One member of the PlayStation family is Bluepoint Games. Although right before the announcement of joining PlayStation Studios the indie studio stated they were fully independent and self-funded. However, it was only a matter of time before they joined. In fact, their website proudly states they are in fact “a proud member of PlayStation Studios”. Over the years they have given us some big names with the most recent being the remake of Demon’s Souls. Before that, we had a PlayStation 3 remaster and a PlayStation 4 remake of Shadow Of The Colossus. They also gave us an HD port of Ico and brought the debut of Nathan Drake to PlayStation 4.
The first full ground-up title they delivered was for the PlayStation 4. Shadow of the Colossus was the title and the studio described it as.
The first ground-up remake Bluepoint shipped with entirely new visuals, updated gameplay features, and new music and audio design.
The remake launched just under five years ago now in February 2018 and was a fantastic success at the time. They knew the game well having remastered it for the PlayStation 3 in 2011 in a bundle with Ico. That is playable on PlayStation today as it is part of the PlayStation Plus Premium tier. The original team from the PlayStation 2 release may have their new game to announce this year which made me wonder. Is their iconic game worth it today? So with the remake being a faithful painstakingly recreated title, I started there.
Shadow Of The Colossus In 2023
First off the game is a simple concept. you are exploring a beautiful but isolated location to find sixteen giant creatures. With each slain creature, you help to revive the woman you arrive with at the start of the game. So let’s look at the game itself:
Above is a comparison of the original on the PlayStation 2 to the PlayStation 4. As you can see Bluepoint’s remake is faithful. However, it’s always nice to see it as it looks in actual gameplay. All footage is from a PlayStation 5.
It’s when you get to play the game and explore it, you appreciate the improvements. The light worked its way through the trees, swaying blades of grass and the hair on the Colussi. It ran smoothly on the PlayStation 4 Pro and equally so on the PlayStation 5.
The video captured before shows how it looks in the game and it does look even crisper when actually playing the game. All audio work is of the same quality as well from music to sound effects. So it’s also a testament to the game an indie developer created a tribute to the game in Praey For The Gods. However, this is a game I feel has lasted, helped by a stunning remake. With that in mind, it’s a game I completely recommend as a must-play. Even today I think you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t play this game if it’s possible. If you’re curious about what they did next, they did a similar remake of Demon Souls on the PlayStation 5. A title that has shown a glimpse of what the new hardware can do.
