this game is like low budget shadow of the colossus mixed with breath of the wild, but in a good way. the game successfully captures that feeling SotC gave with a human being taking on these immense challenges, but mixes in survival mechanics that make exploring the desolate landscape interesting on it's own. but with that comes it's own downsides. here is my breakdown of what works and what doesn't.

pro:
+ the climbing mechanics are with the added glider and grabbling hook make for amazing moments in fighting the colossus.
+ the titan fights themselves are well done, each titan felt like a real challenge with it's own way to beat it.
+ exploring the landscape can be interesting as you try figure out small enviromental puzzles, find gear and upgrade materials, and arriving at the fight better prepared.
+ lack of hand holding; the game does give you the direction of the next titan to fight, but you help in getting there, how to beat it, or even killing them in order to begin with. you are free to explore and fight the titans as you like, and the enviroments do give you hints about each fight and how to beat it, but in a way blended well with the gameplay and enviroment.
+ personally i also like the gear upgrades having a small visual change, and finding other gear hidden in saves or puzzles , so thats a plus form me

cons:
- the story is vague and even by the end, i did not understand what we achieved, or why the characters were there to begin with.
- the survival mechanics while they add an additional layer of challenge, they often feel like a roadblock to enjoying the game; since it takes away the focus and challenge of the titan fights, and forces you to spend a bit too much time faffing about for crafting, food, upgrades, and so on.
- the weapons have durability and break.... do i need to say more?
- the music during the titan fights gets a bit generic or stale as the fight goes on, and the big ending just uses the same track of the fights. considering how epic the titan fights felt, it was a disappointment the music didnt elevate the fights much.
- between the deep snow the you can barely walk through, and the slippery physics, there is a little bit of jankyness in the movement normally in the enviroment, especially since you spend most of the game on foot. this is a small issue sure, but can get taxing when you try to go to the titans far away from the temple. the trip feels annoying to make.


summery:
over my 7 hr game time, i managed to finish the campaign with minimal side exploration. as a fan of SotC, this is a nice bite sized experience similar to that that i havent seen other game do since SotC, and i love the norse inspired setting. but i didnt enjoy the survival and crafting crap. for a low price, this is a must try for SotC fans.

rating: 7.5/10

i wish i could recommend.... this game is so infuriating to play. i just wanted more SotC. this game constantly ignores inputs and the character flops around uselessly. The number of times i went for a jump just for my char to walk right off the edge was insane. I climbed the same boss 50 times. With 5 required jumps its inevitable one wont happen. Then you get to start alllllllll over. Insane failure on what could have been a fun game.