Shadow of the Colossus

[dc-arena]

Me too. It's really stuck in my mind.. Incredible.

[PeteJ]

Yup. Finished it about an hour ago it and I'm still completely gob-smacked at it.

I never cried, I never laughed and I was never scared, yet I found this to be one of the most provocative games ever made.
Ending:

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The fall and return of Agro was quite simply the most elegantly handled piece of gaming direction I've ever seen. The animation was just so well done, I really sensed its struggle, yet determination to reach the secret garden.

Agro sees the baby, yet carried on without even a second glance, wanting to make it to the top. I know I'm imagining things here, but I couldn't help but think even the horse felt that the boy had done a crime. I don't know...it was almost as if the horse still knew the boy was his master, but it had lost 'respect' for him. He lead the girl (and hence the baby) up to the secret garden as his final duty to his master before, I assume, he died; but he done so through duty rather than pride. Sounds weird, but I picked up on little movements that properly weren't there.

Sounds silly, but I found that Agro was the best character in the whole game.

I felt I was just 'going through the motions' towards the end of the game, and like Ed I felt the more open battles at the start of the game were more enjoyable than the puzzle-like ones towards the end. Also like Ed, I still love the first one -

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You simply hang on, climb up and stab away.

. I wasn't so keen on the puzzled-ones, they felt a little too scripted. That said, they were all extremely well designed.

Re: number 16

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This was actually exactly how I pictured the whole game from when it was first announced - a moving platform game. With it, the final colossi had the same frustrations, amazements and satisfactions I was expecting too. I wasn't so keen on his look - was a bit kids cartoony - nor the way he was rooted to the spot, but climbing up him gave off quite a buzz. Shame his body didn't move around more so you had to time the jumps better on the way up.
It was frustrating falling off when you reached the head, but at least it didn't take too long to get back up. Took me 40 minutes in total, which was by far the longest. Taking him down was great though. Bastard thing.

A very special game :wub

[Concept]

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Such a brilliant,powerful,thought provoking ending.The lack of cut-scenes in the game was a great move.In that when one did appear,it made that much more of an impact.Even the credit's were beautifully done,having those scenes mixed into it just fulfilled me that much more.

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I loved that too. I thought when the credits rolled and the perspectives of each fallen colossus came into shot, that that was it.

It came as a complete surprise to me when the game caught up with both Emon and Mono to see what was happening to them. Even though I don't shed tears over any media, when Colossus caught up with Emon and his men riding away to the other side of the bridge, and that distinctive, ethreal chorus retured I was on the verge. I don't know why it's that one moment - I think it's the chereography and the ending of the music which did it, as well as the context of everything else that had happened working inconjunction with each other.

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I have'nt completed ico.I don't even own it,so i can't really relate what happens in the ending to ico's.Sure i know ico had horn's which shocked me when the hero appeared in cursed form and of course the baby which i'm not even gonna guess what that relates to.I'm going to have to track down a copy of ico first.

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I'm glad you intend to.

One of my hopes for most people who haven't played ICO but are awestruck by Colossus, is that they get a strong compulsion to track the team's original game down, and give it a new audience.

SPOILERS

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I figured that dormin was tricking you and that the colossus were individual pieces of him but I didn't expect it to be related to ICO quite so much I only played ICO just before this game came out and I'm so glad I did as it made the ending even better than it could have. It makes defeating the queen in ICO more bitter sweet as you not just saving yorda your correctng a mistake by your ancestor. I don't think there any relation between mono and the queen. But I wonder if the queen in ICO was keeping all the horned-buys as each boy has a little piece of dormin in him and she's hoping to bring him back. What I love about the ending is it doesn't just have you reevaluating the whole of colossus it also has you reevaluating ICO which makes me want to play it again as well. I was also over the moon that argo was ok as I was gutted when he fell it was great that after defeating every colossi he came back to the temple he was your only friend the entire time and is loyal to his master to the end.

Anyway off to try time attack mode now.

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Interesting. I hadn't thought of it in that way.

See, the way I see Dormin is as a fragmented variety of pieces that form an entity when brought together. I don't view what Dormin is as what makes it though. The black ink/smoke is a form of energy in my view, and in the caskets during Ico, the boys are being used to keep the Queen alive along enough to see Yorda reach the stage she can be used successfully as a spritiual vessel.

I also liked that about Agro during the points you mention. He instinctively came back to the temple in the hopes that you'd reappear after being teleported by Dormin.

I've been away for a week so I'm really only getting into this now but am I the only one having a real problem killing these guys? I mean from a moral perspective. They seems really gentle and there is no hint that what I am doing is the right thing at all. Where ICO was all about protection and concern, this one seems to be about selfish slaughter. It has replaced everything positive about ICO with some nasty killing in my opinion.

The game actually makes me feel bad about doing what I am doing.

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I wouldn't say the game is nasty. The colossus do attack back (or some of them do)... mostly the giant ones. However, it's clear that the wanderer nearly always has the upperhand, and that his selfishness is determining his desire to see Mono return. He wants her back more than anything, and will try to return her no matter who gets in the way.

I think it makes him an interesting, conflicted character. He's not an archetypal goth (looking at modern day Prince of Persia) anti-hero, and he's not exactly a shining knight either. He's certainly not as innocent as Ico or Yorda... his increased age, and the fact that it turns out he's not as noble as we're led to believe at the beginning, helps provide him extra depth at the end, and makes his eventual trap more powerful in terms of impact.

Just as we're getting to know something about him, about being flawed and human, he's turned into something inhuman, used, hunted and then taken away.

[Concept]

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It's interesting linking the Queen from Ico to Dormin. Very interesting. I guess the black spirits in Ico could be slayed Horn Boys or something. Are people saying the Queen is the girl from Shadow of the Colossus? Or just that the Queen is cursed like Dormin?

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The Queen could possibly be her. Pay close attention to the middle of the game, and a vision the wanderer has is of Mono being a shadow being (she isn't quite one, she looks like a dark human version, a la the Queen). It's a disturbing moment that lends more weight to the theory she may possibly later become the Queen. It may also explain the Queen's compulsion for using horned boys to sustain her power, and Mono may be infected with the essence Dormin uses in much the same way the Wanderer (she has to come back somehow).

Despite all these points though, I believe ICO is set hundreds of years beyond Colossus. The cultural markings (such as architecture and clothes design) suggest the game is taking place a long time ago during the past, but in the same world.

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What did everyone do at the end by the way when you could control Dormin? Did you breathe a bit of blue flamage, and follow them to the seal? That was mad!

It was ace when The Wanderer (is that his official name?) grabbed onto the pool which was sucking him in. It was futile, but I hung in for a while!

I am guessing there is just the one ending for the game? Going to go through it again on Hard anyway.

Awesome. Loved it. Game of the Year.

It was mad.

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I mostly stomped on the ground and knocked over a few of the soldiers before growling and breathing flame. As for the pool... I hung in there for a time, but eventually realised there was no escape. I think there's only the one ending (it wouldn't make sense to have any others, as it would dilute the impact of the main, long one).

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Nah, I managed it tonight, and I have only completed it once. I took some photos..

Sorry the flash had to be off, so they are a bit blurry.

Pretty cool huh?

There isn't much to do in the Secret Garden. Well, there is actually nothing to do, except have a look around, and fall down the hole that The Wanderer looks up to from within the Temple when talking to Garmon.

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Yeah. I reached there earlier today.

dc-arena/ lll_r0ssco_lll - The official guide says you have to complete the game four times over, but having completed it three times and started my forth I already gained access. I think gaining entry to the gardens isn't based on completion amount, but simply on the size of your stamina (which can be increased by collecting Lizards' tails).

The secret garden is a beautiful place. Even though there's not a lot to do (apart from admiring the sight and eating poison fruit), it's Colossus' equivalent of the 'Windmill' scene from ICO. I find it one of the most beautiful areas in the entire game due to the lighting and architecture (being able to look inside the castle and how it's constructed). Truly a mesmerising sight.

Another thing about the garden (and it's a bonus almost equal to gaining access to it) is that you're provided the best vistas in the game from the height it's positioned at. You can more or less see the entire landscape, which I found amazing. I also love the fact that you can walk on top of the bridge from the castle to the temple entry into the forbidden land, and see the landscape and lighting change as you walk. I think the reason you can't get beyond the temple (in narrative terms) is that the land has been sealed by Dormin to ensure you don't escape, and bring the colossi down to free it.

It took me about 12 minutes running from one end of the bridge to the other, over 2kms. The sense of height and vertigo eclipses even ICO when you're up at that height, and you can see nearly every inch of the world. Absolutely outstanding stuff, and a real treat for working on building up the stamina. I can see the top of the bridge and the secret gardens becoming my favourite places in the game.

[Concept]

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Just a quick note here; I don't remember that as being difficult once I figured out what I was supposed to do. Did you jump to its head from its hand after having stabbing it to steady it? Because once you get to that point (steady hand), you can shoot an arrow into the exposed part of its left shoulder to make it protectively move its hand over there. From what I remember, it was an easy jump from there.

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Yup, I figured that out on a later playthrough (I've completed the game three times), though the first time I jumped from the finger next to its thumb and hung on to the neck plate. Took me five or so attempts.

Edit: Getting the number of completion times mixed up, I'm on my fourth just now

Shows I need to pay attention more.

All fascinating points there, Concept... although this time it's me who's far too tired to make a coherent response

Although, a couple of things that just occurred:

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You mention how static the sixteenth Colossus is - it occurred to me as I climbed it that compared to all the others, which seem more angered by the Wanderer's intrusion on their territory or his outright attacks on them (and which were presumably peaceful toward, or at least controllable by, their original creators), the sixteenth goes all-out to kill the Wanderer as soon as it sees him. If each Colossus were to embody a different part of Dormin's spirit or overarching personality, is this its malice or rage? I reckon this is the only Colossus the builders couldn't tame. Look at the intricate network of tunnels and structures (which aren't convenient ruins, but specifically resemble blast shields) that seem designed to let someone approach or escape the Colossus relatively safely. Also, the sixteenth doesn't move at all. That stone 'skirt' the Wanderer climbs looks more like a restraint than armour. Not to mention the fact the thing is trapped on top of a gigantic temple structure, connected to the land only by thin bridges over an enormous drop, behind a door that can only be opened by the specific, ancient, light-focusing sword...

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I think another aspect colossi sixteen reflects as well as rage, is also a methodical, callous nature. Take a look at the way it's structured. Everything is very intentionally laid out, which may possibly reflect the planning and pre-meditation inherent in Dormin (and something shown when Emon reveals how the wanderer has been used from the start).

As PeteJ says... colossi sixteen is the nearest to a level, and compared to the animalistic colossi (even the giants), it's also the one nearing a human/sentient form. Another huge clue is that colossi sixteen also has horns... and what happens to the wanderer directly after he kills this monster? He too develops horns... to me that further implies that the wanderer doesn't only act as a spiritual vessel for Dormin - he infuses certain characeristics of them inside himself. It's similar to when Ico kills the Queen and the energy which controlled her (this is only one interpretation mind) is transferred over to Yorda. When Dormin's idols are killed, their energy and forms become a greater part of the wanderer's curse. All this is revealed at the end of course, but the final colossi reveals maybe where the horns were ultimately generated from.

Also, and this is something which spun my head... take a keen eye to the introduction of the game. Emon is heard speaking of how the unknown lands were formed - by a resonance of unknown points. The creation of the idols is also referred to as being representations of ancient memories, which could signifiy a few things. Is Dormin the forms of these memories reinterpreted into an energy or magic? This would raise the issue of what we constitute as a form or of intelligence. Dormin could possibly be something far more abstract... an accumulation of times previously happened.

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Speaking of the sword, it strikes me as the literal key to the Colossi. I was playing Time Attack earlier and found myself on top of one of the bipedal ones, imagining it tearing through an invading army (equally, imagine an army riding into battle on the platforms and structures attached to one of the 'gladiator' Colossi). If an ordinary soldier with an ordinary sword was to climb it, would he be able to hurt it? Would the vitals even appear? I seriously doubt it. As much as the Wanderer goes through to defeat each Colossus, imagine how utterly and completely indestructible they'd likely be to anyone without the sword. Ten people, even. Hell, fifty. I guess we can assume either the sword was some kind of ancient failsafe whose purpose has been forgotten down the years, or even the tool used to seal Dormin's spirit into the colossal bodies in the first place. And if that's the case, and the lands are supposedly cursed, we're left wondering how Emon and his people got hold of it, I suppose.

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Like mr_sockochris said, the sword in Colossus affects those around it. When Dormin attempts to impose on the wanderer at the start for tresspassing into the shrine, it recognises the wanderer as a mortal being for having held the sword. This raises two interesting points - one suggests that Dormin is linked to the sword, i.e. it can tell the type of lifeforce holding it. Another is that the sword can't be held by someone dead, meaning that although Dormin may be able to sense it, it's aware that the sword will only be magically active if held in warm hands.

The sword possessing power on the colossi is confirmed in-game. If you're near weak spots and you're wielding a bow or no weapon, then they don't show. Obviously the sword is designed for bringing down the seal of the colossi. Having said this, at the end, Lord Emon intriguingly uses the sword for the opposite purpose - to seal the wanderer and Dormin in the land they're in. At the end, Emon also mentions that the wanderer of previously having used an ancient spell... which seems to me to imply that the sword is open to use, depending on the desires of the holder. For example, the wanderer may have used a spell he discovered to protect himself and kill the colossi, while Lord Emon, before sealing the shrine, may have used a different spell on the sword to do so.

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Was Dormin seen as a sort of devil in the land that he comes from, and did he know full well that to revive Dormin was to summon a terrible power, or was he truely oblivious to that?

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I think the wanderer only ever has one goal, and that is to reawaken Mono. He even says himself "it doesn't matter" (in reference to the price of his actions). After all he was willing to go on the run and become an outcast... therefore striking a deal with the devil probably didn't mean much in terms of his own personal consequences. He may have known of Dormin... he may have not. It wouldn't have changed his decision.

I'd say it's likely that the wanderer probably did know of Dormin. If he came from the same place as Lord Emon (or was in contact with civilisation) it's fairly incomprehensible to think that other people would know of this myth, and not him. As well as this, Emon is seen in his flashback at the start telling him where to go, and what the idols truly consist of.

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I also wonder how Mono (and how do we know she's called that? I never noticed that name being thrown around. I always assumed she was Wanda) was killed. Was it the fault of the Wanderer, and was he trying to atone for his sins, only to fall back into the dark even deeper than before? Was she his love, dead through ill health or the machinations of an enemy?

Note how tough he is. He must've been an extremely strong warrior in his homeland.

I'm sure someone with more time on their hands could happily write many pages of fanfiction on a possible backstory...

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The wanderer says Mono's name in the game, and she's also listed in the credits. Mono was almost certainly his love. Several summaries, the adverts for the game, and the official guide refer to her as so.

Intriguingly, at the end, Lord Emon says that he hopes that whoever is left in the shrine alive can atone for their sins. It's unclear if he's talking about the wanderer or Mono, but I think it's the former. This suggests to me that perhaps the wanderer may have been (inadvertently perhaps?) responsible for Mono's death and has gone to the shrine to atone and bring her back. That would explain his determination and lack of value for his own life.

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I personally find the end of the game quite tough to deal with. I don't like the idea that all of your struggles end up being for almost nothing.
For it to be a satisfying ending in the slightest (besides the return of Agro. I literally cheered at that point.) we have to assume that the Wanderer and Mono were deeply in love and that somehow, wherever he is, he knows that Mono is alive and that comforts him.

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I'm not sure he does. Remember, when he's down on the floor being attacked by Emon's men, the camera switches to his point of view, and he's reaching out to Mono in what seems a desperate hope for her to be alive. While he's being sucked into the portal, I believe he's unaware that she'll wake up. After all, as Emon says, Dormin was using him. Who is to say that it would keep its word? (even though it does). In this sense, I think the cushion of ICO's epilogue is lacking and maybe gives Colossus' ending further weight. I was happy that Agro survived too, though it seemed in bad shape, as though it was on its last legs, which made me feel sad at the same time.

The wanderer's struggles aren't for nothing... Mono wakes up and lives - he just doesn't survive to see it. I think that's the whole point of the tragedy and the emotional impact it leaves.

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Last note: Concept! The resting wanderer & figure on the doors in ICO = I love it! Keep more of that stuff coming. Rather tenuous and ridiculously geeky but stuff that makes sense and deepens the whole (largely user-created) mythology.

What will it take for them to make a huge, ridiculously epic RPG set in this world for the PS3? Hmm? You know it's right!

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I'm not exactly hungry to get lynched by the all encompassing anti-this, anti-that NGJ brigade, but I may write a feature looking at both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus (in context of each other) for the site at some point, though I doubt it'd be heavily narrative based like you're suggesting. This isn't to knock storyline analysis (or anything of the sort), as a great deal of thought goes into such works. However, in examinations of games of this sort, the discussion can often leave out what I personally value as the most important part - the interactivity, and how the story/atmosphere/structure is told from it. In ICO and Shadow of the Colossus' case this is particularly important, so I'd rather focus in those directions and follow a different route than trying to fully unearth the complete backstory (most of which would be subjective form my perspective).

As for the PS3 comments. I agree - it boggles the mind to think what the ICO team will do with next generation hardware. After expanding the world in Colossus (something I was apprehesive of when I first heard there was going to be another game in ICO's universe), I'm really intrigued to know what civilisation is like in this world. Both games have offered us these far off glimpses, but it'd be nice to get a little closer and see more of the society which lies behind the games. Isolation and mystery could still be kept. Imagine a free-roaming non-linear game where you travel between villages and cities in this world as a different character in a new story. It would be amazing.

[Concept]

*Apologies for the number of posts (on the end of the last page), but replying to a number of people and discussing the game within a single post, would have been messy, and overly confusing, hence why I've broken this conversation up. I also haven't had chance to (properly) reply at different times of the day.*

If some of my words don't make sense or there are errors, take the time and my tiredness into account.

Yup. Finished it about an hour ago it and I'm still completely gob-smacked at it.

I never cried, I never laughed and I was never scared, yet I found this to be one of the most provocative games ever made.

Glad to see you've joined the list of people who've seen it through to the end. The conclusion to Colossus is, as you say, just a little bit of a special way to end a very special game.

Ending:

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The fall and return of Agro was quite simply the most elegantly handled piece of gaming direction I've ever seen. The animation was just so well done, I really sensed its struggle, yet determination to reach the secret garden.

Agro sees the baby, yet carried on without even a second glance, wanting to make it to the top. I know I'm imagining things here, but I couldn't help but think even the horse felt that the boy had done a crime. I don't know...it was almost as if the horse still knew the boy was his master, but it had lost 'respect' for him. He lead the girl (and hence the baby) up to the secret garden as his final duty to his master before, I assume, he died; but he done so through duty rather than pride. Sounds weird, but I picked up on little movements that properly weren't there.

Sounds silly, but I found that Agro was the best character in the whole game.

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I know what you mean... I got that sense too - as though Agro was ready to give up and fade, after he'd done the one final task for his companion of protecting Mono until she's reached a safe haven (with the baby). What you have to ask yourself though is how did Agro know of the secret garden's location considering that he's from another land (as is the wanderer)? Could it be that Agro is more aware of the situations happening around him than we are at first led to believe? What you say about Agro's change of position... although it's very subtle, I think it is there.

Although some may think bringing Agro back takes away from the impact of his fall, I think it doesn't have much of a negative effect. With the wanderer gone, Mono (and the baby) trapped, and Agro near death, amazingly Colossus doesn't end on a bleak note. As it ends with the eagle leaving the trio, I felt a sense of hope that things could get better and begin again, and when you consider the shades the ending goes through... possession, hopelessness, power, guilt, anger, fear, regret... to move on to a hope and positivity is a huge task, but it pulls it off.

That's what gets me about the ending - the whole picture. The twists, the happenings, the way it's presented. I mean... there aren't any of those typically gimmicky camera angles you usually get during extended cutscenes in many games, and from one point of view, Colossus' ending actually does a number of interesting, rarely seen things for videogaming. The viewpoint of the soldier looking down on the possessed wanderer with his sword pointed down... I was shocked by that moment, because you really do get the sense of how consumed the wanderer has become by Dormin and how he's been taken over. I also thought the shot where he's desperately trying to reach Mono (first-person) was handled with a great deal of care, as was the staging of every shot in the final scenes. Great stuff.

[dc-arena]

Concept..

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You mention the gates in Ico having images on them. I have gone back to Ico since completing SotC, and I can't see anything specific. Which doors fo you mean, and what is the image?

How much bigger does your stamina circle get? Does it get much bigger than the size it gets after one completion? I didn't eat any lizards, in fact when I tried to pick them up they disapeared, and I only started trying that after finishing the game once. I also didn't bother with fruit until I had finished the game either.

You can climb the temple by using the diagonal jump method which means you hardly use any stamina.

[Ian(not Ian)]

Well I think.....

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The whole thing is a ploy not by Dormin, but by Lord Emon who wants to seal the ancient lands forever. To this end he conspires to Kill Mono and ensure the sword and the legend of regeneration is passed to the wanderer (the only warrior capable of bringing down all the colossi) who he well knows will set off with one thing on his mind, re-animating Mono regardless of personal cost.

Dormin was aware his time was up, that Lord Emon was plotting his downfall, but that if the wanderer succeeded before the Emon arrived to seal the land then he (Dormin) would be the victor. Remember Dormin's warning before the last colossus 'There is little time left'.

Mortally wounded the wanderer shows to mailce to Emon or his troops he only wants to be with Mono.
Upon killing the wanderer Emon promptly seals Dormin and makes a run for it not realising the girl is alive and the (tainted) essence of the wanderer remains in the form of a horned child. This child and girl will between them evolve into ICO's queen and the horned children we know and love........Probably

[dc-arena]

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The Wanderer (is that his official name?) knows he will die to save the girl, he is told at the start. "But you may the ultimate price" booms Dormin. "It doesn't matter" replys the boys.. Or something along those lines..

[peeveen]

Finished this at the weekend ... good ending, but not quite the "OMG" thing that you've all been bleating about ... maybe I need to finish ICO.

Having said that, they DID manage to make me "care" for

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the badly injured horse ... hope it gets well soon ... or somebody puts a bolt through it's head

.

Colossus #16 took me over two hours, but a good hour of that was spent getting knocked around by

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the laser blasts. For some reason, I just didn't see the entrance to the tunnels! I -did- manage to find a nice wee trick to reducing it's energy a tad before you apply the full-on assault tho. Stand almost at the top of the steps at the "entrance" to the arena and fire arrows at it's face. It'll fire lasers back, but they will either go whizzing over your head, or you'll be able to duck them with R1. Only takes a small amount of it's energy away, but every little bit counts, especially considering how hard it is to get a decent blow in with the sword while you're on its head

.

Haven't tried the time-attack yet, but I think I'll definitely be doing it. It's not going on the shelf yet.

[Concept]

Concept..

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You mention the gates in Ico having images on them. I have gone back to Ico since completing SotC, and I can't see anything specific. Which doors fo you mean, and what is the image?

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Not the gates. The idol doors that Yorda opens. A picture of a horned boy kneeling sombrely, which looks very similar to wanderer when he's sleeping next to a save altar.

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How much bigger does your stamina circle get? Does it get much bigger than the size it gets after one completion? I didn't eat any lizards, in fact when I tried to pick them up they disapeared, and I only started trying that after finishing the game once. I also didn't bother with fruit until I had finished the game either.

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The stamina circle expands every time you down a colossus, and a little when you eat Lizard's tails. It can become massive... the right and lower portions of the circle for example, have gone off the sides of the screen. However, even with it at this size, I still only just made it to the garden (and that was with boost jumping to save stamina).

There are two types of lizards, those without white tails, and those with. The latter boost your stamina a little every time you obtain one (the tail), although if you eat too much I think the game shrewdly limits you and waits until you down the next colossus to boost your stamina (otherwise someone could cheat and just eat Lizard tails on their first playthrough and make the experience really easy).

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You can climb the temple by using the diagonal jump method which means you hardly use any stamina.

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I'm interested in how this is done, because jumping is only one part of getting to the secret garden, you have to shimmy along walls, which also takes a lot of stamina. Also, if you didn't eat fruit, falling from a high height whilst climbing to the garden instantly kills you. Must have been difficult.

[Concept]

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The Wanderer (is that his official name?) knows he will die to save the girl, he is told at the start. "But you may the ultimate price" booms Dormin. "It doesn't matter" replys the boys.. Or something along those lines..

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The wanderer doesn't die - something worse arguably happens to him. He's transformed and changed, before being sealed away in another world by Emon's actions. That's what makes the end... he's saved the girl, but at the cost of his soul and being trapped forever.

The threat (or advice) by Dormin at the start could mean anything, but as you say, the wanderer doesn't care, so long as he reaches his objective.

[Concept]

Well I think.....

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The whole thing is a ploy not by Dormin, but by Lord Emon who wants to seal the ancient lands forever. To this end he conspires to Kill Mono and ensure the sword and the legend of regeneration is passed to the wanderer (the only warrior capable of bringing down all the colossi) who he well knows will set off with one thing on his mind, re-animating Mono regardless of personal cost.

Interesting. I like this theory a lot. It certainly brings a fresh spin to the table.

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Mortally wounded the wanderer shows to mailce to Emon or his troops he only wants to be with Mono.
Upon killing the wanderer Emon promptly seals Dormin and makes a run for it not realising the girl is alive and the (tainted) essence of the wanderer remains in the form of a horned child. This child and girl will between them evolve into ICO's queen and the horned children we know and love........Probably

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I agree that the essence of the wanderer has been tainted. That's what I think too - that it's not quite typical possession. The wanderer still holds some control over himself (such as how when he's become fully cursed, he's still trying to get to Mono despite Dormin being in him). I'm not sure about Mono and the child being responsible for future horned children though. For example, ICO's summary suggests the curse of horned children has been happening for generations, which would affect this chronology. However, there could be horned children existing elsewhere at the time Colossus happens, which would give more support to Mono later becoming the Queen.

[dc-arena]

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I make a video tonight of me doing the Temple climb with just one play-through worth of stamina, and no lizards eaten..

[Concept]

dc-arena - I'm not doubting you. I've just not heard of it being done that early before now, that's all.

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It's good that you got up there earlier - it means you managed to take in the best views of the game more quickly.