Trying to create Shadow of the Colossus with what looks like a very small handful of people can't have been remotely easy I imagine. The end result here shows that in some great ways warts and all.

On an atmosphere side, this game nails it. Love the brutal feeling snowy setting and it evokes a lot of that same isolation that makes SotC so strong. On the idea side, it's got some interesting things borrowed from Zelda to add to the gameplay of SotC, but that seems to be where the game runs into an issue with focus...

You kind of just end up with two games for you to divide your attention between. A lot of those secondary elements feel like fluff. They're really only there if you want them to be and they don't make much impact to the core goal of the game.

Is the game super janky? 100%
Am I glad this exists? 100%
Would I love to see them tackle this again but more focused? 100%

As it stands, it's game with very solid ground to grow on. A flawed gem to say the least, but at least they're trying to make something ambitious.

Also, one key factor missing here: the music feels pretty forgettable. Music was a huge part of what made SotC's identity and that's really difficult to separate from any successor.