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Worm (ワーム Wāmu) is one of the unused colossi that did not make it into the final release of the game.


Appearance[]

Worm was a serpent-type colossus like the 7th, 10th and 13th colossi. It had a long body and was able to bend itself in multiple directions. There was fur on both sides of its body, suggesting that Wander could climb from either side. It also had a giant mouth, and it's likely that it would try and feed on Wander.

Strategy[]

According to the artbook, "The flower bulb-like section was its weak point."

The flower bulb is the section of a plant located underneath the soil, at its root. This means that Worm's weakpoint was most likely located at its base, underneath the sand. The texture exclusive to Worm named "hn_hw_worm_dodai02_mip" (dodai meaning foundation or base) seems to indicate that this was the case.

Many theories over the years have assumed that the text was referring to its head. However, since there's no fur on it, places to grab, or any indication that it is a weak point (such as a texture similar to those of at the bottom of the 2nd colossus' hooves or the 9th colossus' ankles), it is very unlikely. The space inside Worm's mouth is small and dark, and wouldn't work well in a game such as Shadow of the Colossus.

Some leftover unused Worm functions that were found by Wisi in the OPM and E3 Demo versions demonstrate quite a bit of how the colossus used to function. The found codes are named "FixWormIKWork", "FixWormIK2Work" and "WormIK2Work".

The unused "FixWormIKWork" and "FixWormIK2Work" functions are unique compared to the standard WormIK functions, as they use a reversed skeletal system for IK, where the 'tail' moves and the 'head' is fixed to a certain position on the enviroment. This, coupled with Worm being the only unused colossus to not have any path data listed in the PS3 data sheets, implies that Worm was always fixed to one spot, with only the tail part of the skeleton (its head) moving (the 16th colossus, a stationary boss, also lacks path data). This would in turn correlate with the idea of the weak point being like the root of a plant, as they are fixed on the ground.

The 'tail' can also be given a target and it will orient itself to face it and move towards it, similar how Worm is always facing Wander in the screenshots. There is also code to stretch bones out by changing their Z length, allowing a model to stretch and/or contract. The purpose this function may have served is unknown, but it's likely that Worm was able to do just that - stretch and contract itself, like a real worm.

Location[]

Worm was fought at an early version of quadrant G1, on the unused arena known as 'Dune'.

An interview with the development staff of Shadow of the Colossus released by the Japanese graphical design company CG World contains a drawn bird's-eye view map showing, among other things, the rough shape of the G1 quadrant before the 15th colossus was moved into the site. The map proves that G1 used to consist of a large, circular pit encircled by sand dunes, with a narrow pathway, or 'gate', connecting it to H1 (Parthenon) around the southeast. Those features are highly consistent with what is known about the Worm colossus and its arena.

Trivia[]

  • A texture of Worm's idol statue was found among the game's files. The reason that it was kept is because it shares the same texture file as the 13th colossus' statue. Other serpent type colossi that share a statue texture file are the 7th and 10th colossi.
  • Textures for some kind of arrow weakpoint related to Worm are listed in "texlist_def", which is a list consisting of names of every texture that was ever added to the game. However, said textures are not listed in the texture segment of Worm's model, suggesting such weakness was likely removed.
  • One of the images of Worm has an axis of some sort in the background. That is a debug function called "glPivotKun_sub_1686340", and when activated, it always loads at global coordinates 0 0 0. This implies Worm is in its test stage in said image, loaded at the center of the world.
  • According to the data sheets, Worm did not have a unique HUD icon, which is an icon in the shape of the colossus that used to show the weakpoint locations in early builds. Worm most likely used another colossus' icon, possibly being the one from the 13th colossus.
  • The other code related to Worm (WormIK2Work) is a modified and unused version of the WormIKWork function used in the final game to control the 7th, 10th and 13th colossi. It features a separate and modified node system called "WormGenealogical2", while the original appropriately uses a system called "WormGenealogical". It's unknown why WormIK2Work and WormGenealogical2 are unused in favor of the original WormIKWork functions.
  • As there was barely any information on Worm originally, many fans over the years have created various rumors, some more absurd than others, regarding it.
    • One of the most prominent rumors is that Worm was supposed to be the largest and most powerful colossus, and that it needed a large arena so the player could avoid its attacks, which is often said to be the reason it was cut. These are false however, as no evidence of either exists. The "it needed a large arena" part is something that was said in the French magazine Chronic'art; not regarding Worm, but Phoenix instead.
    • An old rumor spread in regards to Worm being fought near, alongside or after the 10th colossus was defeated. This is due a mistranslation of Dormin's introduction line for it in the preview version of the game, that read as "Along with its friend, it shakes the earth...". This line is still present in the final japanese release of the game, however, it is supposed to read as "Shake the earth with your friend...", which is a hint that the player would need the help of Agro, their friend, to win the battle.
    • Another rumor said that the unused soundtrack "Final Battle" was supposed to play during the battle with this colossus. This generated yet another rumor that Worm was originally intended to be the final boss. These rumors are, however, completely unfounded and false, as Ueda showed the original final boss within the artbook.
  • The artbook mentions that "the flower bulb-like section was its weakpoint", which most people assumed was the head. This created a lot of rumours stating that you needed to jump inside Worm's mouth and kill it there. Such a feature would be next to impossible to achieve in Shadow of the Colossus. Besides the area inside its mouth being too small for Wander, it would also generate major issues with the camera. Even if Wander managed to jump inside its mouth somehow, there would be no fur for him to grab, and fur is necessary for stabbing weakpoints.
  • Worm is one of the few colossi to not have a volume control sheet, the others are Saru, Griffin, Spider and Evis.

Gallery[]

SotCFullTemplate
The Game Shadow of the Colossus ( Demo  · Pal Release  · Shadow of the Colossus HD  · PS4)
Characters Wander  · Agro  · Mono  · Dormin  · Lord Emon  · Guards  · Shadows
The Colossi I  · II  · III  · IV  · V · VI  · VII  · VIII  · IX  · X  · XI  · XII  · XIII  · XIV  · XV  · XVI
Unused Colossi ( Devil  · Evis  · Griffin  · Phoenix  · Roc  · Saru  · Sirius  · Spider  · Worm  · Yamori A  · Buffalo  · Quetzalcoatl)
Magic Sigil  · Hard Mode
Colossus Arenas Temple  · Proto  · Arena  · Kirin's Hill  · Canyon · Canossa  · Lakeside  · Underground  · Geyser  · Gravewind  · Leo's Cave  · Poseidon's Lake  · Desert  · Ruins  · Parthenon  · Sanctuary
Unused Arenas ( Badlands  · Cave  · Crater  · Devil's Plain  · Dune  · Hillock  · I1  · Labyrinth  · Sluice  · Stonehenge  · Valley )
The Forbidden Lands Shadow creaturesSave shrinesFruit treesWhite-tailed lizards

The Shrine of Worship
Umbral GladeStone Arch GorgeDried MarshNorthern SpanDesert FortressMisty FallsRavine EntranceHalf-moon CanyonWestern PlainRound Stone HillLair to the WestStone Bridge CliffCliff PathLair on the MesaWestern CapeArch Bridge PlainBlasted LandsAutumn ForestEastern BluffValley PlainSouthwestern CapeSouthern PlainGreen CapeThe Broken Seal

Soundtrack Roar of the Earth
Walkthrough Time AttackGolden Coins
Other media Nico  · Official artbook/guidebook  · Collectible figurines  · Film adaptation
Giantology campaign
Hoaxes Jebal-Barez skeletonTamil Nadu tsunami giantSulu Sea eel statuePolarneft conspiracySayre family vacation
Characters Eric BelsonCasper ShillingEd GuylerArkady SimkinBoris AtlasovAndrew and Ellie Sayre
Media Giantology podcasts (FirstInterview with Arkady SimkinThirdFourth) • IPICP memo
SotC Template CoverLogov2 Walkthrough
Characters Wander  · Mono  · Agro  · Dormin  · Lord Emon  · Guards  · Shadows
Colossi I  · II  · III  · IV  · V · VI  · VII  · VIII  · IX  · X  · XI  · XII  · XIII  · XIV  · XV  · XVI
Locations The Forbidden Lands  · Shrine of Worship  · Colossus Arenas
Main Items Power-ups (Lizards · Fruit) · Weapons (Ancient Sword · Sword of the Sun · Queen’s Sword · Sword of Dormin · Bow & Arrow · Ancient Bow · Harpoon of Thunder · Life Sword) · Collectibles (Relics)
Gameplay Hard Mode  · Save shrines  · Time Attack  · Reminiscence Mode  · Watermellon  · Barrel
Media Roar of the Earth (OST)  · Official Art and Guide Book  · Nico Bonus DVD  · Film  · Interview Archive
Releases OPM Demo  · PS2 original  · PS3 remaster  · PS4 remake  · Credits
Early Builds Preview version  · PSU Preview version  · E3 Demo
Unused Content Unused Colossi  · Colossus Test Stages  · Unused Locations  · Beta Mountains  · Development Timeline of Shadow of the Colossus
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