I finish the game regularly. It's my favourite game of all time and it's my go to game if I'm bored because I'm always trying to beat my times. I might be biased because of this, but I can definitely tell you why I love it so much, as well as why I think the controls are perfect for what the game is trying (successfully) to be.
Here's the thing; the Shadow of the Colossus skill curve is actually surprisingly steep. No one really considers it that sort of game, they consider it one of those artsy games that are played as an experience and not some challenging arcade title, but in reality, when you first start playing Shadow of the Colossus, you suck at it. Hell, when you first finish Shadow of the Colossus, you still suck at it. This game is designed to improve you as a player the more you play.
Think of it as an RPG, but there is no experience bar, and you don't get any avatar strength. The game is designed in a way that you, in real life, level up as you play it. You grow stronger the more the game teaches you about itself through its perfect balance of skill and puzzle challenges. You would think that all games are like this, and true, most games usually are, but not to this extent. I judge a game on its ability to both challenge you and improve you as a player, and how well it balances those two things (Dark Souls/Demon Souls is another good example of this - you die a lot, but you always get better the more you do). Shadow of the Colossus was designed with this idea in mind; the whole reason its a puzzle game as well as an action game is a result of this.
While it is a very fine example of an artsy "experience" game, that's not how it was designed. Team ICO, to cut a long story short, are fantastic game designers. Every challenge in that game teaches you something; whether it be something about the mechanics coming up, or, more relevantly, something about the controls.
The controls are awkward, but this is entirely intentional. Wander is awkward, Wander on Agro is awkward; but with practice, it becomes less awkward. This is primarily where the skill curve lies. One could say it's about mastering broken controls, but I completely disagree, its about mastering Wander as a character. It's actually pretty smart when you think about it, and its what I consider to be true immersion; immersion through gameplay (see things like hunger/thirst metres, permadeath or, in Shadow of the Colossus' case, a stamina bar that, when it runs out, drops you from a gigantic beast who can one shot you by stepping on you in hard mode - things that really bring you into the game), not through story or graphics (not denying that these things can bring you into the experience, I just don't think they can accomplish as much as great gameplay in terms of immersion).
Even as I play today, I still get better at the game. You can always improve as a Shadow of the Colossus player; you don't hit walls where you can't improve anymore. The more you play, the better you get - the game is designed around this, each Colossi will teach you something new every time you fight them. If you quit, the game has beaten you. The more you play, the more control you have over Wander; the more you become Wander, and really, the more enjoyable the experience is.
I urge you to finish it. Have some patience. Its frustrating, but know that every time you fuck up with Agro, the better you get at controlling her.
Here's the thing; the Shadow of the Colossus skill curve is actually surprisingly steep. No one really considers it that sort of game, they consider it one of those artsy games that are played as an experience and not some challenging arcade title, but in reality, when you first start playing Shadow of the Colossus, you suck at it. Hell, when you first finish Shadow of the Colossus, you still suck at it. This game is designed to improve you as a player the more you play.
Think of it as an RPG, but there is no experience bar, and you don't get any avatar strength. The game is designed in a way that you, in real life, level up as you play it. You grow stronger the more the game teaches you about itself through its perfect balance of skill and puzzle challenges. You would think that all games are like this, and true, most games usually are, but not to this extent. I judge a game on its ability to both challenge you and improve you as a player, and how well it balances those two things (Dark Souls/Demon Souls is another good example of this - you die a lot, but you always get better the more you do). Shadow of the Colossus was designed with this idea in mind; the whole reason its a puzzle game as well as an action game is a result of this.
While it is a very fine example of an artsy "experience" game, that's not how it was designed. Team ICO, to cut a long story short, are fantastic game designers. Every challenge in that game teaches you something; whether it be something about the mechanics coming up, or, more relevantly, something about the controls.
The controls are awkward, but this is entirely intentional. Wander is awkward, Wander on Agro is awkward; but with practice, it becomes less awkward. This is primarily where the skill curve lies. One could say it's about mastering broken controls, but I completely disagree, its about mastering Wander as a character. It's actually pretty smart when you think about it, and its what I consider to be true immersion; immersion through gameplay (see things like hunger/thirst metres, permadeath or, in Shadow of the Colossus' case, a stamina bar that, when it runs out, drops you from a gigantic beast who can one shot you by stepping on you in hard mode - things that really bring you into the game), not through story or graphics (not denying that these things can bring you into the experience, I just don't think they can accomplish as much as great gameplay in terms of immersion).
Even as I play today, I still get better at the game. You can always improve as a Shadow of the Colossus player; you don't hit walls where you can't improve anymore. The more you play, the better you get - the game is designed around this, each Colossi will teach you something new every time you fight them. If you quit, the game has beaten you. The more you play, the more control you have over Wander; the more you become Wander, and really, the more enjoyable the experience is.
I urge you to finish it. Have some patience. Its frustrating, but know that every time you fuck up with Agro, the better you get at controlling her.
