Wander Running to Mono (Shadow of the Colossus)
Shadow of the Colossus’ story is simple, but so deeply tragic especially when you consider Wander’s motivations for doing what he does. After his girlfriend Mono is sacrificed (for an unknown reason), Wander is so driven by grief that he steals a sacred sword, travels to the Forbidden Lands, and basically makes a deal with the devil to bring her back to life, no matter the cost.
As Wander goes on a journey to slay the 16 Colossi, we see that each kill sucks a little bit of humanity out of him and his skin begins to darken and grey. At the end of the game, Wander is finally tracked down by the townspeople who decide to kill him before he completely turns into a zombie. After he and Dormin are banished, Wander spends his final moments trying to run back to Mono even though it’s futile. The simple act of letting the player control Wander in this sequence while running towards Mono is so powerful, and perfectly captures the tragedy and sad futility of the entire situation.
