Obviously it is a gorgeous game, but it's like the game was created solely to show off the artwork. I spent most of the time wandering aimlessly, not really sure what I was doing or where I was supposed to be going. The controls are clunky, with you being able to only do one of three things at a time - attack, dodge, or move. Don't even get me started on the heavy attack, which makes you stand still for two seconds before the actual attack - which only hits what is directly in front of you. The options seem to suggest holding down the heavy attack button increases the power of the attack, but it seems to just make you wait longer. Another poor gameplay design is the enemies - there are only bosses. This worked for Shadow of the Collosus, but those boss battles felt epic and required strategy. The boss battles in this game either feel ridiculously easy or terribly frustrating and require nothing more than moving in close, hitting, then retreating. As dull as that sounds, the clunky controls make it even worse. As if that isn't bad enough, once engaged you're stuck fighting that boss. There's no retreating to explore other areas in the hopes of finding a power you might need for the fight. There's no multiple saves. You either beat the boss or you restart the game. There's also a story here that is pretty hard to follow, even if you're familiar with Norse mythology. Maybe it makes more sense once you get further into it, but I wasn't going to keep fighting that one boss. Not with those controls. I would have given it one star but it really does look amazing. It's too bad the same effort wasn't put into the rest of it.
