Shadow of the Colossus has picked up in popularity as of late given that it was one of March's free PS Plus games. Yet despite the increase in play the title has seen, none have yet beaten the current world record for the speedrun which was set nine months ago by Madorashi. This run has an incredible completion time of 1 hour, 1 minute, and 55 seconds, but those well versed in the speedrunning community may know that that number alone doesn't mean much. That said, there is something about the nature of this game which makes such a feat truly impressive: it doesn't really have a lot of glitches.
For those unaware, the main category used in speedrunning is referred to as Any%, a denotation which means the goal is to get from the start of the game to the finish as fast as possible, disregarding how much of the game is actually completed and including the use of glitches. Although finding and correctly performing glitches is an art in its own right, some dislike speedruns like this because of how they circumvent large portions of the game. By contrast, Shadow of the Colossus has very few glitches in the first place, meaning this clear time is based purely off skill alone. Here's Madorashi's incredible run.
Shadow of the Colossus (2018) Speedrun Rules
Generally speaking, Any% means anything goes, but that is not quite the case with Shadow of the Colossus. In the PS4 remake, there is a photo mode which can be exploited to skip usually unskippable cutscenes, a tactic which would cut down on run times dramatically. According to Speedrun.com, this glitch is not allowed in the Any% speedrun for Shadow of the Colossus, likely to keep run times comparable to those of the original PlayStation 2 version. Furthermore, full video proof must be submitted in order for the run to count, and the run must be completed in one sitting.
Shadow of the Colossus Speedrun Tactics
From here, gameplay is pretty much what one would expect, with the exception that Madorashi's run is truly incredible. The first colossus is taken down within minutes of the game starting, and the rest fall in similar fashion. This, like other speedrunning accomplishments, wouldn't be possible if not for the use of certain tactics and a keen understanding of the mechanics of each boss as well as the Wanderer himself, both of which Madorashi shows he has mastery over. Some of these tactics are simple at first glance, while others clearly took a lot of practice.
There are some simple things which most casual players probably did not recognize during their first playthrough of the game. For example, it is actually faster to roll repeatedly than it is to walk when travelling on foot, and by pulling back the left stick and pressing triangle simultaneously, the Wanderer's horse, Agro, can break into a full speed spring from standing position. Things like this horse mechanic certainly help to shave time off the run, but ultimately these are the bare minimum needed to reach clear times like this.
Finding Colossi
A large portion of Shadow of the Colossus is actually simply finding each of the sixteen colossi, a task which can prove difficult on the first or even second run. It is made painfully obvious very early on though that Madorashi and other speedrunners with similar clear times have the route to each colossus memorized, never once needing to use the sacred sword in order to find the beasts. This is another obvious necessity, but vital to achieving a quick run nevertheless. Of course, after finding a colossus' lair, getting to them can prove equally as challenging.
Speedrunners like Madorashi use a combination of crouching, short hops, and rolls in order to move the fastest that they can, but also tend to make some jumps which at first glance seem impossible. While these could certainly be considered glitches by some, they aren't major skips or anything of the sort, instead simply cutting down the time it takes to reach each colossus. For example, at the very beginning of Madorashi's run, he can be seen leaping off Agro and onto the first platforming puzzle that leads to the first colossus. Often it seems that some of his jumps should miss but instead the Wanderer seems to snap onto the ledge.
Slaying the Colossi
Ironically, many of the colossi that Madorashi encounters are killed in rather unorthodox ways, but nothing that breaks the established rules of the game. For instance, most players likely defeated the first colossus by stabbing the weak spot on its leg and then proceeding to climb up the back of the beast until they were able to reach its head. Through the application of two swift slashes to said weak spot, Madorashi is able to actually jump to the first colossus' head, circumventing the need to scale the beast's back at all and ending the fight much quicker. This is one of many great speedrun moments in this run.
Between maneuvers like this, using the movements of the colossus to provide extra force behind jumps, and marksman accuracy with both movement and archery, each colossus dies so quickly it is almost hard to believe. Again, it should be stated that there aren't any glitches being used, and that this all is a result of hard work and incredible skill. Through these tactics, the third colossus can be defeated without ever breaking the band around his arm and moments which were challenging to most prove to be only mild inconveniences.
The legitimacy of speedrunning as a whole should not be based on the use or lack of glitches, as glitches are just as much part of the art of speedrunning as incredible precision and quick thinking are. Still, though, the fact that this run is achieved with barely anything that could be considered a glitch and in such a short time speaks volumes of both the skill of the runner and the tact of the developers. As many newcomers are aware, Shadow of the Colossus can take quite a long time to beat on the first playthrough, but experienced veterans are able to demonstrate their mastery over the game by clearing it in just over an hour.
Shadow of the Colossus is available for free this March with PS Plus.
