Tvekan

I den här texten för Maxi ett precis så detaljerat och ingående resonemang som den här bloggen är till för - alldeles för smart för de flesta utvecklare där ute i dagens spelvärld. Det är när vi har resurserna att tänka på sådana här detaljer som spel blir konst på riktigt. Men varför kan han inte skriva på svenska?

Some neckbeard on Destructoid wrote a pretty good, although obvious, piece on the control scheme of Shadow of the Colossus. Laying down the law on Agro's controls among other things, it basically repeats what Fumito Ueda himself has stated regarding both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus- the immersive/emotional importance of holding the R1 button as opposed to pressing it and letting go.

Shadow of the Colossus' controls are an exercise in art - Destructoid

The author briefly touches upon the, to put it bluntly, rather odd stabbing mechanics. He takes the pause and second button-press as an example of a rare "rift" between the player and Wander, a sudden imperfection in the alignment of actor and director.

However, in the spirit of over-analyzation, I believe it goes deeper than that. Let's accept this rift exists. We are hanging on for dear life through the PS2 controller and through Wander, we mash the button to raise his sword to strike- and pause. Our collective thumbs rest lightly on the face of the controller for a couple of seconds, perhaps leaving it completely to adjust the camera or join its brethren, clasping the horn-like protrusions of the DualShock 2.

This is the rift.

This is not a choice. The colossus will die and Wander will keep coming back to it until it eventually is thrown off of its mortal coil. We could eject the disc, put it back in its case and never touch it again but we know that is not how the story ends.

This is the rift. It is not a choice.

It is a singular moment in which the player is separated from the played. The classic, ridiculous mechanic of the charged strike allows us to escape Wander's determined mindset for a short while.

To proceed in the killing of the colossus in the most efficient manner possible, we are forced to hesitate.

It is a time for reflection. Questions of who, what and why may cross our minds. Maybe we consider the nature of the colossi. Maybe, just maybe, we wait an extra second before we return to Wander and drive our blade into yet another magnificent beast, this strike a little more fully charged than the last.

By feeling for these creatures we are killing them.

Think on that.

Now, I'd like an article on the narrative importance of the sudden frame-rate drop, thanks.