Shadow Of The Colossus Gameplay Changes Include New Controls

New details on next year’s Shadow of the Colossus PS4 remake continue to pour out of Paris Games Week. And it sounds like Bluepoint Games, the studio tasked with rebuilding Team Ico’s iconic PS2 game, is really striving to make this the definitive version of SotC .

We’ve known since E3 that this would be the best-looking version of the game yet. The mysterious world inhabited by Wander and Agro has never looked more detailed than it will on PlayStation 4, as was evident from the announcement trailer. The patchworks of etched stone and climbable fur covering the colossi looked great back in 2005, but the towering figures are absolutely jaw-dropping on modern hardware. Sony says players will actually see the colossi’s fur deform as Wander scurries up each giant. PS4 Pro owners can also look forward to 4K textures or the highly sought after 1080p/60fps performance milestone. But the latest word from Sony confirms pretty textures won’t be the only change in Bluepoint’s upcoming remake.

The studio also developed a new control scheme for its Shadow of the Colossus remake. The goal behind the new scheme was to improve accessibility and the overall gameplay experience. The changes aren’t drastic though, and mostly reflect current industry trends, like giving players access to the map by pressing the touchpad. But purists can rest easy knowing the classic control scheme from 2005 is also available in the PS4 port. It’s not clear whether players will have the ability to further modify either scheme, or if this is an A or B situation.

For an early look at the Shadow of the Colossus remake, check out the project’s Paris Games Week trailer. Then head down to the comments and let us know which control scheme you plan to use when Shadow of the Colossus heads to PS4 early next year.

Shadow of the Colossus is in development for PlayStation 4. The remake debuts Feb. 7, 2018.

Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for additional Shadow of the Colossus news through the end of 2017 and as long as Bluepoint supports SotC after launch.