By Shadow of the Colossus is commemorating its 20th anniversary today, October 18, 2025. Below, we delve into the ethical intricacies of its storyline as narrated through its mute protagonist.
Does a mute protagonist signify a self-insert? The reasoning in numerous video games certainly suggests so. Characters like Gordon Freeman and Link have remained perpetually silent, only emitting grunts or cries. Even Master Chief, who possesses a voice, conceals his face. Behind his mask, anyone could be concealed.
Nevertheless, despite this prevalent reasoning, silence frequently proves isolating. Few games exemplify this notion better than the creations of Fumido Ueda. The protagonists of Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, and The Last Guardian are reserved, often voicing little or communicating solely in an ethereal language, which may or may not be subtitled. Instances of dialogue or even actions beyond player control are significant and uncommon.
According to the principle of mute identification, these characters would merely be straightforward, iconic player substitutes. However, Ueda’s intentional voids establish an empathetic separation from the heroes in his games. Over the two decades since Shadow of the Colossus’ launch, it has demonstrated its depth as a moral allegory due to its disconnect from the player.
What Makes Shadow Of The Colossus A Masterpiece?
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This isn’t to imply that Shadow of the Colossus is disinterested in the format of video games. Protagonist Wander’s journey is rooted in past gaming experiences. He endeavors to rescue his beloved from the clutches of death. To accomplish this, he must defeat the eponymous colossi: giant adversaries scattered across a forbidden territory. The force motivating Wander, Dormin, is a divine voice encircled in illumination. Wander brandishes a legendary blade—one whose relationship with the sun directs him on his mission. In every apparent aspect, he embodies the ideal hero. He undertakes a noble quest, possesses a sacred weapon, and confronts monstrous antagonists.
intended for demise.
Nonetheless, Wander is the instigator. For several of the colossi, he must unleash his bow and arrow at them to even attract their notice. It is only when he encroaches upon their territory, and frequently not until he strikes them, that they will retaliate. The colossi ooze darkness. It gushes from them as Wander pierces them. They groan, thrash, lament, and wail as he ascends over and upon them. Each colossus possesses an animalistic nobility, which Wander slaughters. Each aspect is a fragment of Shadow of the Colossus’ discourse. Collectively, they transform the typical elements of heroic fantasy into something nightmarish.
However, Wander is neither a cipher nor a placeholder. Frequently, games featuring mute protagonists commence from a backdrop of relative normality. Consider Gordon Freeman’s extensive train journey to the workplace in Half-Life, or Link’s youthful playground of Kokiri Forest in Ocarina of Time. In Shadow of the Colossus, we begin midway through Wander’s odyssey as he rides across the land. Upon his arrival and placing his beloved Mono on an altar, we discover only a few details about him. First, he wields an “ancient sword,” as Dormin refers to it. Second, he is striving to liberate his love from mortality and a certain curse. Third, his horse Agro is a devoted and valiant ally. There is an implication of a life lived beyond the confines of the games. There are elements that hold significance that the player cannot yet perceive or understand.
Moreover, Wander’s precise motivations remain obscure. His connection with Mono is never portrayed. Instead, we observe how he behaves in her absence. His quest to vanquish the colossi is both grueling and perilous, yet he proceeds with nearly unwavering determination. The player can guide him to stand over Mono’s form on the altar. The camera zooms in, intimate in a manner the game seldom is otherwise. Wander’s affection is profound, and perhaps selfish given how much he will obliterate to see it rekindled, yet we do not witness it, leading to a struggle to relate to it directly. Shadow of the Colossus constructs this understanding through gestures that build into cascading significance.
Through these gestures, the game adopts a theatrical essence. The player embodies Wander as an actor might assume a part. The player makes certain decisions, such as how frequently he visits Mono between defeating colossi or whether their skill will define him as a nimble warrior or a clumsy, though determined, commoner. Yet, the framework is established. Wander has made his choices. The player can only interpret them.
This presents a stark contrast with many other games, which typically focus on the main character’s ethics. Titles like BioShock and Spec Ops: The Line, for instance, employ the main character as a surrogate for the player. BioShock’s plot twist highlights how little agency the player genuinely possesses in the narrative, transforming its hero into an unwitting pawn. In Spec Ops: The Line, the player’s desire to conclude the game and protagonist Walker’s conviction in the significance of his mission are equated. As Walker’s resolve leads to his damnation, it implicates the player as well. Through loading screens and monologues, Spec Ops urges the player to cease playing.
Both of these titles contain a bit more beneath the surface than mere player reproach, yet there lies a certain superficiality in their approach to protagonist ethics. The developers themselves are strangely absent from this reasoning, for instance. BioShock’s twist possesses dramatic strength, but scant emotional depth. The protagonist isn’t anyone; he is merely a tool. The twist relies on player identification that stems solely from absence. Spec Ops: The Line fares better in this respect. Walker is a character of at least two dimensions. However, if he is a character acting on his own volition, why all this discourse surrounding player complicity? The moral pivot cannot genuinely implicate the player in any tangible manner.
Shadow of the Colossus is also invested in agency, but not that of the player– rather, of Wander himself. BioShock and Spec Ops are both boisterous. Antagonists Andrew Ryan and John Konrad articulate the themes to the player in explicit terms. Shadow of the Colossus is subdued. Its world is filled with vacant spaces and unoccupied time. That emptiness fosters an empathetic, yet still removed, perspective. Through the act of play, the player gradually comes to comprehend Wander. That process of embodiment is hazy, mythical, not straightforward or reducible. Shadow of the Colossus does not regard the player as an unwitting pawn, incapable of truly grasping the circumstances until the game’s creators provide their benevolent assistance. Wander’s misdeeds are not a twist. This reality permits the player to reside with it, even to embody it for a duration.
Reproach is effortless; it is understanding that is arduously earned and challenging. Although Walker possesses more dialogue and writing, Wander still appears more real because his individuality is not tethered to the player. Instead, there is the feeling of an exchange. We empathize with Wander and grieve for him. That connection bears a deeper and more significant influence on our own ethics than mere reproach. If we ponder whether we are culpable, Shadow of the Colossus will always remain quiet.
At the conclusion of the game, following a fellowship vowed to halt Wander arrives and confines him within the forbidden realm, Wander journeys to a place the player cannot pursue. The sealing process has transformed him into a child, whom the successfully revived Mono appears to desire to nurture. All of Wander’s valor and strength have been drained from him. He is now a being incapable of controlling a controller.
That enigmatic ending is part of what grants Shadow of the Colossus its enduring impact. We were Wander’s companions for a time. We walked alongside him. But his destiny is his own. So too, is ours.
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