Basics

The colossi are the inhabitants of the

Forbidden Lands and the creatures Wander

must destroy in order to see Mono resurrected.

There are sixteen of these great, lumbering giants in the

world, each with their own unique design and abilities.

Moreover, each requires a strategy specific to that monster, and

it's up to the player to figure it out! This site does NOT provide guides

or insights into their weaknesses. C'mon—where's the fun and challenge in that?

The colossi can be discovered by using the Ancient Sword. Possessing the ability to "gather light," it will pinpoint the way to the colossus via a great beam of light, which will become more distinct and clearer as you approach the correct area.

Appearance

Although each colossus is different, they all appear to be created of the earth, crudely assembled of dirt, rock and grass. Their eyes glow and pulsate, and at their center are great dark pupils. When calm, their eyes appear to be blue in color, but once enraged, they become orange. When they bleed, their blood is a thick black.

In addition, all the colossi possess magic sigils that glow dim blue-green or yellow. Wander can strike these points on the colossus in order to damage it. Of course, reaching them can be quite the feat, but it's part of the fun ~~and the frustration~~! There are two types of sigils: major and minor.

The major sigil, a glowing pattern of light similar to the design on Wander's tabard, is the [one] used to slay the colossus. Striking these points does great damage to a colossus and are the only way of mortally wounding them. Some sigils will vanish after a certain amount of damage has been done, forcing Wander to find another.

The minor sigil appears as a crack in the colossus's skin. Striking this does only minor damage, but is often necessary to reach the major sigil.
< FROM TEAM ICO WIKIA: THE COLOSSI, MAGIC SIGIL >

The Original Colossi

All of the sixteen colossi are presented here, along with a brief description of their appearance.

A note on names

The colossi are nameless. None of them are referred to by a name throughout the game. The following names are the ones that are the most popular among fans and, thus, are the ones that are used the most often when referring to them.

Displayed first is the given name of the colossus, followed by its Latin

name.

1.		Valus, Minotaurus colossus Resembles a humanoid. Sounds like a bull.
2.		Quadratus, Taurus magnus Resembles a bull and mammoth.
3.		Gaius, Terrestris veritas Resembles a human knight.
4.		Phaedra, Equus bellator apex Resembles a horse.
5.		Avion, Avis praeda Resembles a bird of prey.
6.		Barba, Belua maximus Bearded. Its roar sounds like that of a bear.

7.		Hydrus, Draco marinus Resembles an electric eel.
8.		Kuromori, Parietinae umbra Resembles a great lizard.
9.		Basaran, Nimbus recanto Resembles a tortoise.
10.		Dirge, Harena tigris Resembles a serpent.
11.		Celosia, Ignis excubitor Makes lion-like noises. Small.
12.		Pelagia, Permagnus pistrix A floating island when submerged.

13.		Phalanx, Aeris velivolus The largest of the sixteen. Docile.
14.		Cenobia, Clades candor Resembles a dog. Inspired by the mythological creature, Cerberus.
15.		Argus, Praesidium vigilo Humanoid. Wields a cleaver.
16.		Malus, Grandis supernus The most human in appearance. Stationary.

The Unused Colossi

So there are sixteen colossi in the game. But did you know that the game's creator, Fumito Ueda, originally planned for there to be 48 colossi? Yeah. That's right. Forty-eight colossi!

After realizing that such a number wasn't feasible, he reduced the amount to 24 colossi instead. Due to various reasons, 8 other colossi were cut, resulting in the current number of colossi in the game. However, these unused colossi appear in the official artbook, and some of them look similar to the final sixteen colossi that appear in the game.

Provided are the nicknames of the colossi, given by the game designers, followed by the fan-given names when applicable.

1.		Devil, Pholux Resembles a gargoyle.
2.		Griffin, Kyos Resembles a griffin.
3.		Monkey Resembles a monkey.
4.		Phoenix, Adar Flam Resembles an ostrich.
5.		Roc, Avus Resembles a bird of prey.
6.		Sirius Resembles a boar.

7.		Spider, Aberth Resembles a daddy longleg.
8.		Worm, Dionin Resembles a worm.

Thoughts

Out of the eight, I would have really loved to see Devil, Phoenix, Worm and Spider. These guys were supposed to be massive, the former three also being deemed too overpowered and requiring too much space to fight!

Could you imagine what it would've been like fighting these guys? It would've been epic!

After the Battle

Once a colossus is defeated, black tendrils will manifest from its wound and go into Wander, who falls unconscious soon after. This cannot be avoided, no matter how much the player may try to outrun or escape the tendrils.

Later, Wander will reawaken in the Shrine of Worship and, in the temple's great halls, a stone idol—corresponding to the recently killed colossus—will shatter. Another shadowy figure will also be seen standing before Wander's unconscious body.

In addition, a great pillar of light will mark the bodies of the fallen colossi. These can be seen from virtually anywhere in the Forbidden Lands. They are clear indicators of the accomplishments the player has made and how far Wander has come in his journey.

With each colossus he defeats, Wander will gain more health, stamina and strength.

However, his appearance notably deteriorates as the game progresses. This is further

discussed here in conjunction with the game's ending.

Reminiscence Mode

If fighting a colossus once wasn't enough for you, the game allows you to fight it again.

To do so, travel to the colossus' lair and approach its corpse, which has transformed into a crude model of the colossus' former appearance. Press nearby it to have Wander pray before its remains and prompt the mode.

Once accepting, you will engage the colossus once more. During the battle, the visuals will carry an awesome old-grainy sort of filter, making you feel as though you've traveled back in time.

Time Attack

After beating the entire game once, Time Attack will unlock. These are a series of timed challenges that require you to defeat a colossus in a certain amount of time. There is the normal challenge and the hard challenge. The time limits will vary depending on the challenge difficulty and the colossus.

To activate a challenge, go to the Shrine of Worship and pray before the idol statue of the colossus you wish to fight.

Successfully completing the challenge will unlock unique items, weapons and accessories, which can be picked up from the shallow pool of water found in the back room of the shrine. There is some seriously cool stuff you can claim, including the Harpoon of Thunder (badass), the Cloak of Deception (a.k.a. Cloak of Invisibility a la Harry Potter) and the Queen's Sword (a reference to the sword Ico wields in the game, Ico!).