Ico becomes interesting when you begin to identify with and empathize with the characters.
Ico becomes interesting when you feel Ico's struggle as he climbs walls impossibly high. When you grow frustrated with Yorda and want to leave her behind but need her so dearly. When vertigo plants fear in your heart for taking that next leap. When you are afraid because monsters come to take away your ticket out of here and you are nearly powerless to stop them. When you go outside and the warm sunlight shines through spring green leaves and you have a sense of hope that you may make it out this dark and dreary castle yet.
If you aren't connecting like that it wont be interesting because how well those emotions are conveyed is the best part of the game. It's not about the simple puzzles or the shallow combat, it's about being there and having their struggle become your own. I thought the animation and art direction made it easy to do. Apparently not the case for many.
God bless Fumito Ueda and his sense of game design. While it may not be for everyone it is most certainly for me. This despite many people's detractions is still one of my favorite video games of all time. At what it exceeds I feel few games come close and one of them is of course the prequel.
