Shadow creatures
From WikiUeda
The shadow creatures appear in both Ico, as enemies to be defeated, and Shadow of the Colossus, as spiritual entities representing something more. Their inherent connection between the two games is not obvious but is still present. In Shadow of the Colossus they represent lesser foes, shadowed by the idols and their related colossi. In Ico they are vicious enemies bent on taking back Yorda for their Queen. However their role in both games is pivotal.
[edit] In Ico
In Ico, the shadow creatures arise out of portals in the floor and charge Ico in an attempt to capture Yorda. They come in several varieties: some fly, some merely walk like men, some skitter around as bugs. While only the humanoid ones can attack Ico and snatch Yorda, the smaller, bug-like creatures become humanoid if the others have fallen making them formidable foes in the quest of Ico. In all scenarios the creatures follow a simple plan: subdue Ico and take Yorda into the portal from which they came. The job of the player is to destroy the creatures or flee the stage and if the pair come upon one of the sealed doors all shadowy creatures are destroyed once Yorda opens it.
The origin of the shadow creatures is undisclosed in Ico but much speculation arose over their appearance in Shadow of the Colossus (see below). Clearly they are servants of the Queen who wish to bring Yorda back to be used in the Queen's ultimate purpose; self-preservation. Their shape suggests some kind of spiritual oddity; not quite human enough, not quite beast enough.
Alternately we see shadowy versions of Ico in one of the final scenes of the game. Without question these are the other horned boys who were captured and, supposedly, sacrificed by the Queen. In this scene Ico must fight off all of these horned creatures to reach the final scene, his confrontation with the Queen. The behavior of these horned shadows is aberrant at best; some of them attack Ico, only to flee at the sight of conflict while others fly in circles with each other, hardly noticing Ico. More importantly, however, is the speculated connection between the horned boys and the shadow creatures per the ending of Shadow of the Colossus.
[edit] In Shadow of the Colossus
Our first glimpse of the shadow creatures in the "spiritual prequel" to Ico is in the very opening scene as Wander arrives in the central Shrine of Worship. In his essay Antagonism and Continuity, Bruno Figueiredo describes the scene and its inherent connection to Ico like this:
"When Wander reaches the temple and places Mono over the altar, some shadowy figures appear before him. These are clearly a resemblance to ICO’s enemies or, as we know now, the dark essences of fellow horned boys, refined and under the possession of the Queen. As they appear from the ground, Wander swiftly beckons Agro to move away as he raises his sword, reflecting a light which dissipates these creatures. At this moment, the skies are filled with thunder and a god, answering by the name of Dormin, awakes. He is immediately aroused by the sword Wander possesses and recognises that weapon for some unknown reason. It shouldn’t be to unreasonable to affirm that these mystery shadows are indeed the first step of a pre-arranged trial. Our character has the sword, so we proceed, but let’s imagine, for a brief moment, that he didn’t: this might have been an obstacle harder to outdo. The sword is much like a key in this land, awakening Dormin, reflecting the light and defeating the Colossus. And this is where the first connection with ICO appears. These foes are very similar to those who were seen in ICO. This, I think, is not without a meaning. Ueda was trying to remind us of those foes from his previous game, so troublesome and hard to defeat, at times. Well, this game is a whole new story... Wander defeats these with no trouble. He is warning the intelligent player that a whole new challenge is to come, much harder and... larger, eventually."
And so we see that the role of the shadow creatures, in terms of conflict, is ultimately diminished in Shadow of the Colossus. Their role is a much more subtle one. As stated above, we gather hints to the origins of the shadow creatures in this game. Each time Wander defeats a colossus, he is transported back to the Shrine of Worship where we find him unconscious, surrounded by a number of shadow creatures equal to the number of colossi defeated. From this came the idea that the shadow creatures represent the spirit of Dormin broken and stored in the temple idols, now free thanks to the defeat of their related colossi.
Additionally we see, in the closing scene, Wander possessed by Dormin. His appearance is that of a huge and, you guessed it, shadowy creature. After the closing sequence Wander is reverted to the form of a baby with horns. And hence comes the theory that Wander and Mono produce the first generation of horned boys, the progeny of whom would become our protagonist Ico. Moreover the shadow creatures seen in Ico are presumably of the same breed as those who inhabit the Shrine of Worship in Shadow of the Colossus.
It should also be noted that the official website (UK Version) states that, referring to the shadow creatures, "Everything casts a shadow" and also that "when an entity exists beyond the mortal realm, a shadow is all men can see." This reveals the nature of the shadow creatures to be, in fact, supernatural, as they are the shadows of spirits which exist in another dimension or realm.
 Main Article • SCE | Shadow of the Colossus >> | |
| Characters: | Ico (Kazuhiro Shindou) • Yorda (Reiko Takahashi) • The Queen (Misa Watanabe) | |
|---|---|---|
| The Castle: | Yorda's language • Shadow creatures • Saving • Bonuses not in U.S. version | |
| Production Staff: | Fumito Ueda • Kenji Kaido • Michiru Oshima (Melody in the Mist) • [Full Credits...] | |
| Other Media: | Castle in the Mist (Miyabe Miyuki) • Offical Guide Book | |
| << Ico |  Main Article • Nico • Official Artbook • SCE | [Untitled Third Project] >> |
| Characters: | Wander (Kenji Nojima) • Agro • Mono (Hitomi Nabatame) • Dormin (Kazuhiro Nakata, Kyoko Hikami) • Lord Emon (Naoki Bando) • Shadow creatures | |
|---|---|---|
| Colossi: | Valus • Quadratus • Gaius • Phaedra • Avion • Barba • Hydrus • Kuromori • Basaran • Dirge • Celosia • Pelagia • Phalanx • Cenobia • Argus • Malus | |
| The Forbidden Lands: | Shrine of Worship (Secret Garden) • Save shrines • Fruit trees • White-tailed lizards (and other animals) • Time Attack • Hard Mode | |
| Production Staff: | Fumito Ueda • Kenji Kaido • Kow Otani (Roar of the Earth) • [Full Credits...] | |
| Viral marketing: | Giantology • Iran Skeleton • Tsunami Giant • Underwater Statue • Siberian Ice Giant • Peru Statue | |
