspective that I don't often see/hear expressed in this level of detail about games, especially on RUclips. Excellent work!
Oh this was a good as heck video - your analysis of the death scenes of the colossuses made me think of some interpretations of of it too:
Firstly, that suspended note you mentioned - for me, what with how you described it, it seemed to represent the giants clinging to life before their final death, the gap between heartbeats if you will. And the happier notes at the end - it is certainly ironic, but it is also actually happy in a way - for Dormin, this represents part of their freedom from the seals that bind them, and their escape into a new body. So if you consider that perspective, it really is a happy meaning for *someone* .
Very interesting and well thought out analysis of an often overlooked element of gaming. Well done!
I would be absolutely happy to have more dissection of game soundtracks if you can find other good examples.
Asgard314 Check out Game Score Fanfare and 8-bit Music Theory
This might just be my music bias speaking but I would absolutely love more of these musical analysis. You just dont find people talking about music enough, especially not at this depth. The best I've come across is Karak's "sound, music and voice" section of his reviews. I just think the importance of the effect of music in games for some reason is strangely understated or overlooked by most videogame analysis channels so this was truly treat. Thanks so much, Hamish.
That's a great video. Just came across it after two years but man it's awesome.
Thanks for this, it was really interesting to see the music broken down into the actual mechanics. SotC is one of the most beautiful, haunting scores in a game, and the composer deserves just as much credit as the game itself. Grrat stuff mate. Cheers.
Fantastic work, Hamish!
Outstanding as always Hamish!
My favorite game of all time. good video man
Incredible analysis, certainly I think the soundtrack (which I own on my mp3 player) has been the true selling point of the story for me for so long, turning the incredibly fun game that SotC is into a heartfelt and meaningful one too. Cheers for the video bud :)
Another incredible video Hamish. I love the passion you put into every video, it's what keeps me coming back for every video. I have to say this was really informative, I don't really know anything about music but I was able to follow what you were saying just fine. Keep up the good work!
oh god yes please more music analyses like this
i thank you for making this video,i dont know much about actual music composition,so ive been looking for a video like this ever since i played the game last christmas on my ps2
Wow this video was fantastic. I would love to hear you talk about other amazing soundtracks.
Really liked the editing in this video. Like showing the FF7 winning screen but only letting us play the tune in our own head. Makes the contrast work so much better when its played later with the SOTC visuals
I'm curious what peoples favorite Colossus fight was.
Mine was number 13 the flying sand worm also called Phalanx.
It was such a beautiful creature, I felt terrible about killing it.
The flying ones are my favourites for sure. No rush quite like it.
@Toxic Potato
That's a great point, one i'd never noticed till you said it.
I'm having a hard time choosing between 9 and 14. 9 because of the amazing moments when you manage to make the colossus fall on its back, as well as when you're trying hard not fall off while it violently shakes its back, and 14 because of the colossus' design, the environment (I often dream of a video game or other piece of media where you get to explore the era where the forbidden land was populated by the people who built all the architecture) and the incredibly intense and sad section where the injured Cenobia desperately tries to kill you.
The fifth Colossus is my favorite. With the third and ninth not too far behind.
From what I've seen, I'm mostly alone in having 8 Kuromori as my favorite. It has my favorite traveling path, and my 10 year old brain was blown at least 3 times by it. Those being when I found the colosseum, when I to my great shock realized he could climb the walls AND shoot electric projectiles, and when I realized I could shoot his legs to make him fall. That was just too cool
Only subbed to your channel recently, I like your content, but this piece of work really exceeded my every expectation. as a musician myself, this dive deep into the composition, without becoming "too much to handle" for the non-musician audience.
I useally dont comment much on youtube, but some vids are so special and/or rare to a point where you just have to... Great job, well done mate. cheers from Israel
Kow Otani had my respect long before SOTC came to my attention. He not only scored GMK, arguably one of the best Godzilla movies ever, but also ALL THREE HEISEI GAMERA FILMS. These three films are widely considered the best kaiju movies ever made, and a good part of that reason is because of Otani's amazing score. When I found out that he also did the music for one of my favorite games of all time, I was so incredibly happy. I couldn't think of a better person to score the game, and I continue to listen to the soundtrack to this day.
Edit: I can't believe you didn't mention how uneasy Dirge's theme makes you feel. It's one of the only songs that truly conveys pure terror.
The music while youre fighting the collosus, the music when you defeat them, the music at the altar. The music at the credit scene of the game.
I remember crying when his horse (agro) fell into the ravine. I remember being in tears around the credits.
And the long list of musicians at the credit which seemingly never finished. I loved every bit.
I played this game twice and the emotion i felt even the second time was no less. Less frustrating tho. Got gud.
I agree with this video 100%. You hit the nail on the head this time.
Shadow of the colossus’s music was the first that made me cry. I love this games music as much as I love the game. Best soundtrack of a game ever in my opinion. It’s a true masterpiece
Great analysis buddy. Didn't know you were educated in music. Keep it coming!
This video is amazing and I hope to see more like this!
Ever since I watched Shakugan no Shana, the work of this man has stuck with me.
This score is sublime. It's interesting how each Team Ico game had a different composer, offering completely different vibes. For my money, Takeshi Furukawa's music for The Last Guardian is the best. So emotional, so epic. Actually, Last Guardian is my favorite game of the three.
Ah, I see you a man of culture as well.
Oh yes, yes, we are a rare breed indeed
Any other works of Otani I should hear? I can’t seem to find much, and I would love to see what he’s up to now. Great video as always.
He composed music for a wide range of anime (including Outlaw Star, which is far more adventurous)... but, check out the soundtrack for Haibane Renmei. It's an anime that is wrapped in beautiful, and sometimes bittersweet mystery. The music (classical meets jazz) is a story unto itself just as much as SotC ost. Enjoy!
He did the ost for Haibane renmei, tho its not a game.
Not sure about recent, but a few years before SotC he did a great soundtrack for one of the best Godzilla movies. The two scores are very different at first glance, but you can kind of hear the similarities between them at times.
ruclips.net/video/J7HmawerwKc/видео.html
Also listen to his Godzilla GMK soundtrack, which is quite fantastic and heart stirring stuff.
Gundam wing soundtrack was one of his best work.
Awesome video & content as ever Hamish :) keep up the stellar work as ever mate!.
Back in 2006, when I first got blown away by SotC like nothing else before (Xenogears came close later), The Opened Way stood out so much to me that I kept humming it in order to engrave it on my brain. That was before discovering the joys of the internet so I was really scared about forgetting this wonderful track. A few years later, A Despair-filled Farewell became my favorite track in the OST, the music from 0:54 onwards is so rich in emotions, I always felt it could go way beyond SotC's stories and inspired me to try to imagine other fitting stories. SotC, with its minimalistic storytelling, inspired me to try creating my own works of fiction and for that, it's my favorite game of all time.
I love this video analysis on the music (and sound) of Shadow of the Colossus. Although this is petty, I can't help but think, "take that!" to Friends Without Benefits because of their treatment of the game, its music, and its message, encouraging their blind fans to do the same. This game means way too much to me, being one of the first games I played back in 2006 that finally brought into question the industry's then rampant desire to glorify violence and extol the player's ruthlessness. It was an age of Halo and Grand Theft Auto. Shadow of the colossus will always be in my top 5 of all time simply because it stood against those monoliths and communities, calling them out and declaring out loud, "Here I am. Reason and emotion exist side by side. Fight me."
I'm so happy that the people who appreciated Shadow of the Colossus' sorrowful cry were not alone, and the video game industry has taken the message to heart.
Really great analysis! Enjoyed it immensly :)
1:40 OH myy, i just felt a HUGE throwback to the music of A Land before Time movie. Wow. o-o.
Lets see. "Discovery of the great valley". Am i the only one?
You have amazing analysis videos mane
I dont know jack about music theory, this vid was great and well made and makes me very curious to learn more about music theory.
SO good! This is probably my favorite soundtrack of all time. Certainly favorite game soundtrack. I didn't understand much of the technical stuff, but I enjoyed hearing about it none-the-less. Oh, and hey, maybe you'd like my colossus sculpture building videos I've got on my channel!
Finally someone who appreciates Kow Otani's work as much as I do. Thank you for the video. And even though I'm not expert o music, I appreciate good art and music. And for me...this is art...no, this is a masterpiece! My favoritw track is "Prologue-To The Ancient Land"
Love Otani's work on the anime, Outlaw Star.
Masterpiece in everyway, sometimes I missed the cut content, but I guess it was too much (maybe)
Kow Otani also did the OST for the Anime series Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. Seriously good music for an extremely tragic historical Drama about the Shinsengumi. He composed The music for Seasons 1, 2 and 3 (which is my fave). They made movies for the series but Otani did not write music for those. I adored the music when I first watched the series but couldn't figure out why... then I read the credits.. LOL! The OST are a little hard to find on Ebay but if you're a fan of Otani's music, I highly recommend them!
music is the main reason for creating atmosphere and telling a good story or make you feel emotions..... thats something many developers miss
I don't typically comment on your videos but this one was great. I didn't know you had music knowledge!
Quick correction: The suspension does not necessarily create dissonance, most of the time it creates "tension". But this will depend on the context in which the suspension is applied.
What a masterpiece. Thank you.
Thank you for all this info. Definitely one of the best games ever made. Your video is a masterpiece as is the game.
Bravo! Fantastic analysis. Love this game and LOVE the music. Beautifully tragic and ethereal especially with their death falls. So emotional this game is! And as the daughter of a pipe organ player....so happy to hear it in the composition!
Amazing video. Do more like this.
Fantastic video.
Excellent video
Otani's work is so great that I decided to put it in a school project. It was essential to find a sad song.
In this video you should've mentioned Otani's other musical works. :) Just a suggestion. Thanks for such an awesome video all the same.
Didn't realize Ko Otani did the music for the game. I liked his work on the anime Haibane Renmei years ago.
Wow thank you for this analysis
Amazing video! Really great
As you were wrapping up your final points with that song in the background, I got worried that you were gonna cut it off before it resolved. Then, I realized that you didn't seem like the kind of person who would do that, so I relaxed and let those last few chords take me away.
Sorry, don't think this helped you in any way, but a comment is still a comment. Great video!