The "17th Colossus" legend is an urban legend revolving around the 2005 action-adventure game Shadow of the Colossus.
Description
Although there are 16 Colossi in the final game, rumors were spread soon after its release about a secret 17th Colossi that could be found somewhere throughout the game.
There is some kernel of truth behind this rumor. The game’s creator, Futimo Ueda, initially planned for the game to include 48 Colossi before realizing that hardware limitations would render that impossible and scaled it back to 24. From there, a further 8 Colossi were cut before they were developed much:
- Aberth the spider, which would have been fought while riding Agro
- Adar Flam the Phoenix, which was wreathed in flames and needed to be extinguished
- Avus the Roc, which was cut for being nearly identical to the 5th Colossus, Avion
- Dionin the worm
- Kyos the griffin, which was cut because climbing it was too long a process
- A Colossus named Monkey that hung from the ceiling
- Pholux the devil, a small Colossus that would have been ambushed from the nearby tall grass
- Sirius the boar, which would have been lured into a rock formation so that it would get stuck, making it vulnerable to attack
The most commonly cited method for unlocking the 17th Colossus (which of the cut 8 it is is unknown) is by successfully climbing the Shrine of Worship, whereupon the 17th Colossus will disappear. Some claim that Sirius the boar would appear atop the Shrine and would have to be pushed through a hole in the roof. Some claim that the 17th Colossus was a sea serpent that could be encountered by swimming into the ocean a far enough distance. Still, others say that it was a dragon that would be fought in a normally inaccessible area of the map. Unfortunately, scanning the game’s files reveals no hidden Colossi, although textures that could belong to Sirius and Dionin do exist.