Colossal indeed

Recently I have been dealing with some bad health - hence my blog being neglected of late. Strangely, being confined to my bed would mean more time to work on the Hall of Shame but not this time.

Anyway, some posts ago, I mentioned I was playing Shadow of the Colossus a second time through. I have completed a second time but this time around, I paid particular attention to the ending.
You see, there's a theory going around that the connection between Wander and Mono is questionable at least: He loved/respected her but she didn't return similar feelings. The most telling sign is when Agro reappears but Mono doesn't show any sign of recognition. Looking back at it now, it is quite clear that this theory has indeed weight with Mono's body language and her facial expressions.

This is of course one moment in a game loaded with subtleties (which is indeed something that is lacking in a lot of game today). And thus the theory becomes clear:
Wander, an underling of the priest Emon, sacrifices Mono for the greater good - but is left overcome with remorse and questioning his faith. Thinking back to the stories of his faith, he recalls a long-forgotten god Dormin and heads out. he eventually arrives at the forbidden land long abandoned by humans. There, Wanda arrives at a temple where sixteen giant statues stand. Laying the body of Mono on a plinth Wanda is then instructed by a heavenly voice, Dormin, that in order to achieve his goal, he would need to slay sixteen colossi that inhabit this land - and even then there will be a terrible cost involved. Wanda agrees and, accompanied by his horse Agro, ventures through the land.



He eventually meets the colossi one by one. Some are hostile, some attack on instinct and others don't ever fight back. With each colossi defeated, their bodies become rock and earth and their essence bursts from them to engulf Wanda, corrupting his body and transport him back to the temple. And in the temple, the statue of the defeated colossus crumbles and a white dove comes to rest next to Mono's body.
With each colossus defeated, Wanda's body deteriorates with each colossus' essence. Towards the end of Wanda's quest, Emon, and some men enter the land and, on the way to the last colossus, Agro plunges into a ravine but not before saving his master's life. With the defeat of the last colossus, Emon and his men enter the temple. They see Mono, the remnants of the statues and, finally, Wanda's body.
Recognizing him, Emon's men try to kill him but suddenly Wanda's body is taken over by Dormin. However Emon banishes the entity, leaving only Wander's body being pulled into the pool of light. And then, when Emon and his men have left the land forever, Momo wakes up, sees a horse she doesn't recognize and then an indication that Dormin will return: A baby, with horns sticking out of it's head, where Wander used to be. This arranges a line of descendants that will eventually lead to the character of Ico.

With such a dissection, I just dread to think that the anti-religious activists will have a field day with this game.