Shadow of the Colossus - Mystery of the desert rings 

8 years later and I still admire the work put into this.

Here's what I think. I think that Phalanx relies on echolocation to get around. If you notice, Phalanx has a very high-pitched cry that seems to echo- Just like dolphins and bats. And its head seems to be shaped in an odd way that could help it detect objects- like a tuning fork. So it's possible that what the rings do is, when Phalanx uses its echolocation to get around, it bounces the sound off the metal plates to create a higher-frequency sound, creating the impression of there being an object in the way. Also, Phalanx has the smallest eye-to-body ratio out of all the colossi- Hinting that its eyesight may be very poor. It could also explain why Phalanx never attacks you- You're just not a big enough object for it to detect.

I noticed most of the colossi have some stone structure built on them, which I assume were originally to immobilize them. But all of them eventually broke free, because I assume they've been there undisturbed for a very long time. Perhaps the rings used to be on Phalanx; the intact ones would have been near the head and tail, while the broken ones were in the middle and thus harder to remove without breaking them. I think it makes sense because the extra weight would prevent it from flying.

Aww, all you guys out there saying "It's just a game, he flies like that because he was PROGRAMMED to fly like that" have no imagination. This type of speculation is incredibly interesting, and on a larger scale (i.e. pertaining to real world problems) the ability to speculate like this is immensely important. Good on you Nomad Colossus, I thought this was very cool!

dude you are a genius you found an Ico ester egg

I love how this video has cultivated such deeply devoted and intelligent discussion. It was never my intention! This was just another video amongst all my other videos speculating about the colossi for my subs to enjoy xD. I admit, I went a bit far when I discussed how the rings worked, and how the so called 'missing ring' worked to fit into my theory - but I had no idea this video would create such controversy and discussion. So I apologise if I have led anyone astray ; ) On the other hand, it's nice to see fans talking about this colossus, and as this is my most viewed video so far (past 600K now), I'm glad I made it in the end.

Nomad pls. those are obviously stargates

When i had the game i always wondered about the ancient cities and temples and constructs in the game. It would be awesome to see what the forbidden land was like before the worship of "Dormin" and all horned creatures was banned.

Even to this day I come back to this video. It's such a comfy nostalgia trip

Oh my God this whole time I was like "pshh duuumb" until he showed that the rings are also from Ico then I was like damn my bad.

2020, the year I discovered all of this, beautifull years full of theories and imaginartion, with so much effort put into them, that is just amazing

Respect to the man who has stayed with this game for so much longer than we have ever stayed with any of our favourite games

I love this game so much. It's so beautiful and mysterious, these rings are just another detail that provides more to think about.

I never saw every colossi like "trapped" to no escape. To me they were like guardians of the area where they laid. Every area is, in some way, deteriorated by time. Maybe, and just maybe, Phalanx is wandering that area because the structure that had to guard is now under ground, buried by sand.

While I like the idea of there being some form of seal to keep the colossi trapped Avion is the only one that bothers me, I see no reason why she can't just fly above the mountains unless there is maybe some form of hidden seal like the rings within the ruins or under the water. An alternate theory that could still relate to the rings is Phalanx having a dependency on the sand itself for flight, he cannot maintain high altitudes for a long time being forced to use his wings to glide around after you shoot the air sacks and after being on him for a while he will even eventually return to the sand practically nose diving into it and then returning with his air sacks refilled. The gas inside might possibly be produced through some interaction with the sand or something under it (eating it or something similar causing a reaction to make the gas). If this is true he probably couldn't fly very far without needing to return to the sand anyway. This could work as a theory on it's own as he needs the sand to keep existing but the rings could ALSO be there as a way to prevent him from just flying off to a beech or other sandy area where he can refill his air sacks. That's just my own little theory. Think of it what you will.

at exactly 5:00 , this video suddenly got very depressing somehow..

My theory is that because there's a piece of Dormin's soul in each colossus, they're "possessed" by him. His power prevents them from moving around freely and that's why they only do so much to fight Wander...Also that's why you can see their weak spots.

Phalanx could just go over the mountains, unless it wasn't really a flying monster, and more of a gliding one. Aren't the white sacks on its stomach targets? If they are, then they could be like balloons, giving 13 just enough height to be above ground, but not enough to clear mountains.

This game is so god damn good. The music is so hauntingly brilliant. I wish they'd make another one. I just cannot get enough of this studio's unparalleled artistic flare.

It's a PS2 game and this encounter is with one of the largest Colossi, so the game designers have all those structures in place so they know where to plan it's flight path. All the Colossi are bound by a certain area.

My conclusion was that you were likely meant to fight Dirge there in development, and either have the rings as a showpiece that you's automatically be pathed through, Or that Dirge would crash into them, and or get stuck on them if you lured him through one. The area was likely deemed too big to have the fight in, as it may lead to confusion as to where Dirge and the player were in relation, or glitches with Dirge running off, maybe being able to lure him out of the ring. Who knows, Phalanx could have been added to account for the lack of a Collosus in the desert after they moved Dirge into that grotto place.

demon fuel can't melt stone rings

I know this is really old, but has anyone noticed that all of the rings seem to be angled away the area Phalanx is in? Not that it seems relevant in any way. Also the rings may not be missing but just simply unseen as they could very well just be under the sand. What would be really interesting is you could hunt for the rings under the desert by stabbing the sand and listening for a different sound or perhaps your sword bounces. Just a thought.

The Colossi are obviously Guardians of each domain. Areas which are surely ruins of important places long ago. I think that the rings were once part of a castle or similar building like those in Ico, but the building long crumbled and that's all that is left. The reason the Colossi don't leave their arenas is because they are still protecting them, even long after all the people have gone and the structures crumbled. Your theory is interesting, but I think it's just coincidental. Although, details like that are strictly meant to be for speculation and intrigue. So it's cool to see what other ideas people come up with!

it's so peaceful just watching it fly around like that at the end with the sad and mysterious music

I love the way it feels as though its a real historical thing from the past and makes you ask what are they? Where are they from? Why are they here? And its not just that the creator just thought it looks a bit boring there add a ruin lol i wonder if the creator actually had any reason for them? Personally i thought they looked like giant shackles Peace!!

A whole channel dedicated to this game? I dig it.

"All the other colossi are land locked in some way" Well yeah... After all... SPOILER ALERT, READ AT YOUR OWN FUCKING RISK!: All 16 Colossi are basically just fragments of Dormin, the spirit that makes the deal with you about defeating the Colossi to revive Mono, the girl that you place on the altar in the beginning of the game. The fragments were shattered by a certain person that may or may not have came from the same place as the Protagonist: Wander. This man, named Emon, had to place the fragments of Dormin into Colossi which he then placed those Colossi in secluded places to prevent them from going on outside fields to cause chaos and prevent anybody from destroying them. (They ARE Colossal after all, it would be PREEEEEEEETTY tough to take fuckers like that down. Especially seeing as to how you need a special ancient sword just to reveal their weakness sigils.). So, it would definitely be no surprise why they would be land locked in ANNNNNNNNYWAY possible.

Why can't Avion just fly out over the mountains?

Watching you play this just gives me such a nostalgic feeling of when I used to play this. Those were the days...

I think the reasons the colossi avoids the rings is because he once played Superman 64 and was so traumatized by how bad it was, he can't stand the thought of even flying close to giant rings.

SotC was one of those games that didn't shove the story in your face but you always felt bad for killing the Colossi and watching as it slowly falls to the floor and turns black. It's a game that is very good at making the player feel very lonely and kind of sad. Best use of music and atmosphere I've ever seen in a game.

The attention to detail in this game is INSANE and I thats why I love every bit of it :P

It is possible that they were designed and modeled before they cut out the "Worm" boss, so when they still decided to use the asset somewhere. Perhaps that boss would have been designed for you to lure the worm-like boss to tunnel/attack head-on at you straight into a set of rings, temporarily trapping it. Just a thought.

I kinda want to get a small group and see if we can make another colossi game With the original 24. Of course that's probably impossible.

I swear I watch one god damn video about shadow of the colossus and here you are in my reccomended

So... Maybe castle from Ico was even older then colossi? Civilization from the past was destroyed by... something. Dormin maybe. Only ruins remained. Also, don't forget that, Castle from Ico was partly ruined.

This actually makes me wish they'd made a surface dwelling Dirge-type colossus (a millipede based one, perhaps) that chases you at high speed, in a area with paths of rings large enough for the colossus to follow you through, but that get ever so slightly smaller, meaning you must lure it into following you through the rings and getting stuck, giving you time to climb a ring with grips on the outside of it, jump down onto the colossus, and stab, possibly with the colossus backing out or breaking the tight ring after the first symbol is used up, requiring you to repeat the process in an alternate path.

Have you all noticed how phalanx is the only colossi that DOESNT attack you. He's just chillin and we go in there and fuk his day up for no reason.. poor dude

7 years later im still here for SotC

I can't wait for The Last Guardian.

As much as i love to throw ppl down and prove them wrong, this actually has some pretty cool evidence... of course the gamemakers at sony probably made the restrictions for the colossi so the game wouldn't glitch out, but this actually caught my eye because of the nature of how mysterious the game is...

Also something very interesting I noticed is, in Malus' and Celosia's layer, there are lit lamps. And lamps cannot stay lit for really, really long unless they are constantly refilled with oil. So could there have been a civilization until the very recent past I. E., not long before our arrival at the Forbidden Lands? Or could there still be a civilization, hidden away somewhere deep within the lands?

Phalanx, Avion, and Hydrus seem to be the only colossi who don't have any form of architecture on them. This might suggest that they are the youngest of the 16. At the same time, that would make Pelagia the oldest because his eyes are his tusks. Pelagia is the only colossus whose eyes do that.

Or maybe the game creators made the rings in order for them to use them as guide lines and be able to create the fixed path that Phalanax always uses.

I love going back and watching these

When you look at it from the game maker's standpoint they're just props placed in the desert, nothing more. The colossus doesn't fly away because it's a video game, games have constrains and tricks to keep you engaged instead of chasing after the flying colossus tough the whole world. Bless the fans that create these mythologies and theories keeping old games alive.

They were obviously trying to make a stargate!

I was quite entertained from the start, and I relish how you delve into the game lore from the game's perspective. But when you suddenly snapped to ICO, my mind was blown. That was amazing. Stuff like this is what you're really looking for in the online gaming community: a way to enhance your perception of the game, immersion and your enjoyment. Also, I'd never have guessed the desert would look that good from far above.

Where did he get footage of the flight path?

What I love about this video is that it reinforces what I love about the game. That it's open to interpretation. It's clear that extra thought was put into the creation of the collisi and this just reaffirms it. In some instances it seems you're going a little too in depth but the theory alone is enough to fall in love with this game all over again. There will never be another one like it, a work of art!

Holy mother of god.... I just had a theory as well. What if they were placed there because the desert looked plain without them and the design artists thought it was a good idea! Good work detective. This case has been solved.

The more I watch on this game the more I realize how masterful and underappreciated this game is. I'm glad that some people continue to devote this much time and effort to this title.

Dark Souls creator, Miyazaki, in an interview said he would always pick the pendant at the beginning of the game. People were speculating for like a year, and finally Miyazaki revealed that it was just a prank - the pendant has no use. So, have fun speculating :D

I meant there are similar stones scattered around the base of the other rings, which may imply that there was another ring at one time. But admittedly this was always a bit of a leap - to think there was an extra ring. So the theory is problematic at best, it seems Phalanx could fly away any time it wanted really.

In my opinion phlanax was never able to leave because he has no wings ( yes but he dont use them to stay in his height) Ist because aof the sandstorm,i think he is gliding through (sorry my english isnt the best^^)

I know this video is 6 years old, but I feel the need to comment. It seems like 13 is restricted by his own nature, not by any structures. He is a desert-dweller, and the desert only extends so far. He survives by staying near the sand so he can dive if attacked (not that anything would). He may also rely on the thermal updrafts created by the desert, but lack the bouyancy to float any higher.

It was Ueda who said that Ico takes place after Shadow in an interview about the story, although at first he denied that the two games were related. Wander was the first horned boy and those that came after him carried his genes so that every generation or so a horned boy would be born.

umm is it just me or does thoes rings look like stargates?

It is oddly peaceful to watch Phalanx's flight path. This game is so unique and thought provoking.

Whoa how did you get the aerial shot of the desert??

Just been rewatching JackSepticEye's playthrough of the remastered PS4 edition, and as soon as he brought up Phalanx and the rings, my mind instantly shot to this video. Your videos are Shadow of the Colossus classics. This game, in all its rendititons, is beautiful, and, alongside theories like this video makes, is the prime example I use when dicussing if games are art.

would they have anything to do with the mirror plate used to control trico in the last guardian?

Such a beautiful, mysterious game, especially phalanx, to me just a peaceful, flying, friendly giant. He was the hardest one to actually finish... All the others were pretty hard just phalanx is the most elegant one. Such an emotional and deep game. This game is the closest to art than any other game wish it went on forever with more giants just for the sake to extend this masterpiece.

Haha, this is incredible work. I love your passion for the Ico titles. I knew there was some bigger mythology at work and your speculation is captivating.

thinking maybe the rings are thermal collectors. if they collect and amplify light as you think they would also generate intense heat maybe implying its an artificial desert. the colossus appears to ride thermals as evidenced by minimal wing movement and would certainly limit its altitude and contain it to areas warm enough to create lift aka the desert specifically around the rings where the greatest thermal energy would be and a possible 6th east ring which would put his path almost central to the formation making it a thermal box to contain him

Dionin was an earlier version of Dirge pretty much, but required a huge arena,he also had the same tactics too.But you're thinking that to get the weak spot, trap him in the rings. That's pretty clever.

One thing to consider is that many animals can be conditioned to the presence of an obstacle in such a manner that they continue trying to avoid the obstacle even after it is removed. So maybe the rings are actually not working anymore due to being broken, but he still sticks to his limits out of sheer conditioning.

Huh I just thought they were part of the speed trials to get phalanx closer to you. dam man your good I'd heard how persistent you were from a friend of mine and I heard you found the possible location for the beta colossus but even investigating into the ones we know about man you are amazing and I am a very critisizal person so that means something you have my respect nomad

I never thought really about this, but i think this could be a good theory

Or maybe they're just Hoopy the hoop's cousins!

Wow man so many tie overs in all the team ico games. Great video Nomad

2:05 AAMOGUSSS

I'm new to the game, and videos like this are my kinda eye candy! Congratulations on your in game credit! Incredible work!

Yes, the flying ones could just fly away if they wanted to I guess, but the truth is they would never leave their lairs even if they could as they were built to defend the part of Dormin's soul they protect. They will die defending it (which sadly they do). But the mountains around #5's lair are higher than the elevation Avion flies at and it never goes above this, so it looks like it was programmed to stay within that sunken city.

Stargates

There are chasms on either side of its area, which look like it could just walk over (as they are not too wide). But if you notice it takes small steps, so it couldn't make it and would most likely topple and fall into the chasm and be stuck there xD.

stargate ?

I think we are a lot of people who love this game... But you, my dear Nomad, are a real connoisseur... A SotC's erudite...

Whether the theory is correct or not, it still sounds awesome. I love when there are little hidden gems like this, lore to flesh out an otherwise dead world. Kudos sir. I enjoyed your video, and I love me some Shadow of the Colossus. Thanks for opening my eyes to some new possibility.

This video is really interesting and cool. 👍👍👍

Because Ico is set after the events of Shadow of the Colossus and you see those same rings in the castle, so I was showing how the Queen sent some men to retrieve the rings from 13's desert many years later. If Mono became the Queen (which some have suggested) then she would have known where the rings were located in the forbidden lands. I was also going to show how the men arrived by boat at the Ico beach but didn't get around to it.

The rings are just reused assets from ico, there's really nothing more to it that that. I bet if you showed this to the game's creator he'd have a damn fine chuckle :-)

My theory is the rings are just decoration. It doesn't want to leave as that's it's Home perhaps it's a child so it's scared of what's outside of his sanctuary...

After seeing the overhead shot and placement of the rings/ruins along with the presence of the tall ring of mountains around the desert, I'm currently of the opinion that this desert is the site of the Nest from TLG

As for this theory, I don't believe the rings were created for the purpose of restricting Phalanx. More likely they were used for gathering light for other purposes before quickly abandoning the forbidden land. Perhaps they functioned for rituals or actual devices outside of the temple (or perhaps at one point they were inside the temple). I still enjoyed this video and it's nice to know some people are still playing and dissecting it. It's a truly wonderful game. Thank you Nomad.

I kinda wanna put my 2 cents into the argument of how Phalanx manages to fly the way he does. What I think is going on is that the sacs it is carrying is filled with condensed gases that have less buoyancy than the air around them. This keeps him afloat. This would make sense considering how the way to lower it is to shoot the sacs. Shooting them releases the gases from them, and the remaining gas in the others would not be able to keep it afloat as high. This idea can also give sense to why Phalanx is not able to just fly over the mountains. The gases may only have enough buoyancy to let it hover over a specific altitude. After reaching too high, the air becomes thinner, and denser, leaving the gases inside the sacs only able to reach below the density in can overcome. You may noticed the fins it has are not wings, but actually rudders of a sort. It doesn’t flap them in any way, in actually turns them to direct to places. This strengthens my idea that indicates he doesn’t fly. The gas just keeps him up.

Perhaps that was the original castle that imprisoned Dormin, and when he was torn apart the castle blew up and that's why Phalanx is trapped there, because he might have been the first attempt of Dormin's soul to try and escape, but his wings could not carry the weight of his body.

Although I find it rather farfetched, I like your theory. I read somewhere that there were originally 48 planned colossi and that they narrowed it down to 24 and then to 16. It´s good to see such interest in a game that was released years ago and that does not appeal to most people. SotC will always have that mystery and mystic touch, not only for the game itself but what fans find and the theories they create around it. Thank you very much for the awesome finds and videos. I am subscribing. :)

You can say that, but think about it this way. A writer or game developer works hard on a story for a game and as many aspects of said game as they can, but there are bound to be things they meant to just be aesthetically pleasing, but when you have a game with a great story and a devoted fanbase, people are bound to create theories on even the small things and that in some cases can lead to more of a fascinating story than even the creator could imagine.

Great theory. I think it's more plausible to think that the rings are no longer functioning, or not functioning at 100%, and the colossus' movement continues to be restricted more by mental conditioning (as with any animal and an electric fence or other conditioning) than by a coherent invisible barrier.

Basaran's area is blocked by two deep fissures at either side and although they look narrow enough for the colossus to just step over it can't do this as it takes small steps. I've tested this before and unless it could jump over them (which it can't) there's no way for it to escape.

My theory is that the rings were used to control the absurd amount of sandstorms in the Desert. If you pay attention, you'll realize there is not one single sandstorm in the rings's general vinicity.

I wouldve said the positions are only there to give a sense of space to the programmers and the reoccuring textures are simply reuses. But you have a fascinating point when saying that all collosi are imprisoned. Howver I think with the random rock formations you overinterpret it, thats just the 3D kits standard rock formations you put here and there to blend structures in.

I didn't say it was a solar 'panel', and yes I realise it's just a game and the colossus is programmed to fly like that, but I like to speculate on the history of the forbidden lands and think about how the colossi lairs were designed and why they look like they do etc.

When I saw those rings... my first thought was aliens.... then I saw Phalanx, and I was like "Yep, definitely aliens !". haha I don't know why, but Phalanx gives off a distinct 'out-of-this-world' vibe. None of the others do... in my honest opinion.

What I find it fascinating that Phalanx is clearly able to gain and possibly sustain a much higher altitude when he's first shown in the cinematic than when he does in the actual game. Another thing that's fascinating about him is his ability to literally dive into sand, as if it was water. One would think that with a body mass of his size and without any form of downward acceleration (other than gravity), he shouldn't actually be able to do something like that. This colossus is such a majestic creature tho, for sure. It pained me so much to bring him down when he was just flying around. :(

everyone likes to go with the idea that this game is a prequel to ico, but i like to consider it the other way around sometimes. maybe where the desert is in sotc used to be covered with water and thats where the castle sank at the end of ico. they didnt have to drift far to end up on the famous "ico beach" to the west. this desert area is large enough and has high cliffs and scattered debris from the remains of the old castle (hence the rings). the water level and terrain could have changed over decades or centuries creating a desert where the castle once stood. or naturally the rings could just be an easter egg like most other ico-related objects in the game that people theorize about...

Dang, I wish I could take the time to explore the game and make theories just like you! Seriously, it would give me that feeling of things having a more logical explanation :D Thanks for the vid!

I love it when people look into these kinds of things in video games. Makes you feel the genuine atmosphere that developers wanted the world to have. I also find this theory to be totally realistic for the Ico/SOTC world and found it cool you noticed the rings were in both games