Shadow of the Colossus is an action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico and published by Sony Computer Interactive. The game was released in 2005 for PlayStation 2. The fantasy world of Shadow of the Colossus is rich with lore, where a Wanderer is on his quest to seek the power to revive a girl, Mono.
The player must embark on an impossible journey and destroy the sixteen colossi. These are massive beings with immense power, spread across the landscape, that you must travel on foot. Many people loved the game, so it received a remake in 2018.
The remake was developed by Bluepoint Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. This remake was made using ultra-high definition art assets for PlayStation 4. Although the resources were made from scratch, the game retained the gameplay and title.
Most of the Content was Cut from the Game
Much of the content was cut during the later stages of development in the remake. The initial plan was to have a new island in the southeast part of the map, along with more colossi. There should have been double the amount of colossi, some of which were on the verge of completion.
These concepts included a giant spider, a massive worm, and a colossal monkey. Details about the rest were still cloudy. In addition to an island, they were also supposed to make slight changes to the paths and scenery, which were arenas.
A former Team Ico employee presented these leaks. The employee then provided the information to the fan community. As some information began revolving around, a group of 5 individuals interviewed Hitoshi Niwa, who worked on the game.
Niwa accidentally gave too much information, which he then asked them to keep confidential. However, the news was already out, and it was too late. The downside to this was that if there were no leaks, Niwa would have possibly given the group a demo version of the game, which would have been even better.
Details on the Supposed Cut Content
Until now, most of that information was spread through text, and almost no concept images were given in these leaks. Many people tried to make a fanmade version of these leaks, which got somewhat close.
Luckily, we now have the leaked images of most of the cut content. However, it is improbable that we see it come to the game.
Sketch Image of Spider’s Arena.The sketch image for the Spider’s Arena, where the Spider Colossi likely resides.
Picture from the beta map.In the picture above, we can see the beta map of the game. The location is the same as where Basaram Arena is.
Wanderer next to Minotaur arena.The image shows Wanderer next to Minotaur A’s arena structure.
Stones of Sirius.This image shows the Stones of Sirius (Stonehedge) when he still inhabited E8.
A Beta Arena.
Cenobia Arena and Beta Arena Comparison.From the above picture, we can see an arena from the beta map. The beta arena was likely turned into Cenobia Arena due to the similarities.
Alternative Mount for Wanderer.The bull shown in the above picture was the alternative mount for Wanderer. However, the idea was scrapped in the early stages of Nico’s development. It would have been cool to use it in the game.
Various Scenes from the Scrapped Content.From the image, we can see the curious cutscenes from the scrapped content. Some images show some of the colossi, which is very exciting. The images are further enhanced below to show what they depict.
The Gaius Colossi.The image shows what is likely the Gaius Colossi.
An Old Leaked Image of Phoenix Colossi.This is an old image of a Phoenix Colossi from the rare Chronix Magazine.
The Basaram Arena.The Basaram Arena from the leaks
Griffin ColossiThe image depicts a Griffin Colossi.
Phalanx Area in the Game.The Phalanx area from the cut content.
Plane-like thing.In the image, we can see a plane-like thing. However, we are not sure what it exactly is.
An Older Image of Spider Colossi.
Spider Colossi.The above pictures show the Spider Colossi, probably the most creepy one and something you would definitely avoid if you don’t want to die. However, its strength is still unknown, so maybe we are lucky not to face it.
Malus from Beta.From the image, we can see Malus Colossi from the beta.
The Tower of Roc Colossi.The tower resides where Barba’s Arena currently is. The Roc Colossi lived in that tower. Another colossus we, unfortunately, did not see in the game.
There was a lot of information to cover. As we said, most of the content was cut from the game, and if we saw these things, the game would be completely different. What are your thoughts on them? Who do you think is the most powerful colossi among the scrapped ones? Let us know below!
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