[Reposting my old reviews from another site for archive, and updating them if needed]

As somebody who played LTG and SOTC first, I can't believe how good this game is! There's no better example of a game's quality being more than the sum of its parts.

First of all, Bluepoint must have done something with the original controls, because I think this controls way better than both TLG and the SOTC remake. Unlike in those other two games, I never got really annoyed during the platforming parts, and while ordering Yorda around can be a bit finicky, it never gets worse than slowing me down for a few seconds. Same thing about the camera. I was surprised about the fixed cameras at first, but it turned out great. It gave the game a highly cinematic look and feel, without negatively affecting the gameplay.

The castle's atmosphere is top notch. It feels empty/deserted, but in this sinister kind of way. It would have been one of those places that is so uncomfortable for me to explore on my own, because it always feels like something is watching you. It's also backed up by very effective ambiance and a handful of creepy tracks (which also helped with keeping the combat's intensity right till the end). The design of the castle is also great. While each section of the castle has a unique feel, all of them have this sense of dread and loneliness that unites them all, not to mention the incredibly consistent art and level design style. It makes the castle not only feel very interconnected, but also real and tangible.

Story wise, it's definitely Ueda-san's most minimalist work. I really like that Yorda's personality is mostly shown through her mannerisms, like shaking her head frantically when I keep bugging her to follow me up a path she can't take. I also love that I can see the main character and Yorda asleep on the couch whenever I return to the game after loading a save file, it's super cute. It's a masterclass of relationship building through non-dialogue means, and I know this because I always feel like shit whenever she got hurt. I don't usually care for fictional characters that much, but this game certainly did it without breaking a sweat. I definitely see some parallels between this and TLG in this aspect.

I think this is a unpopular opinion, but Ico is easily Ueda-san's finest game for me. I have no noteworthy complaints about it. Absolute masterpiece.