Hidden Symbolism in Shadow of the Colossus

14 years later... there are still secrets being uncovered from this game. I think I might have discovered something that nobody else has ever noticed, and it was staring us in the face all this time. Special thanks to Nomad Colossus and Wisi for making this video possible.
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Max's Videos on SOTC:
Shadow of the Colossus - Story Explanation and Analysis: • Shadow of the Colossus...
Team Ico - Shared Universe Theory: • Team Ico - Shared Univ...
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Sources:
Nomad Colossus: / nomad0168
PSU Preview New Cut Scene: • Shadow of the Colossus...
Dante Diotallevi's Graduate Thesis: qspace.library...

[@DynoSkrimisher]

Nomad: *Scans the data and keeps on finding stuff* Emon: STOP. Dormin: DON'T STOP.

[@tomatogenesis]

I'm with Dormin on this one

[@pedronied]

Just when you think there's nothing else to know about Shadow of the Colossus...

[@hericbss]

Nied7 Indeed

[@afellowhuman8944]

That's one of the reasons that make this game mysterious and amazing

[@sanduba57]

But actually there's nothing else to know about the game.

[@greenvelvet]

It's amazing Shadow of the Colossus has these wide-open landscapes that you can transverse and explore. And there's no random encounters no busy grind quests...and IT WORKS. It completely immerses you in this mysterious land and you're just in this state of wonder.

[@xfirexrainx6668]

State of wander even.

[@brunofranco4416]

Horns are symbols of both wisdom and strength in various cultures around the world. They have also been linked to virility and masculine reproductive power thanks to males of various species having larger horns than females, like the bull, wich was worshipped by all indo-european peoples due to beign an essential part of their diet, it's strength wich allowed it to pull plows through the fields and it's reproductive potency.

[@blipboigilgamesh7865]

Ironically enough, were I live, horns are a common symbol of betrayal and masculine unpromiscuity. It comes from the fact that when some animals lose their horns, they don't grow back and how that relates to how people don't tend to get over being cheated on a relationship, but the analogy got lost in translation.

[@MagicDragonesk]

Horns are of the devil 😈

[@TexasHollowEarth]

@@MagicDragonesk - Evidence of animal genetics in human dna.

[@pracitus]

Dormin was probably a peaceful god but the new religion hated horns and his power, truly a tragic ending for his culture and land...

[@juanausensi499]

@@MagicDragonesk Michelangelo sculpted his Moses with horns

[@argonbolt]

This is why i love SOTC, its a game that leaves so much to interpretation. When i made my video on this i read a metaphorical reading about technology and human kind grappling with balance. While i never saw your videos when i made it, i think it shows how strong the themes of this game are(even if the specific story told to us is quite simple) that you can inevitably see similar ideas even if the specific interpretations are very different.

[@alextheconfuddled8983]

Undertale: *Hold my beer*

[@hollywoodwillburn]

Nimrod is also connected to human sacrifices in the occult and just like the story of jesus and nimrod it seems like dormin required sacrifice of the flesh to bring about the rebirth of a God or Demon depending on which theology we look at great work love these break downs

[@imperiallray7933]

you are the best incarnation of game theory we ever could have dreamed of

[@lostpockets2227]

i hate game theory because "HI AND WELCOME, THIS IS GAME THEORY! DONT FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE, WE ARE GAMETHEORY! WANNA BUY MERCH!? USE CODE GAMETHEORY!

[@sporeham1674]

@@lostpockets2227 First time I've seen a valid complaint about GameTheory honestly.

[@furyberserk]

@@lostpockets2227 When you grow up, you tend to hate how stupid adults assume you were. Gt has that children appeal everyone hates, but I respect his grind.

[@itswonkavision9946]

Video begins: My brain: You're finally awake

[@codymavick9068]

To add to Wanders sacrifice. He didn't even do it in the intentions of becoming divine or pure he just did it because he wanted to bring his girl back to life. Even as Dormin warned him he could have unforeseen consequences, he didn't care. He did it for completely selfless and pure intentions which could potentially be why he succeeded in becoming reborn or divine. (I'd imagine if someone slayed all the colossi seeking immortality or divinity for pure selfish reasons would probably be turned into a shadow demon instead of being reborn into a pure innocent horned baby.) Maybe that's why Emon followed him to the forbidden lands and stayed at the end "if your alive your cursed". He thought wander wouldn't succeed in becoming divine or if it was even possible to become divine. He thought Wander was a shadow demon and that Mono was dead.

[@frostycane5134]

Interesting

[@CodeeXD]

One could argue wanders sacrifice was selfish. Not caring for the consequences of his actions he potentially risked the world for his love

[@williampan29]

​@CodeeXD who cares what the world thinks. We don't own the world anything.

[@lilvampire7439]

Hey look at this circle SotC theorizers: *M A N D A L A*

[@khakisohn9710]

"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts, absolutely," for some reason that last line gave me chills god damn I'm too pea brained for this

[@JudgeMagistR]

That really brings me back to the old times where SotC and religion theories were Always a thing, Me personally never really saw it that way. But when it comes to elements such as balance, light and dark always seemed to me to be the main theme of Shadow of the colossus, Or even the whole Fumito Ueda universe really. I always wanted those mandalas to be analysed so much. So I really appreciate thIs vídeo and it's amazing work. It all began with Dormin sword having half the mandala design of #6 and 13# on the dormin sword hilt. Also the mandala at #13 arena was a new addition to the remake version of the game, it wasn't really there in the OG, Unless it was fully covered in sand. I haven't really met your channel before and i'll definitely check it out your other SotC Related vídeos!

[@sebastianbancroft7184]

Darkness is the absence of light. In reality you can’t have a mix of the two as the game suggests. It’s just teaching dualism.

[@TENRAN432]

I'm glad that people are still making Shadow videos. Continue to make great content man! One question: Do you think that Dormin (or the collosus) are perfect beings in that universe? What about baby Wander?

[@maxderrat]

In regards to Baby Wander, I don't think he's a perfect being... I just think he's a little higher on the scale towards divinity for his efforts as an adult. As for Dormin… I think he's the perfect representation of darkness and all that darkness implies (evil, misery, loss of self, etc. ). The colossi are neither perfect or imperfect in my estimation. They just ARE... kind of like animals.

[@ShintogaDeathAngel]

In some (mostly pagan) religions and cultures, darkness and the underworld are more places and times for contemplation rather than representing evil and punishment. The way I see Dormin is as a literal deity (they perform literal miracles, most notably resurrecting Wander, Mono and possibly Agro. I’m pretty sure Agro would not have survived that fall, but that’s just another thing the game deliberately leaves vague) and their god status directly threatens Emon’s “new” religion. In sealing Dormin away and Emon casting them as evil, the story also provides an analogy for Christianity trying to bury/discredit paganism, which is Christianity’s own roots. Dormin is neutral, not evil - while they did use him, they give Wander the chance to turn back, when he is the first human they’ve seen in who knows how long. If he had left, would anyone else ever set foot in the forbidden lands and free them?

[@codemancz798]

Dormin is probably death.

[@passerByL]

"power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" i like this, i like this very much

[@FarronMoon]

These concepts sound a lot like Kingdom Hearts. Hermeticism may very well sit comfortably with Namuras love of Numerology and Daoist symbolism. The realms of Light & Darkness, the Sleeping realm, data worlds, the enevor of Xehanort to study the balance between these forces, remaking a great war for his cause. This video feels perfectly suited to this topic as well.

[@blumiu2426]

Asian culture is based around those esoteric concepts, and part of their culture. You will always see it and why many of their stories are always based on balancing good and evil, not one overcoming the other. If you did deep into the occult, dualism is far more insidious, as it's believed one should embody both (yet in reality we know human nature tends to go one way over the other).

[@greenvelvet]

Those illustrations look closer to the illustrations you would find in books, regarding alchemy and mysticism

[@starofwonder1810]

This was extremely interesting. This was a childhood game of mine... It meant so much to me back then.... Thank you for posting this.

[@aidenmorreyvoiceactor]

11:22 "Have ya heard of JESUS?!!" -Jontron

[@pineoandloeb]

This is brilliant. My love of Shadow Of The Colossus meeting my love of the occult. I always felt the game had some deeper esoteric element to it and this illustrates it well. Nice work!

[@RevSoma]

That hermetic philosophy on becoming one with the universe is a pretty interesting way of putting integrity or Te. I'll have to remember that.

[@aceragnarok9451]

Absoloutley fantastic. Loved every moment and you better keep making these high quality videos

[@Zelchacha]

Awesome insights man, I love your content, your Asperger’s syndrome gives you such detail and you dive deeper than most. It’s a gift and a curse so it seems.

[@timmadone8930]

There is a Mandala on the floor where colossus 6 comes out from but getting to it is not easy. You basically have to get on the arm of the colossus & let go just as he try's to throw you off & with a little luck you'll be tossed up onto the platform. There is also a Mandala high up in a dark area on a wall just before the cut scene starts for colossus 8. There is also a Mandala on top of each castle tower near colossus 15. You need to use photo mode to see them.

[@chugg159]

Wherever there is a shadow of the colossus video, there is always a special thanks to Nomad. Absolute legend.

[@kevinaudrey4731]

i thought he's called Dormin because he lays DORMANt in there for years

[@Storm1Trooper5]

Yeah me too 😅

[@bennyindawall]

This is why I fell in love with this game, not only is it amazing gameplay and an absolutely beautiful world and story but just there was a certain mystery to it, and it’s just amazing when people like you and nomad spend so much time deciphering it, truly amazing work you guys have done🙏

[@Trickle_Official]

Okay, so I am new to this community and HO LY COW these are impeccable!!! I wonder if that light harnessed, presumably, from people is also what is found in the blue tailed lizard and the blue butterfly, as well as the fire Dormir breathes! I was planning on playing Ico this week but I keep discovering that I've SO MUCH MORE to discover in the world of the Colossi! Thank you SO much for these heaftfelt videos, I can't wait to play Ico so that I may watch the rest of your content!!!

[@kronometron1034]

Fun fact: Nimrod built the Babel Tower trying to reach God.

[@Kortlandt]

I do like how that there's more to this game. I really do love it and its predecessors.

[@dgodiex]

What a great video, it's not easy to articulate these ideas, specially for the non iniciated, but you did a perfect job. It's absoluteley wonderful that this engraves are occult inside the game's code, and it says a lot about the author's esoteric influences and the spirit of the game at large.

[@sinisterbotanist]

One thing Ueda does extremely well (and is a sort of staple of his aesthetic style) is generating an aura of significance. You're placed in some majorly empty, ancient world that seems to harbor the meanings of a long-lost form of life. E.g., symbols in stone, mysterious markings, shrines, etc. I doubt Ueda or anyone "assigned" these symbols discrete meanings; all that matters is that they are suggestive of meaning (suggestiveness, rather than full-blown illumination is one of the essentials of Japanese aesthetics). It generates that "mythic" character. Like the "tomb" where you get the shield in The Last Guardian: I sort of don't want to know anything about whose grave it is! Just knowing it's obviously a grave (and all the associations that entails) is enough to generate an atmosphere of significance or depth that's way more interesting than if I had all the "facts" about the matter. It leaves speculations way open, but open enough to where I don't find it too exciting to imagine we're ever going to piece together a "right" interpretation or theory. I sorta want to bask in the indeterminacy of it all. also, I used to be way into Jung but I found his ideas tend to occlude genuine social/historical/cultural differences. If we think each and every circle denotes a "mandala" as Jung conceives them, we're going to be ignoring genuine differences in how those symbols are conceived by different traditions (and this is a fictional tradition so it doesn't really apply). But depth psychological interpretation can still yield some interesting views! Maybe Wander's journey is really all about seeking a return to the oceanic oneness of the primordial womb or whatnot. That's not my gig anymore.

[@nalbarracin]

I just want to add some reference: The phrase "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" is usually attributed to Lord Acton (See Hist. Essays, page 504)

[@venomsn4kee]

What’s interesting is that the sword wayfinding mimics the mandala visual of the “let there be light” illustration. The light even unifies into a singular beam when pointed towards a single being, but points everywhere else when not focused on anything.

[@raycorrea5147]

Just one observation on 6:39 why a circle besides the perfection if you think about it there is the number Pi, an infinite number that contains everything, all the information of this world is contained at some point in Pi, so it makes sense that the circle represents our reality. There are additional observations about what's next maybe you can find it in books like "the flower of life"

[@SianaGearz]

Pi's property of containing all possible information if you look far enough into it comes from its property of being an irrational number. It's not unique, there's a large number of known families of such numbers, most of them not at all related to pi.

[@annedidiet5416]

Very interesting vidéo. Really love Fumito Ueda and Silent hill. Thanks.

[@czinsation]

Following that idea of ascension, is it possible Dormin is a king or lord of the forbidden land who used that power to ascend but became too powerful.

[@Rktkid18]

Certain things things about this game upon initial playing felt like this game owed us more

[@killroy4653]

Some of the death screens are legit scary

[@clubbasher32]

You might want to research/read Jung’s Alchemy and Psychology. It explains all this stuff in greater detail. Alchemy is an allegory for the transmutation of the human soul through experiences. Such as transforming lead into gold through perfect mathematical magic. The photos of the layers of elements within the rings are references to leviathan, the earth and labyrinths. The squaring of the circle, and the serpent that eats itself. Silent hill 2 uses all of these concepts as well.

[@MrGrimlocksmash]

So glad I picked this up around launch day (ps2). Best gift ever

[@emmanuelgonzalezcaseira9141]

Amazing insights right here :) If we look at this from the narrative perspective, taking out all the fantasy stuff, the moment wanderer "turns" into Dormin might very well mean that moment in a narrative were the main character exhibits the worst part of himself as a person, and when he enters into the pool of light, he is cleansed from, you could call "Pride" and "Wrath" (In the sense that Dormin can be seen and I think if I remember well he considers himself a God) and what is left is a pure being, a baby, with the horns as a reminder of the "Sins" of Pride and Wrath that he committed before, in the same fashion a scar would be left after having been dealt a serious huge injury. Still, without the fantasy elements taking into account, you can say that this is a story of a man that deals with Pride and Wrath (mostly) and by the end he becomes a new person, maybe not willingly, but a new person in the end once he enters the light... which you could see as the inherent truth of life that not even he could escape, the truth of moving on, of acceptance and peace with himself, and no matter how much he fights back, he ends up entering the pool of light, letting go of his pain, and the reason of his Pride and Wrath. He may have scars, but he is once again a pure person. You could even say that Mono coddling baby Wanderer is, taking out the fantasy aspect of the story, Wanderer being able to, as a person, feel love again, letting himself be loved and love again. Now I can see why this game has touched so many people over the years :) Once again, thank you for your insights.

[@TU-mf2ut]

I hope someone brings this up to Fumita Ueda in an interview. There's so much he could tell us about what Nomad and the secret searcher community has found.

[@ShintogaDeathAngel]

I think they paid tribute to Nomad and the searcher community in the remake, at least I saw something about it in another video. I’d love to know exactly what Ueda was thinking when building the storyline, but I know just enough was left vague and open to interpretation that he would never confirm any interpretation as canon. I love and hate that at the same time!

[@zenitpro]

Wow, wow wow... just WOW! I've always loved the game since day one, because of the sense of vastness of the Forbidden Land, the atmosphere of sheer mystery and the feeling of loneliness. And clearly having all these theories attached to the mythos of the game gives it an even greater sense of grandeur - if that's even possible. Thanks for sharing your studies. I can NEVER get enough of SOTC.

[@stanleyurivosich7007]

Dear max, youre my favorite youtuber Have a nice day

[@maxderrat]

Dear Stanley, YOU DA MAN Have a great week!

[@bloodykun4443]

Painting the people of the forbidden land in this light puts a bit of a new spin on it for me...hate to compare it but it almost feels like both Demon's and Dark Souls' seemingly tragic insinuations. Evil as Dormin may be implied to be, I think there's still a question that remains in whether it was some false idol or king such as Nimrod, or if it is the god they may have meant to worship. Dormin seems to have association with both light and dark, something that would appear to be in harmony, and perhaps it's because of his possession of Wander that he is able to be reborn, but who can say how that actually worked. A lot of new info to think about.

[@queazy03]

Yeah, horns were divine in some cultures that were at odds with early Hebrew/Christianity (perfect example is the old biblical story of fights with the priests of Baal Haddad) Back in Sumeria & Egypt, they viewed cattle as fertility so their gods would have horns. One of these biggest ones was essentially Baal Haddad, who superceded his father El as chief diety. Baal Haddad was a rainy storm god that would give rain to the desert regions, but would also fight evil serpents. How mighty was Baal Haddad? Zeus uses lightning and fought snake-like Typhon Perun uses lightning and fought snake-like Veles Indra uses lightning and fought the snake-like Vritra Thor uses lightning and fought the snake-like Jormungandr ...I think they were all chief deities of their pantheons (Thor was originally chief deity before Snorri Sturluson rewrote Odin as chief deity). They were all based on Baal Haddad (btw, the word "baal" just means "lord", but he was so famous people just called him baal; at some points even Yahweh was referred to as Baal Yahweh). The ancient Hebrews had falling out with the mighty Baal Haddad priests, villified them and said they won against them in some religious battle, cast them out and essentially made their own religion where Baal Haddad was a bad guy, but some combination of Yahweh/El was the good guy. Hence why "Thou shalt not have any other gods" is the first Commandment of the Ten Commandments. The ancient Hebrews were originally polytheistic, but were trying to become monotheistic. You can see fingerprints of Baal Haddad, Asherah (consort to Yahweh), and El in the old Hebrew texts, they were originally very polytheistic. Heck just check out the name, it's IsraEL not IsraYAHWEH. Hence, in western cultures that are based on Christianity/Hebrew, they paint demons with animal horns. But one of the most interesting things was this comment from KZbin user "tppuao Weldezion" from 3 years ago. Nimrod was a character known for wearing bulls horns on his crown. Building a great tower in a forbidden land abhorred for polytheism (Nimrod did claim his ziggurats could reach the heavens) Most importantly, he was split into several pieces when he died! After he died, his wife allegedly had a virgin birth and claimed the child was Nimrod reborn. An obvious parallel to SotC having a baby born at the end with Dormin's appearance without any apparent mother.

[@Shuffledhearts]

First off, great video, not just this one, but also the Silent Hill ones are great. For Nimrod, you don't need to just cast it aside as 'christian myth' because firstly it is Jewish, and secondly there are two good papers on him (at least) Yigal Levin's "Nimrod the might, King of Kish, King of Sumer and Akkad" where it is argued that he represents the Sargonic dynasty of Akkad, and then Douglar Petrovich's article "Identifying Nimrod of Genesis 10 with Sargon of Akkad by exegetical and archaeological means," which as its title states is arguing for Nimrod being Sargon of Akkad.

[@alextheconfuddled8983]

12:18 this reminds me of when I walked across the giant bridge just to get an achievement and another coin, I regret it.

[@IsolatedFreedom_]

Here's symbolism no one I've seen has talked about I realized when the sprits of the Colossi attack Wander, he dies. He is then reborn again by going through the white light ( Search Soul Trap Theory)

[@technologic21]

The Fiat Lux brings forth (at least in my mind) the idea of Illuvatar and the genesis of Tolkien's legendarium. SOTC is also fantasy and a really deep one at that. It definitely borrows from the genre, from Tolkien to Neverending Story. Great video.

[@codemancz798]

There is likely double symbolism to the horns. On one hand, they are associated with grace and divinity, and likened to crowns (to the point some statues include horns instead of crowns). On the other hand, they also represent a return to animalistic behavior and darkness. This is likely the cause Ico was ostracized. Also, there's definitely some sort of connection between the Forbidden Lands and Babylon. The idea with Babylon is that they tried to build a tower to avoid the next flood, but God didn't like that and prompty put a stop to it, leading to fragmentation. Given the fact all the Colossi have idols in the shrine of worship, it's possible that they were the figurative towers. The pyramid design of the Tower of Babylon is quite bluntly reflected in the design of Malus, who seems to be a hybrid of the Tower and Buddha. Such an origin even goes back to the theological ideas of giants: They are improper unions of heaven and earth, are commonly hybrids, and guard places (particularly the margins of the world.) Lastly, there is a connection with the south, symbolizing death. You approach the lands from the north and must cross south, and Malus is located at the southern most point of the Forbidden Lands.

[@dvd11811]

I have and have read the exact copy of the ACU book you are using ... good stuff ... I am a fan of Jung!!!

[@BynumOfficial]

There is always new symbols being discovered in Shadow or the Colossus. Such a legendary game.

[@jerm5466]

This is one of the best videos on this game there is. I’ve watched it many times, just felt like letting you know.

[@zer0deaths862]

"A perfect circle" *Giggles in Maynard James Keenan*

[@bearbonezmusic]

This is an amazing video essay. Thank you

[@WhoTookMyMirr]

idk if someone has already pointed this out, but Fludd could also be using alchemy symbolism for some of these mandalas. Back when alchemy was in its heyday, it was outlawed by the Church. Therefore, those who practiced it had to use a sort of visual code to hide their recipes, ideas, and the spiritual aspect of the alchemical process itself (the "Inner Work", which used ideas from Hermeticism). With Fludd's interest in early chemistry, it could be that he was also using alchemical symbolism. In the context of Shadow of the Colossus, it's easy to see the principles of medieval/renaissance alchemy at work. The main character is going through a spiritual alchemical process in order to become...something else. It's worth looking more into the alchemy angle.

[@vine01]

I have a quote from Frank Herbert's Dune which deals with power and corruption: “All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible.” A different PoV which easily can be true as well.. SotC is not about government, but the body that wields the power is obvious..

[@aiellamori]

1:16 Looks like a Gojira video

[@sincerely_lofi9570]

So can we imagine for a minute about gathering all the best game theorists on the internet and making a game company with them. I mean honestly imagine how fun it would be always finding secrets and having games that somehow always have something sweeter hidden inside the more we play and look into. Just imagine

[@olymolly3637]

I miss watching this game's LPs.. It's a masterpiece.

[@lotobia9482]

Funny how Diotallevi is a phrase squeezed up into one word which is used as a family name, that in italian language means "God raise you" ("raise" meaning educating and helping in physical and mental growth). Dio= God , T' (short form for "Ti")= To You, Allevi= Raise. (Not that this is relevant at all)

[@dianamations9371]

This is an excellent analysis! thank you!

[@blumiu2426]

It's all occultism. Just like Silent Hill, Shin Megami Tensei. Anything that deals with any mysticism or Eastern religion, occultism will pop up. If you look at most of the world's leaders and thinkers in the past and now, they all were tied to/practitioners of the occult. Many traditions of royalty is based on it and the Roman Church is the epicenter of it. They combine most of the mystery school teachings, and who knows how much they have hidden in general in their vaults.

[@tomasbalseiro4148]

this video explained everything perfectly

[@MrDumdumkilla]

You and Nomad and of course everyone else made me enjoy this game as if its a new game lol. Replaying this since its free on ps plus and seeing all these mantras in the world is like wow

[@TheAlison1456]

It's poetic that Wander achieved harmony whereas the civilization didn't. He didn't even seek that.

[@coolbubba7337]

Its too bad the Game Theorists can't make such a good theory, but a smaller channel can connect a graduate thesis to the Shadow of the Colossus. Thanks for such a good theory and hope more channels like you become the face of the theorist community.

[@GlacyLav]

Fans of SotC have such talent in overthinking small stuff, and I love it.

[@KenShinta174]

Great video, I like the depth of the game

[@Jimmawww]

If mandalas are present they represent the structure of that colossus soul, an identifier. Hermetic alchemy is all about transmutation of matter or spirits, which makes sense that a soul or souls are trapped in and power each colossus. Also combining the opposite elements of light and dark akin male and female to create new superior life also fits into the hermetic mindframe. As for Nimrod I only know non Abrahamic religions were prone to child sacrifice and unnatural methods, and that Kabbalah is closely associated with Babylon.

[@Countcordeaux]

A mandala is an imaginative projection of the experience of seeing. Stepping back and seeing that everything we see is within the context of the structure of the eye. See Fludd's third mandala.

[@Nonamearisto]

They gave the fans a new sword behind that door in the remake, once those 79 gold sparkles are collected, with 79 steps in the tunnel leading to the sword, IIRC. There really isn't anything else to find.

[@otleyltd6544]

Do you not notice how the symbols resemble the iris? “Let there be light” is the only one that doesn’t, it’s an incomplete iris. Modern science has proven that we don’t “Look Out” at the world, that the world “Comes In”. And a lot of ancient philosophers actually understood this thousand of years ago, and it was only the last few hundred years that science made us believe we See, not Create. I feel this theme matched SOTC

[@nightscout9979]

This is a fantastic video, but I disagree in regard to the horns meaning that Wander became more divine. Not only was Wander's goal simply the resurrection of Mono, but he fought against Lord Emon's light vortex to the bitter end, utterly refusing any joining of light and darkness (or perhaps rejecting the light entirely). Based on Lord Emon's final lines about Wander one day atoning for what he did, combined with Ico (possibly Wander's reincarnation) losing his horns at the end of his titular game, I believe that the horns are instead a reminder of his sins. It's only when he has fully atoned by defeating the Queen and saving Yorda (to the best of his ability, anyway) that his atonement is complete, marked by him losing the horns.

[@madafraskasanchez9119]

Just to let you know Max, you are the best!!!

[@maxderrat]

No... YOU'RE THE BEST.

[@ISCREAMSODAsmr]

11:21 he freed 16 beings from imprisonment. You all and even the creators say dorman was split 16 ways BUT 16 people had to be the sacrificed to seal the spirits.... Naruto's Death sealing technique states so and I'm inclined to believe sealing something like that would require a sacrifice 😢

[@aramokurdo]

wow your a great researcher! also Masterpiece of an ART this game is ! also IMAN means "Faith" in Arabic.

[@jesuspomales]

I feel like all three game are a large story played in reverse.

[@romanceenthusiasm7972]

ICO and this game are definitely conjoined. The same sword dropped in a pool of water is the same sword ICO gets after falling. Also in the beginning of ICO the chamber were they placed him must of been a sacrafical chamber and there were many more around.

[@TheAlison1456]

3:21 weird. On 3/27 I drew a bunch of circles. Not a mandala, but close.

[@AssailantLF]

I think the symbolism of dualities like life/death, light/dark, humanity/inhumanity are pretty clear in the game without any understanding of mendalas. I think you're extremely over-interpreting the symbolism and possible intentions of them in the game. Firstly, I wonder if all the ones listed are even in the original PS2/PS3 versions or if they were added as extra details in the PS4 remake. Secondly, it's just a semi-complex circular pattern that could be misinterpreted as a mendala. These designs could easily just be there to give the ruins a sense of culture and history, without any thought being put behind the symbolism on the developer's part.

[@Harvest133]

Power does not corrupt. Power is merely a tool. It can only reveal corruption, not create it.

[@ZeldaMasterJohn]

Nice video friend 🔥

[@marshallemmet1366]

Who knew I would gain the power to reset the universe from watching a video game analysis.

[@dpc9644]

There's an important train of mystical thought/belief that states that our reality, materiality, suffering etc... happens because in the beginning Dark mixed with Light at some point. In this system, Dark is one whole thing, Light another. No middle ground, only absoluteness. Absolutely good and whole, absolutely bad and empty. Thus Light and Dark mixing is what creates motion, what encapsulates our souls into materiality, what drives "reality", what creates life, death and enthropy. Dormin, the Master, the Queen, the lost civilization... All of them beings of light and dark. This is the root of evil and what explains the games in my oppinion. They use the mix for worldly power, energy, life extension, who knows if building the structures as well. Also note true light, white light is NOT the light we see on every creature and energy burst. White light shines through Dormin's hole and its the sun, almost as if Dormin is hiding behind it so Wander can't see him. The light mixed with shadow is in the cames turqouise, almost as if its a pseudo light, paler, like a corpse, artificial, desecrated.

[@DoomTown92]

You've got this

[@WELLbethere]

So you're saying he set out to slay some dragons, fell into a deep darkness, and emerged as a transformed individual. Yup, sounds very Jungian indeed.

[@clinto32]

Brilliant work! Great eye opening vid

[@Ash-nh6li]

I wish I had just finished this game properly and got to the ending all those years ago it's not the same just watching the ending.

[@JenXBeauty]

Fantastic video. 🙌🏼 love this game

[@huggarugga]

Excellent thought provoking stuff as always Max. Thank you for being an awesome guy who makes such enthralling content.

[@zezuntxiduntxi]

amazing video. thank you.

[@pracitus]

The thing is, Dormin wasn't bad. This is just a tale of fear, fear of horns, fear of power. A new religion vanquished Dormin because of fear...

[@codemancz798]

Dormin is probably death. Not exactly what you want to keep around (unless you're Buddhist I guess).

[@Outrider74]

Very well done. I would disagree with the bit on Jesus "becoming" God (message me if you're curious) but your analysis on the game is quite good.

[@williamheinbuch]

This game prophesied the chosen before we even knew he was a thing.

[@ISCREAMSODAsmr]

I can't find Nomads video with the mandalas....sad. I buy that book then.

[@cloudbloom]

Nomad is a hero

[@Bhunt9394]

I came for lore, but stayed for the mandalas and Fludd.

[@levidavis1093]

The original version of SotC had A LOT more symbolism than the PS4 Remake sadly... I like the PS3 Remastered version a bit more :P the sound effects, symbolism, Dormin's voice, etc etc