The remake of the highly acclaimed PlayStation 2 original Shadow of the Colossus is now available for the PlayStation 4.  And while it's a game that was already remastered once before on the PlayStation 3 in 2011 the title holds some importance to the industry.

From the music to the plot, Shadow of the Colossus is often brought up in the discussion that video games are a form of art. Stunning character designs and landscape visuals on a massive scale have continued to captivate gamers throughout each cycle of the next-gen consoles.

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/shadow-of-the-colossus-ps4/#lg=1&slide=11

The game tells the story of a boy named Wander who enters a forbidden land in hopes of saving a young girl from her cursed fate. There, he uncovers mystical details that will revive the girl and free her of her curse. Thus, he embarks on an adventure of epic – or, colossal – proportions, fighting massive titans in his quest to save the young girl’s life.

RELATED: SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS HAD AMAZING PREORDER BONUSES

It is fair to say that the original game’s visuals tested the limits of what the PlayStation 2 was capable of, and while the story and soundtrack still hold up by today’s standards, the now-poor visuals do not. The technological capabilities of the PlayStation 4 – specifically, the PlayStation 4 Pro – have allowed Bluepoint Games to once again bring the original vision of the game to life. Bluepoint is the company behind 2011’s remake on the PlayStation 3, which also included Ico – Team Ico’s title that predated Shadow Of The Colossus. Yet, that was a long time ago, and standards have changed. The legendary game needed a facelift. Fine-tuning and bringing the game to 2018 standards clearly conveys the remastering process as a passion project for the studio.

Additionally, the relevancy and release of the game is timely, given the popularity of more recent games such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne, which focus primarily on large-scale boss battles—though they're not nearly as large as what's faced here. Shadow of the Colossus contains no other encounters than those with the colossi; a storytelling and battle dynamic that was relatively new to the industry at the time of its original release. The combination of combat and storytelling made every encounter more impactful as each battle meant something, and players had to work for it.

The remake of the game will also benefit from a storytelling perspective. At the time of this writing, Shadow of the Colossus is already the number four trending game being viewed on Twitch.TV, edging out Twitch staples such as Hearthstone and Counter-Strike: GO, as well as the recently released and wildly popular Monster Hunter World. While the game itself has no multiplayer or online element, Twitch is a perfect platform for introducing Shadow of the Colossus’ story and grand visuals to an otherwise unexposed and unfamiliar audience. In a way, this game was built to be streamed well before streaming services existed.

https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/shadow-of-the-colossus-ps4/#lg=1&slide=7

While the game is held near and dear to many gamers’ hearts, there is something to be said about remaking the game a third time simply as a cash-grab. Shadow of the Colossus likely has fewer fans than the lovable Crash Bandicoot, however, from a business perspective, the remake could just be playing to gamers' sentiment and nostalgia of the game in hopes of replicating the success of other recently remade titles. Ultimately, cash is king. Yet, the sentiment behind Shadow of the Colossus will likely remain the same with gamers who grew up appreciating and marveling at the original game released over one decade (and two consoles) ago, who also might now be sharing the visually updated, single-player story experience with their children.

NEXT: SONY MEMES THAT ARE FUNNY AF