History Trivia / ShadowOfTheColossus

* InMemoriam: A dedication of Susan Benedict, Bluepoint Games's studio manager, appears in the ending credits of the 2018 remake.

** On the subject of beta-Colossi, in an interview for the HD re-release of the game, Fumito Ueda said they actually ''were'' considering adding some of the beta Colossi and other beta-elements back into the game, but were worried that ''"If we put just a few extras in, though, gamers would naturally expect more than what we could provide."'' As a result, they felt it best to stay faithful to the original build, though he ''did'' say if the game was remade again, they may end up "changing things quite alot".

*** "Buffalo": the most "complete" of these Colossi. From what little is gathered from the data, it was intended to be a 'small' Colossi like Cenobia and Celosia.

** Yet another popular interpretation is that the 17th Colossi is supposedly a [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons dragon]]. Like a good portion of the 17th Colossi that couldn't possibly fit into the secret garden, it was supposedly above Pelagia's lair, across the bridge that extends high above it.[[note]]Said bridge is actually impossible to reach without hacking[[/note]] Notably, this interpretation became far more popular after [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_RqGrSQSvw a really well put together fan animation tribute]] was posted to Website/YouTube.

*** Most notably, [[spoiler:Dormin's model is a lot buffer than in the game proper, seeming to incorporate some of the Colossi's designs, as their face looks to be in the shape of Malus', they have more pronounced spider-like legs on their back, and they have a large tail!]]

*** Wander's design [[spoiler:when having absorbed all the Colossi]] was a ''lot'' more ragged. [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/578374769464967191/823320949118074920/Screenshot_1586.png His face]] was absolutely covered in black veins and [[BodyHorror his skin appears to be chipping off or melting]]. His face also noticeably seems to sag more than his actual model does.

*** Most notably, [[spoiler:Dormin's model is a lot buffer than in the game proper, seeming to incorporate some of the Colossi's designs, as his face looks to be in the shape of Malus', he has more pronounced spider-like legs on his back, and has a large tail!]]

* Based on [[spoiler:the 2005 beta-ending had the Roc's tail as part of its design]] and the fact that it is currently the only beta-Colossus to have actual gameplay footage, there's heavy evidence that the Roc's removal was a ''very'' late decision; likely the last of the beta-Colossi to be removed from the game.

*** Instead of [[spoiler:dropping the sword into the pool to seal away Dormin, Emon drops a ''horn'' into the pool instead, pulling it out of his robes]].

*** Most notably, [[spoiler:Dormin's model is a lot buffer than in the game proper, seeming to incorporate some of the Colossi's designs, as his face looks to be in the shape of Malus', he has more pronounced spider-like legs on his back, and has a large tail!]]

** The mysterious DummiedOut Dam is a notable example. It's now only accessible through hacks and patience and nobody knows what purpose it served before it was cut out. The most common fan theory is that it was a way of accessing one of the DummiedOut Colossi.

** In early 2021, data-ming the [=PS3=] remaster ended up revealing something ''huge''; [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWSuSB-bIks the meta-data for the unused Colossi!]] This ended up providing a lot more insight into where they were originally located. Perhaps the biggest discovery, however, was the revelation that there were ''[[https://docs.google.com/document/d/17txUqNq7EPEHr-JEobmCPHJnIWI-0VvZHLfrX3S3VBI/edit?usp=sharing ten other Colossi]]'' that were scrapped in addition to the ones listed above. These ones appeared to have been scrapped really early on or were variations of existing Colossi.

*** "Knight 2": Wildly believed to either be an early version or a variation on Gaius.

* ColbertBump: Had a bit of one when it was used for ''Film/ReignOverMe''. Creator/AdamSandler was a BigNameFan of the game when it was demoed to him and requested it be put in the scene where his character plays video games to cope with the loss of his family, mirroring ''Colossus''' plot. The scene where he and Creator/DonCheadle played through it wasn't scripted, but footage of them playing the game naturally and being immersed into the experience.

** In early 2021, data-ming the [=PS3=] remaster ended up revealing something ''huge''; [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWSuSB-bIks the meta-data for the unused Colossi!]] This ended up providing a lot more insight into where they were originally located. Perhaps the biggest discovery, however, was the revelation that there were ''ten other Colossi'' that were scrapped in addition to the ones listed above. These ones appeared to have been scrapped really early on or were variations of existing Colossi.

*** Worm, a colossus with a flower bulb-like head. Rumored to have been cut due to being too powerful and it required a huge arena in order to dodge its attacks. It was rumored to have been a SequentialBoss to another unmentioned colossus that was fought in the same arena, likely Dirge, as [[https://youtu.be/5Do_0aWpYeo?t=667 a leaked preview version]] of the game has Dormin mention Dirge (another {{Sandworm}} like boss) "has a friend", although it was later discovered that this was a mistranslation of the phrase from the japanese version of the game, "shaking the earth with your friend", which is a hint that you need Agro, your friend, to defeat Dirge.

*** Malus was originally supposed to move his feet around in his battle, and his arena was going to be a giant circle with multiple ways to get to him, instead of the one static way in the game proper. However, time and RAM constraints forced Malus to stay static, and his battlefield to be cut down to what it is now. His original design was also more akin to a shaman tribesmen rather than a sorcerer.

* In conjuncture to the above, it is very likely that Dionin (the worm Colossus) was removed very, very late into development, as evidence shows their arena would have been where Cenobia's currently is in the final game and the texture of their corresponding statue is still in the final game itself.

** Fumito Ueda originally wanted '''48''' colossi to face in the game. After realizing it was technologically impossible, he cut it down to 24 colossi. During the development between the original MMO concept and the final product, 8 of the colossi were cut for various reasons, resulting in the final 16 colossi. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Do_0aWpYeo This video goes indepth about these cut Colossi, as well as speculates as to where they would have been in the Forbidden Lands.]] For those who don't feel like clicking it, here's the list of the cut 8 colossi:
*** Aberth, a Spider colossus resembling a daddy long legs. Cut for being too difficult, as it had an instant-kill attack and hitting its legs while moving through the area with Agro was deemed too hard, in addition to the dev team finding it rather tacky for Wander to have an attack animation that would only be used for one fight. It was set to be fought near a body of water, supposedly near the entrance to the Forbidden Lands, and its weak point was located in its mouth.
*** Adar Flam, a Phoenix colossus with an ostrich-like neck. There are two unconfirmed reasons for it being cut: the battlefield was too big than what the dev team wanted for the fight[[note]]though said arena was supposedly reused for Basaran's (the turtle Colossus) fight[[/note]] and it was too powerful to balance the fight. It was supposed somehow be knocked into a body of water to extinguish the flames enveloping its body so that it could be climbed.
*** Avus, a Roc[[note]]a bird of prey from Arabic/Persian mythology[[/note]] colossus and prototype to Avion. Rumored to have been cut due to the fight being too similar to the fight with Phalanx and the dev team having trouble programming the collisions. Modeled with a longer neck than Avion, a head resembling that of a frilled lizard, and bat-like wings. It was to have been fought in a desert area. Notably, this is the only Beta-Colossus to have [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDUPUhSCl3o actual in-game video (albeit brief) of it in action]].
*** Dionin, a [[{{Sandworm}} Worm]] colossus with a flower bulb-like head. Rumored to have been cut due to being too powerful and it required a huge arena in order to dodge its attacks. Its bulb-like head was its weak point, with the Sigil being located in it's mouth. It was said to have been a SequentialBoss to another unmentioned colossus that was fought in the same arena, likely Dirge, as [[https://youtu.be/5Do_0aWpYeo?t=667 a leaked preview version]] of the game has Dormin mention Dirge (another {{Sandworm}} like boss) "has a friend". Although unclear if it's Dionin or Dirge, an early preview video ''does'' [[https://youtu.be/N-8009dxKkE?t=257 show would could have been an early model for Dionin]].
*** Kyos, a Griffin colossus with withdrawn joints and decorative wings. Meant to have been fought while riding Agro like Dirge, as it was fast moving, and was weak to fire like Celosia. Said to have been cut due to the significantly lengthy climb to reach its back and the fact that it was easy to fall off of it.
*** Monkey, a Monkey/Gorilla colossus that hung from the ceiling. It was supposed to be fought in a cave-like area and possibly needed to be shot down with the bow to expose its weak point. The reason it was cut is unknown. Doesn't have a FanNickname and is referred to by the development nickname.
*** Pholux, a Devil colossus resembling a winged gargoyle. Extremely small when compared to other colossi and the fight was considered to be fierce. Needed to have been baited with arrows and then jumped from behind while hiding in tall grass. The reason it was cut is unknown.

* DoingItForTheArt: Though all of Creator/TeamIco's oeuvre qualifies, this one really stands out for its blatant defiance of many conventional game mechanics. Minimal replay value? A string of sixteen boss battles with no action connecting them? An ''extremely'' [[{{Minimalism}} minimalist]] set-up, with basically no game mechanics apart from a sword, a bow and a horse? A grand total of four characters with hardly any dialogue between? What was Team Ico thinking, exactly? Simple: they weren't out to make a blockbuster action game that could spawn tons of sequels, they were out to make an interactive art epic that could tell a story through its gameplay and its visuals. If the game's unanimous critical acclaim is any indication, they succeeded. And if the game's commercial success is anything to go by, yes people will pay money for these kind of games.

** Futimo Ueda originally wanted '''48''' colossi to face in the game. After realizing it was technologically impossible, he cut it down to 24 colossi. During the development between the original MMO concept and the final product, 8 of the colossi were cut for various reasons, resulting in the final 16 colossi. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Do_0aWpYeo This video goes indepth about these cut Colossi, as well as speculates as to where they would have been in the Forbidden Lands.]] For those who don't feel like clicking it, here's the list of the cut 8 colossi:

** On the subject of beta-Colossi, in an interview for the HD re-release of the game, Futimo Ueda said they actually ''were'' considering adding some of the beta Colossi and other beta-elements back into the game, but were worried that ''"If we put just a few extras in, though, gamers would naturally expect more than what we could provide."'' As a result, they felt it best to stay faithful to the original build, though he ''did'' say if the game was remade again, they may end up "changing things quite alot".

** BossGame

From what is seen from early promotion videos of the game uncovered, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that Basaran (the turtle Colossus) and Quadratus (the mammoth) were the first Colossi to be programmed into the game. Of the Colossi shown in preview versions, these two were the only ones to have proper battle footage, while most others were mere cutscenes.

From what is seen from early promotion videos of the game uncovered, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that Basaran (the turtle Colossus) and Quadratus were the first Colossi to be programmed into the game. Of the Colossi shown in preview versions, these two were the only ones to have proper battle footage, while most others were mere cutscenes.

From what is seen from early promotion videos of the game uncovered, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that Basaran (the turtle Colossus) was the very first Colossus to be programmed into the game. While a ''very'' early model for Quadratus can be seen in the Nico promotional disk, it was only a CGI mock-up of the idea for the game. Basaran, meanwhile, is the only Colossus to not only have a very early alpha design but actual footage of the alpha battle in progress.

*** Dionin, a [[{{Sandworm}} Worm]] colossus with a flower bulb-like head. Rumored to have been cut due to being too powerful and it required a huge arena in order to dodge its attacks. Its bulb-like head was its weak point, with the Sigil being located in it's mouth. It was said to have been a SequentialBoss to another unmentioned colossus that was fought in the same arena, likely Dirge, as [[https://youtu.be/5Do_0aWpYeo?t=667 a leaked preview version]] of the game has Dormin mention Dirge (another {{Sandworm}} like boss) "has a friend".