Climbing and killing a giant stone creature is the best way to any girl's heart.
One of the most riveting games I have played to date, Shadow of the Colossus takes you on a journey to a mystical land. The Colossi that roam the landscape are the key to bringing back Mono, the cursed lover of Wanderer.
There are a total of 16 colossi creatures that must be taken down. Here, I'm going to talk about my favorite colossi, as well as the ones that made me want to rip my hair out. And trust me, there's plenty of those moments.
Who's the best giant, furry foe? Read and find out.
16. The 11th Colossus (Celosia)
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Celosia preparing to strike
Location and fight:
I rank Celosia as the worst, because he's the main culprit of many lost strands of hair. The lion like Colossi is on the smaller side, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in speed. This fight is all about timing. Celosia moves quickly, and does substantial amounts of damage when he strikes.
Why the worst?
- Tedious
- Dull
- He's difficult to stab when he’s constantly trying to shake you off
- Moves very fast
15. The 4th Colossus (Phaedra)
Phaedra looking down upon Wanderer
Location and fight:
I really wanted to like Phaedra, but dang I was disappointed. The horse/deer/llama looking colossus is the easiest in the game to defeat. The fight itself is predictable and easy to figure out. While hiding in a cave he dips his head down, allowing Wanderer to climb up his earthy reins and strike accordingly.
Why not so great?
- Too easy
- Anti-climatic
- Short fight
14. The 2nd Colossus (Quadratus)
Quadratus facing his foes
Location and fight:
While he may look massive and intimidating. He sure doesn't do a whole lot, aside from trying to trample Wanderer in one repetitive motion exposing his weak points on his hooves. He's just a big old fuzzy goat mammoth really.
Why not terrible?
- Boring
- More of a tutorial fight to prepare the player
13. The 15th Colossus (Argus)
Wanderer delivering the final blow
Location and fight:
Argus, the stone Minotaur! He's a big boy with a nasty stone bread knife. He may look impressive, but with him being the 15th of the final 16, I was over it. Nothing new is brought to the table, so the battle felt unoriginal.
Why not so cool?
- Not as impressive as the other fights
- Lackluster
12. The 12th Colossus (Pelagia)
Pelagia emerging from the water
Location and fight:
The idea of Pelagia is pretty cool, he's basically a giant island. The fight, on the other hand, is odd. Laser horns of death and teeth on top of his head? What.
Why not so impressive?
- Long battle
- Too much swimming
- Frustrating
11. The 8th Colossus (Kuromori)
Location and fight:
This guy was cool, but hard. Kuromori is a lizard-like creature who launches lasers, which leave behind a nasty poison gas. Overall, creative design and fighting tactics. Kuromori is not a bad fight by any means, he’s just not the cream of the crop.
Why such a low rating?
- Difficult
- Time-consuming
- His laser fart attack rapidly dwindles Wanderer's life
10. The 3rd Colossus (Gaius)
Gaius looking spectacular with his knife of doom
Location and fight:
Gaius is a behemoth with a big sword to boot. Although he's 1 of the 3 tutorial-style fights. It's definitely not a hard fight, but he provides a great sample of what's in store. Although the fight is quite easy, I rate him higher because he is the copy art for the game, basically, he’s what initially drew me to Shadow of the Colossus.
Why this rating?
- Easy
- Straightforward fight
- Cool design
9. The 14th Colossus (Cenobia)
Cenobia planning Wanderer's demise
Location and fight:
Cenobia is one of the other small colossi, much like Celosia. The fight itself was enjoyable since it involves running along rooftops and jumping from tower to tower to evade the beast. It sort of felt like playing Assassin's Creed.
Why not higher on the list?
- Tricky
- Requires finesse (I definitely don't have it)
8. The 1st Colossus (Valus)
Location and fight:
Oh man, Valus definitely sets the tone of Shadow of the Colossus. He's the first of the 16, and dang does he arrive in style. When he lumbers into view with a stone club in hand like a neanderthal, I was blown away.
Why smack dab in the middle?
- Easy tutorial fight
- Sweet entrance
- Big and beautiful
- First colossi of the series
7. The 7th Colossus (Hydrus)
Hydrus emerging to the surface of the water
Location and fight:
Hydrus is an eel-esque colossus that isn't afraid to zap Wanderer. This battle is mildly reminiscent of the Never Ending Story. Wanderer is Barret riding around on Hydrus who is a less friendly version of Falkor.
Why the 7th colossus is ranked #7?
- Riveting fight
- A little tricky
- Cool creature design
6. The 16th Colossus (Malus)
Location and fight:
Malus, the big, bad boss. This battle involves a long climb, and if you're uncoordinated like me. You will fall. A lot. Overall a nice ending boss. While the falling is definitely frustrating, Malus is still a worthy adversary.
Why is the final ultimate fight not higher ranked?
- Falling leads to death in this battle (Kind of annoying)
- Tricky
- Tedious
5.The 6th Colossus (Barba)
Barba looking surprised
Location and fight:
Barba is a good fight, especially since Wanderer gets to climb his beard like Rapunzel. I might be a bit biased with this rating since I'm a sucker for a nice beard. What can I say?
Is it only because of the beard?
- Mostly yes
4. The 9th Colossus (Basaran)
Location and fight:
I was rather aggravated by Basaran the turtle crab, not going to lie. This fight took some time for me, it's pretty straight forward, but it's all about timing. But, oh man, is it a satisfying victory.
Why #4?
- Satisfying fight
- The right kind of hard
- Definitely tedious
3. The 5th Colossus (Avion)
Location and fight:
Avion is pretty rad. He's a giant hawk flying overhead. How the heck do you take him down? Luckily, he's not invincible. It's an incredible experience to run around on his back striking all his vital points while soaring in the air.
Why third place?
- Spectacular fight scene
- This fight is all about timing
2. The 10th Colossus (Dirge)
Location and fight:
Dirge, the sneaky sandworm. An intense battle, because he remains beneath the sand most of the fight. When he does decide to appear, he's right on Argo's rear as Wanderer is desperately shooting arrows into his eyes.
The 2nd runner up?
- Very intense fight (My heart might have skipped a beat)
- Challenging, since riding Argo amps up the battle
1. The 13th Colossus (Phalanx)
Location and fight:
Phalanx is hands down the best fight in the entire game. This giant snake-like beast peacefully floats above you. Phalanx is the most docile of the colossi, floating around minding his own business.
Why the best?
- Galloping under his flying shadow is ever so satisfying
- Docile (Poses no threat to Wanderer)
- Floats around on giant airbags
- Fighting takes place in the air
Well friends, that's a wrap. Here are the best bosses of Shadow of the Colossus. As you can see, there are some worthwhile foes that are fun yet challenging.
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