A unique experience with captivating battles unlike any I've played before.
You will battle each unique colossus on a terrain exclusive to them. These locations include barren landscapes, temples, and lakes. You'll find that you will often be using the terrain to help you expose the weaknesses of each behemoth. You will scale them until you've reached the desired area (of which there are sometimes more than one) into which you can thrust your sword and bring them to the ground. Each fight carries with it elements of puzzle solving, platforming, and of course, action. The altercations are intense, and had me gripping my controller tight as though it was I who was trying to hold on for dear life while these giants did their best to throw me from their backs.
You can then replay the meetings of man and beast by visiting the bodies of each fallen adversary. It would have been nice if they allowed you to simply approach the broken statues which represented each colossus in the temple where you're always returned to at the end of each victory. Unfortunately this feature is saved for the Time Trials option available to you only after you complete the game.
Thankfully, even if you do have to trek back out to the wild, you will enjoy the view. Everything looks fantastic. The ever changing land you travel across, the temples and ruins you visit, and of course the Colossi you face. I'm usually not one to go on about visuals, but there's a particularly impressive job done on this game.
Accompanying the glorious visuals is an equally impressive sound track. The music matches the rest of the game: big and beautiful. The sounds the colossi make are matched in stature to the beasts that make them, and one of my most favourite sounds of the game is that when the monument for each colossus crumbles after your success.
As wonderful an experience the game is, it is not without it's imperfections. The biggest flaw in my opinion is the camera. There are times when you feel it has been designed to be as troublesome as possible. The angles it chooses can be frustrating, and will move suddenly at the most inconvenient times. You can move the camera at will, however saying you have control is somewhat of an exaggeration, as it's not uncommon to feel like it's fighting you. The lock-on feature can often be forgotten, as it tends to lock on the head of the colossus. This doesn't help, when you're trying to get a good look at the feet dozens of meters away.
Many people also complain about your quadruped companion Argo. In other games where you're on horse back, you feel like you're controlling the horse; in this game you are still controlling your character, so really you're controlling the reigns instead of the animal. This method does add a extra learning curve. I was content with the controls for when your riding Argo, at least when you're using him merely as a conveyance. There are times when using him in combat however, that you feel less appreciation for what the design team brought to the table with this control concept.
There were also a few other irritable moments during the colossus battles which caused me some frustration, which is too bad, as it took away from an otherwise engaging conflict.
These few issues aside, the game does unmistakeably deliver a unique experience that can be appreciated by anyone looking for an adventure.