Great video! I retweeted it on my feed & subbed. Some of the info is out of date (my bad - I haven't updated my blog post in a long time... but am working on it). Overall I really enjoyed it and loved the crude sketches you made to show a point ; )

The "psychic malus" is probably referring to how malus seems to have some sort of connection with the other collosi, perched on the high ground, overlooking as wander fills the sky with beacons of the slain collosi. When you get to malus's hand, he doesn't attack, rather, looks upon in placid curiosity, he can feel the essence of all the other collosi within you, he thinks perhaps, for a moment, you're like he is. And that he only attacked you because he was acting upon his job to keep Dorman sealed

Under water in this game is just so anonymous, dark and scary. Even just taking a dip under makes me clench my cheeks

Wow I absolutely hated that picture of Dirge in the water thank you

I always felt the final colossus was poetically Wander. The colossi store parts of Dormin. When all colossi are destroyed, Dormin are rejoined inside of Wander. Wander’s eyes are blue like the colossi at the end. I think one interpretation (not every way of seeing it) is that Wander is the shadow of the colossi.

I think the "Malus Psychic Connection" has to do with the fact that Malus knows where you are standing at all times even if you are hiding behind walls or in tunnels etc.

I watched someone play The Last Guardian, and honestly, I think the thing living in the tower is an honest 'alien'. Came from the sky, has robot servants, is worshipped by primitive humans, and his home looks like the inside of an alien craft. Some of these seem more like half-baked fan theories tbh. There's much better stuff that could be added.

Also nimrod’s relationship to dormin is that he tried to make a tall tower that would be visible from anywhere, much like dormin’s shrine which is visible from a lot of places in the map. And nimrod was chopped into pieces much like dormins soul which got broken into 16 pieces.

Honestly I really wish more had been done with Giantology. That entire marketing campaign could have been a game in and of itself, or a very fascinating spinoff.

Where is the "Dormin is not an evil god, but a neutral entity/being/god whose powers were feared and thus he was painted as evil by those that sealed him (as in they believed no one and nothing should have power over life and death like that)" in the iceberg?

the king nimrod thing actually has a ton of references throughout the games. nimrod was responsible for building the tower of babel, which inadvertently split humanity apart through the creation of languages. in hungarian mythology he’s called “Nimrod the Giant” and in other stories he is killed by being “split into pieces.”we see a lot of these themes echoed not only in the shrine of worship and the colossi, but also in ico, where the language barrier prevents ico and yorda from understanding each other

I think I can actually clarify the "everything is scaled down" bit. I remember that there's a Nomad Colossus(?) video where they go over the sizes of objects in the game and compare them to real life things to see how tall Wander is. Wander himself is like 4 feet tall, so based on that the colossi aren't actually as massive as they appear. Of course they're still completely huge, but if Wander was the average height of a male now they probably wouldn't be quite as intimidating.

There's actually been a ninth unused colossus discovered named Yamori A. It's insane how we're still finding out more about the game to this day.

That KNACK picture was funny. I'm sure Dunkey would make something about it.

all these dirge pictures made me cry myself to sleep

No mention of goats in the iceberg?! That was such a fun search when the PS4 remaster came out. Also in the PS4 version, there is a small door next to Celosia's temple with crumbled debris blocking the way inside. If you glitch through the floor near Celosia's arena, you can clearly see the black outline of a room behind there: is it just an artifact of how the debris is rendered in the game, some kind of cut secret, or is there some way to get inside now? Idk

You can’t see avion early but before you jump into the waters you can shoot him with arrows and he’ll fly over to that area and flap his wings and push You away with wind

Fun fact: Fumito Ueda is aware of the possible references to Nimrod. When asked if the whole thing was based on the similarities, he said the similarities are "purely coincidental"

Maybe the reason for the "argus jumps off the cliff line'" is because before fighting it Dormin says "a giant has fallen into the valley"? still doesn't explain much lol

"Mono is Emon's daughter" I am now imagining a FNF mod where Wanderer has a rap battle with Emon with Mono's corpse in the background.

Sotc is truly something else. Every time i play it i just sit and watch the environments and take pictures of everything. The forbidden lands feel like a home

I bought this game 3 times, ps2, ps3 and ps4. I remember playing this when I was like 7 years old, not knowing what tf to do just riding my horse around but being absolutely taken away by the graphics, the setting and the beauty of the landscape. Shadows of the Colossus is by far my favorite game, they couldn’t have done better.

Good video! Just wanted to clarify something, hopefully I don't come off as annoying... the "orange bricks" seen in the devil screenshots are not the same as the ones in I2, they look nothing alike and the connection was superficial at best. At the time that was all we had that could relate to Devil, but recently a lot of stuff was found that revealed its original location :)

Did you make a custom iceberg style for the background.

Im kinda sad you didn't mention this but the names of the colossus (barba, kuromori) are not actually "real". They are not in the game or any official guide, the community made them up. The actual names are the ones from the preview version (minotaur, elvis) that the developers used. And Ueda's intention was that they remain unnamed during your playthrough.

Everything scaled down likely relates to how small wander (and the other humans) seem to be. There are a few sources on this but I believe nomad Colossus has the most exact description of wander's height in relation to the world.

Shadow of the Colossus has achieved something that possibly no other piece of media has or even could achieve. Absolutely incredible. Edit: Also, Pelagia Poggers.

Nimrod and Dormin in fact have a lot of things in common, but anyway very good video (and Wander is definitly not an angel hahaha)

what a great game and memories I had playing this. Life was so different. Thoroughly enjoyed this man. I hope you make more of these on other games, or just any content of you're own, I will gladly watch. subbed!:)

i think the new lore that was found in recent leaks is interesting re: 3:39: there *were* natural colossi in the world, and a group of warriors named the dormin blamed the colossi for natural disasters. so they exterminated all the colossi until they lost their humanity and became one giant single entity; that's why dormin refers to themselves with we/us pronouns, and why wander has shadow people surround him every time he kills a colossus. so the 16 colossi in game were created to house fragments of dormin, but there were natural colossi before in the world- and absolutely none of the game tells you this!

Awesome video, and I liked how you ended it talking about symbolism. What the story is actually about can be debated, but it's all about what you take from it. For me, it's a story about love, sacrifice, and rebirth, but I understand that other people may get something different from it and that's okay, that's what makes this game so great.

Dude, no lie, I was half way through working on making a SOTC iceberg video. I guess I should have worked faster because now I gotta scrap it, lol. This is a great video tho. I know first hand that finding some of the things in this were hard af, either that or I’m just bad at research. Good work. Will subscribe👌

The fact that people have scowered this game so hard is a testament to just how mysterious and ethereal it is. SotC really is unlike any other game, and I think it leaves most players with this sensation that what they played was much deeper than what they thought was the whole story. Though it's sad to remember that in the end, it's a finite game with finite development, so there's only so much to uncover. Even still, dwelling on what could have been or the unsolved questions about the development definitely keep it feeling like this deep dark cavern of chilling wonder.

Lovecraft had already shown me that I had a phobia of deep dark water and huge creatures, this game just confirmed it.

"iT mAkEs LeSs SeNsE tHaN tHe TrEe!!" I died laughing at that XD

20:26 theres actually a cave down the place where Argus is at, so he could have been there before you fight him

Really really well made my friend. You deserve many more viewers. Shadow of Colossus captured me more then any game before or after it. It truly is lightning in a bottle.

A lot of people have found some real life mythology in the files, lots about alchemy and stuff. It's pretty cool to look it up

Holy fuck i never though that somebody would do a sotc iceberg, really nice video!! im happy that the community of this game still alive 15 years later

This is why SOTC is the greatest game ever made. Nearly two decades after its release, people are still trying to figure out its lore and secrets. Incredible.

I just realized i have the opm demo. My cousin gave it to me long ago cause i actually enjoyed playing it. I went back through my games and found it along with the magazine

Expected you to have 100k+ subscribers. 600 with this quality content? Expressive! I hope you blow up!

The phoenix pic made my day.

At 17:46 it's quite possible the colossi were scaled down in size from what was originally intended. Since the game was originally going to be multi-player on line where up to 4 players could climb around on a colossus to take it down, the size of the colossi would have most likely been bigger than what we ended up with. The smaller colossi that made it into the final version of the game were probably thought up after it was decided the game was no longer going to be multi-player.

00:35 I was deeply fearful of the Colossi as a kid. Every time I got near and on top of one I'd get so scared.

I like your style! Video popped up randomly but i really liked your comedic edits! You have good timing and spacing. I never expect the joke to happen which makes it funnier. Good stuff, keep it up!

I glad that I ran across this video because now you have a new subscriber. I was literally just watching speedruns, but Shadow of the Colossus caught my eyes immediately. Lol keep up the good work

I feel like a few of these are inside jokes within the community.

This is a good video and educational! I also love your Personal touch you added. Thank you for your work. But a word of advice: when discussing topics, even if they are blatantly incorrect, it is often more entertaining and insightful to spend more time actually discussing and weighing the entry. For example, instead of just dismissing an entry with a “no this is wrong” try to elaborate on how it *could* be right or how it *could* exist. This keeps the magic and mystery of the entry alive without spreading misinformation.

My theory on the ICO rings is either some sort of hint given to the player of the colossi’s flight patterns, a rough outline of the colossi’s flight pattern and AI pathfinding of where to go that was left there cause it fit with the area artistically, or both. No definitive answer, but I’m leaning more to both being a possibility

Shadow of the colossus is basically a playable movie. One of my favorite games of all time.

Being that Shadow of the Colossus is among my top 5 favorite games, I think this video was as perfect as it could be

At 8:18 you went with the correct choice. Mono is pronounced mow ( like mow the lawn ) & no. Wander actually says her name one time & one time only during the game. This occurs during the cut scene in which Wander is dreaming that Mono has awakened. When the camera zooms away from Mono & we get a close up of Wander lying on the stone floor, he makes a slight grunt sound & right after that he says "Mono".

Thanks for making this video man! Liked!

I've been waiting for someone to make this since iceberg videos became a thing

Pelagia Poggers! An absolutely excellent video. Good shit, man

I wish I was able to find more with all of the Agro hops I tried back in the day. I will say it was a blast being on the forums and making Agro hop videos. I made some pretty impressive jumps. Great video.

You are funny as hell, why am I finding your videos just now?

11:36 That is a horrifying cap to use for that section, dear god colossus eyes are creepy

This game plot is hauntingly sad. And the silent environment helps the storytelling a lot. The 'you're the actual villain' twist actually very impactful in this game. . 1st colossus i faced, i felt terrified. One by one, my confidence grew. But the twist made me feel bad 😂. Everytime I replayed, knowing the real story and seeing the colossi empty emotionless eyes rly gets to me.

I'd give anything to get a "Snyder cut" of this game especially on next gen..... There's a timelime we did.🥺

11:07 This could refer to how the order in which you fought the colossi was changed, as some colossi were changed during development based on when they were fought(this can be shown in the E3 2005 demo that was found). Example being Barba, who was one of the last colossi you would fight, and they were not only more aggressive but they had a blade that they would use to attack you with.

Awesome video dude! u deserve more subscribers.

Brilliant video! I love the community around SotC, and that so many discoveries are still being made so many years later. It's like some kind of organically grown ARG :D

dude this video is so good, very VERY well done man

What a great video all the way around. Loved it till the end.

Very well made video! (Wish there was a section on Dirge’s original creepy game over screen.)

I think the 2 Colossus refers to an old cut blurb about Dirge "Along with its friend, it shakes the earth..." which is in the final version of the game "Shaking the earth, its gaze is upon thee..." I've heard 2 theories to this blurb, either Dirge was originally supposed to be fought alongside another colossus, most common theories seem to revolve around the cut Worm, Monkey or Spider colossus or potentially with Phalanx which would have been an interesting fight trying to pop Phalanx out of the sky while Dirge is trying to monch you and holy hell what a fight that would be Or that it's a botched mistranslation that was supposed to encourage the player to use Agro in the fight since Dirge is the first fight where the fight is pretty much impossible without Agro.

I'm not suprised of all in this video at beginning until "Nomad Colossus is Fumito Ueda"

Nimrod built the tower of Babel

Great video! Also Stubbs the Zombie is a masterpiece. I also wish I could play it for the first time again lol. Made a (now crappy) review video on it a few years ago for Halloween! :D

Okay this is the first iceberg video I've seen with a meter showing how confident you are in the topic, cool addition don't know why more don't have that?

I used to be terrified of this game as a kid something about the isolation of the world got to me

23:59 Love that photo! Would love that as a poster! Also, awesome video!

17:42 I think you might've gotten it right, maybe the bird is a tracking one used by Emon.

Great video, thanks, bro.

I played this game for months, if not years. This and MM, both, I had an almost autistic obsession with. Where I lived in my head, and came up with my own stories, friends, and goals. Going back to it when it came out on PS4, I couldn't believe how small the world felt. I remember it being so much bigger. And it really hit me how much life changes your perspective.

Very interesting! Thank you so much :) I love SotC :)

Pelagia, you always were my little pogchamp. s/o to you for this video and as always s/o to Nomad for keeping the dream alive

l don't think that the "time was frozen" quote is to be taken literally, because some of the colossi look like they've been stationary for years, having moss grow on them and things of that nature. Maybe Ueda meant that nothing changed since the forbidden lands were barren? l mean, we see birds, and we see lizards, so there should be an ecosystem in place.

Microsoft Paint should be an obligatory addition to any sort of iceberg video xD Great work though, many things I completely missed or would never have manager to piece together this nicely

Hope you do more of this stuff your personality for it is great

Great video good job man.

I personally vibe with the Mono as Emon's daughter theory. It really strengthens his more antagonistic role in the game and why it drove Wander to do what he did. Emon seems like the type of leader to be callous for the good of their clan and outright ignored her existence so there wouldn't be an obvious link of her to him. Then again, the minimalist context and clues in this game is the beauty of it and the players are invited to make of it as they will.

if nomad was actually fumito ueda, that would be the biggest flip in gaming history. Im actually somewhat hoping its true

Nice pictures throughout the video. 👍🏻 Shadow of The colossus is such a gorgeous game

Ooh I liked this! Would you consider doing a play through of the games?

This iceberg does not make justice to the mysteries of the game, try this one imgur.com/a/cyQ5FrP Also Griffin: Kyos Monkey: Saru Worm: Dionin Spider: Aberth Phoenix: Adar Flam

i just finished the game and hoo MAN, what a delightful experience thanks for this video, definitely confirmed some of the hypothesis I was thinking of

I love this omg

I think "everything is scaled down" is refering to things like phalanx having 148 meters in game but 200 meters "IRL"

Great video!

My ps2 is old and crappy. I’m guessing the story I’m about to tell was because of lag but it’s still confusing. I was revisiting the game and had left off on Phalinx. I was fighting it normally until the thing just flew over the high mountain “borders” of his arena towards the big tower( I’m not a expert on the vocab of this game ). It was eerie. He just flew straight in that direction until he couldn’t render. I reset the game and fought it normally. Glitch? Lag? can’t be internet connection for obvious reasons. If anyone else has experienced this tell me.

18:18 Actually this could make sense. I want to explain how. (This is going to be a long overthought ride so be prepared) After killing Kuromori (8th colossus) there's a cutscene that show us Wander "dreaming", BUT after being in love/obsesed for 14 year with SotC and having played it more than enough times, I can tell you with confidence that this "dream" it's exactly the same scene that happens in the ending, the only difference is that one has a sepia filter (At least in the ps2 version). So this is more a premonition than a dream, which means: 1. After absorbing Dormin's essence from 8 colossus, Wander's abilities unconsciously show him the future. (This is based on a believable theory about Wander being the next in line to be the tribe's Shaman, and hence, has a bit of the knowledge and skills from one.) Or... 2. Dormin is the one who shows him that specific part of the future that Wander wants and needs to see. Whatever is it, it's probably that Dormin is the one that has always had this ability, the same way as Lord Emon. So in some point of the past Lord Emon's ancestors built the colossus and sealed Dormin, unaware that their idea in fact was born from Dormin himself. But why would he has to go through all this? Because Dormin saw his death (An actual end to his life, not just being imprisioned) and decided to come up with a plan to avoid it. Then he indirectly planted the idea in his "enemies' heads" that the only way he could be "defeated" was by just sealing his body in a strong enough container (The colossus) in order to escape that fate. With this new path, he knew that in some point someone was going to set him free (Wander and Mono) and then he could return to the world by TWO physical bodies and once more influence the human realm. Let's remember that in ICO, the castle has a lot of horned statues and even the soldiers wears a helmet with horns, meaning that this new Wander/MaleDormin and Mono/FemaleDormin versions really had a significant impact on society and culture. And you could say "But the Queen in ICO isn't dying? Doesn't that mean his plan failed at the end?" Well is just ONE part of him that is dying, probably because the creation of this being wasn't as "organic" as the one with Wander, afterall Mono's body was already dead since the beggining. But Wander's body was alive and strong enough to endure Dormin conversion and then they whole unification at the end of the game, giving him a new body and chance to start again. So in ICO, we can assume that at least the Wander/Dormin being is still alive and thriving. So to sum up, Dormin could influence the creation of the colossus to avoid one bad future. And indirectly he created the colossus to seal himself.

I think the everything is scaled down entry is how wander is smaller than the average height of a man. Wander being 1.25m but being average compared to the other human characters in game. This entry assumes that everything in the game must be bigger than it should be because wander's height not making sense in the real world. This entry also assumes that everything in the game world are scaled based on wander's height. Agro is one of things that correctly been scaled to match up the real life counterpart. The source for wander's and agro's height is nomad colossus.

Solid vid to start off your channel

The tree might be referring to the trees in the temple that decrease your health?

19:37 after defeating a Basaran you climb Malus which on his Tower restraint has a Kuromori and after climbing up you fight Avion on top of Malus. That is 4, if you want 2 then I'd go with Malus and Kuromori.

Great and somewhat funny video. :) Since the E3 5 demo was recently found, there are probably going to be some new ideas too. By the way is it alright if you give a link to the blog post about the Phoenix at I4 theory I posted in the description? I've noticed you showed some of it but didn't give a link to it. It was called "Theory - Phoenix was at I4".

Malus psychic link It is rumored that malus is connect to the other colossus. When you climb on his head you can see all the lights from the corpses of the colossus