Few games are more artistic than creator Fumito Ueda teasing a new game. After years in the making, the very secretive game will undoubtedly be as beautiful as his beautiful projects, which is the big appeal of Shadow of the Colossus too. The PS2 game encourages players to explore a desolate forbidden land, and it's one of the most beautiful open worlds in a video game ever, and it has understandably inspired tons of breathtaking fan art.
Along with the game’s beautiful panoramic vistas, the game features some awe-inspiring beasts, including one of the best video game boss battles ever. And with that in mind, some fans have stayed true to the original designs, whereas others have taken liberties to design some of the best art any game has ever inspired.
Colossi To Scale
Shadow of the Colossus features the most Goliath bosses in any video game, which has led to many fans craving a Shadow of the Colossus 2. But to put it in perspective of how giant these Colossi are, Andrew McGee has created this nifty to-scale design showing the sizes of every one of them.
And just to put it into perceptive of how big they are compared to Wander, the playable character is the black blip on the horse on the far right. But fans don't exactly need the design to know that Malus is one of the most towering beasts ever. He still somehow comes of terrifying even in the to-scale poster.
Apocalypse Now
Reimagined with a Japanese backdrop, Chris Wykes has turned the desolate and saturated vista of the Forbidden Land into something that is more typically seen in video games. The art is beautiful, with the big red Apocalypse Now-like sun contrasting with the first colossus that Wander takes on and the bonsai tree perfectly framing the image.
But, ironically, it looks more like the incredible Kong: Skull Island movie poster, which also pays homage to the Vietnam War movie. With its bold color palette, Wykes pays homage to the developer’s origin wonderfully.
Legend of Zelda Crossover
Though the game has The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild is an amazing game, even arguably better than Shadow of the Colossus.
But in this fan art, designed by video games that should crossover with each other, Zelda and Colossus would make for the most imaginative and cinematic.
Minimalism
Shadow of the Colossus is minimal in both gameplay and visuals, so it only made sense to Eion Marron to give the game a gratifyingly minimal tribute. Few other pieces of fan art depict what the game is hinting at as well as this one, which is Wander is taking lives and turning evil himself.
Though it’s black and white, this stunning piece of fan art is more visceral than any other, as the blood oozing from the Colossus is ink-black in contrast to the white ground. As the game follows Wander track down these beasts to save the princess, the art showcases how brutal the game is.
Digital Design
While the Malus is a monolithic beast, the third Colossus, Gaius, is way harder than the final boss, and this art puts the level's difficulty into perspective. Designed by Loic Groshens, the artist used just one kind of software for the piece, choosing to use Adobe Photoshop to give it a heavy digital look.
It's an interesting approach to Shadow of the Colossus and one that fans haven’t seen before. Wander trying to stabilize himself on the Colossus’ arm really gives off a sense of threat, and the way the Colossus fades into the background as it’s as high as the clouds shows off just how colossal it is.
Ico x Last Guardian
There are a lot of similarities between Wander and Ico, both of which were developed by Team Ico. The beloved PlayStation development team also created The Last Guardian, which is the game that giant bird is pulled from. And it makes perfect sense for Christie Zullo to combine all of the Team Ico games into one giant fairytale-like poster.
It’s a crossover that would make fans drool, as both Ico and Shadow are beloved, and especially considered the countless theories that they're all in the same universe. And though The Last Guardian received a tepid reception upon release, it’s finally starting to get the recognition it deserves.
Crash Bandicoot
Cerberus, the 14th Colossus in the game, might not be the biggest beast in the game (and it's the smallest,) but it's by far the hardest one to slay. The difficulty mostly comes from the fact that it also happens to be the fastest colossus, and Zakuman has recreated an all too familiar sight.
Though there’s no way that Wander could ever outrun Cerberus in the game, it makes for a hilarious image. And it’s reminiscent of the Crash Bandicoot levels where the orange bandicoot has to outrun bears and dinosaurs.
Watermelons
A Shadow of the Colossus movie adaptation has been in development hell for years, but the game is cinematic enough that a movie isn't warranted. And Paco Martinez has captured just how perfectly cinematic the game is, and they've even replaced Wander with Ico.
The best thing about this piece of fan art is its attention to detail. If fans managed to catch the watermelon at the bottom of the image and are wondering why it's there, a single watermelon can be found in the same area of the game. Though it isn't clear to most players why it's there, it's a reference to Ico.
Katamari
In what is another crossover between Shadow of the Colossus and another iconic game, Katamari Damacy. In the classic game, the player's ball gets larger and larger the more items it rolls over.
Katamari is an extremely addictive arcade game and one that has influenced dozens of app games, and in the fan art, the ball has grown big enough to catch not just one, but three colossi. Wander could have used one Katamari and his quest would have been a lot easier.
Majesty
Artist Chibichik Svetlana has given the colossus a sense of majesty and the way it’s so symmetrical and standing upright makes the Colossus feel sort of royal and authoritarian. The dark red sky and Wander lurking down at the bottom, trying to figure a way to climb the beast, give off such a haunting feeling.
The way that the moon frames the Colossus’ head and the way the birds are flying around it as if it's a statue give Shadow of the Colossus a brand new aesthetic. And it would have been great to see it in the game.
