Shadow of the Colossus
Hacker ApprovedRanked 3 of 12 action adventure games by recommenders
People recommend it for its atmosphere, artistic vision and tragic tone that still hold up; critics cite slow framerate and cut content.
People recommend it for its atmosphere, artistic vision and tragic tone that still hold up; critics cite slow framerate and cut content.
16 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 14
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 88%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 14 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Artistic vision and emotional impact
“it confirmed that the key was conveying a complex and intentional artistic vision through the gameplay”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “The Melancholy of Slaying Monsters” “Shadow of the Colossus portrays tragedy brilliantly in this regard”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “The Melancholy of Slaying Monsters” “In great art they can be more real than reality.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “The Melancholy of Slaying Monsters” Unusual scale and unique tone
“none of his games have had any focus on reality in terms of scale and that is what makes them so special”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “SimCity 3k in 4k” “one of those few games that goes its own way and really sticks with you”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Video Games as Art” “it set a special unique tone for the 2000-2010 era”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “The Melancholy of Slaying Monsters” Still holds up today
“reminded me once more what a beautiful experience the game was”
Comment from 26 Jan 2026 in “Video Games as Art” “I've heard the remake is perfectly good”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “The Melancholy of Slaying Monsters” Proof games can be art
“It remains one of my favourites and a stellar example of what the medium can achieve.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “The Melancholy of Slaying Monsters” “After that game there was no more debate.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “The Melancholy of Slaying Monsters”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Slow framerate and poor performance
“the absolutely horrid framerate is the thing that I remember most about the game”
Comment from 28 May 2026 in “The Melancholy of Slaying Monsters” “the game runs very slowly and has a good deal of cut content”
Comment from 23 Mar 2026 in “The gold standard of optimization: A look under the hood of RollerCoaster Tycoon”
Other action adventure games people recommend
The four most recommended other action adventure games, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breath of the Wild | 27 | 8 | 77% | 9 | — | Approved |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | 17 | 3 | 85% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Shadow of the ColossusThis page | 14 | 2 | 88% | 4 | — | Approved |
| God of War | 12 | 6 | 67% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | 12 | 6 | 67% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
15 of the 18 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the absolutely horrid framerate is the thing that I remember most about the game”
“none of his games have had any focus on reality in terms of scale and that is what makes them so special”
“In great art they can be more real than reality.”
“I feel the remake removed a lot of the atmosphere and direction in the pursuit of showing off asset fidelity.”
“it still held up fantastically when I last played it properly”
“I've heard the remake is perfectly good”
“it confirmed that the key was conveying a complex and intentional artistic vision through the gameplay”
“After that game there was no more debate.”
“Shadow of the Colossus portrays tragedy brilliantly in this regard”
“it set a special unique tone for the 2000-2010 era”
“It remains one of my favourites and a stellar example of what the medium can achieve.”
“I enjoyed it, I just haven't picked it up since I got it haha”
“the game runs very slowly and has a good deal of cut content”
“one of those few games that goes its own way and really sticks with you”
“reminded me once more what a beautiful experience the game was”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.