Shadow of the Colossus is a 2005 action-adventure game for the PlayStation 2, made by Sony's Team Ico. The player controls Wander, who rides a horse across an empty land to find and destroy sixteen giant colossi, in an attempt to revive a girl named Mono. The game was conceived as an online multiplayer project called NICO straight after Ico was finished, but it was redeveloped as a single-player game after a long production cycle. The team focused on a distinctive visual style, unusual gameplay, and creatures and a horse with sophisticated artificial intelligence. Its minimalist landscapes and emotional weight made it a frequent example in arguments that games can be art. It was later remastered and remade for newer consoles.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.