So I’d heard lots of good things about this game and decided to finally give it a go. I picked up the PS3 HD collection, which includes Ico and SOTC.
From the get go, it felt like a frustrating experience. Very little is explained to you about how the mechanics of the game work. I found myself trying to grab ledges on the colossi that weren’t intended.
The game clearly wants you to experiment to find out the different ways in which the colussi will react, but it’s often such a slow process that it starts to feel like a chore for half of the battles. And often I was so close to a solution but some small thing would be off, so I’d try something else instead. Then it would turn out that I had it right the first time, I just needed to be standing a metre to the right. So many times the solution felt illogical.
And whilst holding on to the head of a colossus and getting that final hit in is extremely satisfying, on some occasions the window would be so small that I’d get shaken off and have to repeat the whole process to slowly chip away at its health. Knowing exactly what I needed to do, but having to do it multiple times soon became quite dull.
About half of the colossi were genuinely fun to fight. The bird one in particular stands out - soaring through the air as you climb along his wings was incredible.
I will say that the atmosphere, music and story were beautiful. It’s a great piece of art. But a lot of people claim that this is one of the greatest games ever made, and I feel like the ‘game’ part is lacking quite a lot.
Is there something I’m missing? I actually enjoyed Ico a lot more.
Honestly felt the Bluepoint remake was a lot less frustrating than the original. Things felt more immediate. The PS3 version actually felt worse than the PS2 version somehow.
Both original SotC and The Last Guardian felt like controlling a game though another person. I mean they’re definitely art and very memorable, but the gameplay sadly takes a back seat. I think Fumito Ueda just has very strange ideas about which way is up.
Unfortunately this game was an underwhelming experience for me as well. I think the main reason for this is that I never played the game when it came out and I’m missing the nostalgia of playing those remakes. I experienced this with other games as well. I don’t think it is a bad game, I agree with your opinion that it did not age well. I liked the atmosphere, the emptiness and the desperation of the main character. I think I get why this game has a special place in someone’s heart, but it’s simply not for me.
Yes, I think you’re correct - playing the game when it came out would have been a very different experience. It’s obvious that it was very ahead of it’s time and I can see how it has inspired so many others, which have really improved on that style of gameplay (Uncharted comes to mind).
The stumbling in the dark aspect was intentional and added to the charm of the game. Modern games these days and even most of them back then were very heavy on the hand holding and this one just slaps your hand away when you reach out.
I can see how that is not for everyone though.
I would also tend to agree that it can be tedious. On the other hand it is one of the first games where a lot of things seem to have been conscious design choices which the developer would make even if they were designing the game in 2023. So it is hard to say if it is a ‘good game’. I agree with you.
I’m interested in what you mean in saying it’s one of the first games with lots of conscious design choices. Are you saying that they didn’t let the restrictions of the PS2 hold them back from their creative vision?
Sorry I didn’t see your comment sooner. I am not very good at explaining myself but I’ll try: I think it was a point in gaming where the PS2 was capable enough so that they were able to put the artistic vision first, instead of looking at the platform first (i.e. SNES) and then designing the best game for the system.
Ah yeah I understand what you mean. I guess that must have really changed the design philosophy - having an idea first, and then a game second. I admire what they created as it’s a beautiful experience, but slightly lacking as a game. Almost as if the ‘game’ part was an afterthought.
