i don't think it's any secret that games tend to be best at communicating through experience, and ico understands this excellently. you don't need this bond explained through text, and you don't need your goals exposited here. the oblique narrative on display is emotionally engrossing and guides the player's actions very effectively, while giving you a lot of stuff to guess about and discuss with other players. in most games, it would feel pretty silly ending off with a "fin", but i think ico's storytelling has more in common with european arthouse filmmaking than it does with other games, so it feels on-point. i did feel like the last quarter of the game didn't feel as thoughtful and considered as what preceded it, though, and the combat doesn't feel like much more than a waste of time. there needs to be some sort of a threat for this narrative to function, sure, but i feel like ico would almost be better off if you couldn't fight at all.
also, please change the cover for this game on here, jeez. why is it still using a boxart that is literally infamous for being misrepresentative and ugly