Ico is the story of, well, Ico. Unfortunately, poor Ico was born in dire circumstances. In his village, a terrible curse once passed through, meaning that any child born with a pair of horns was afflicted by this curse. In order to protect the village, Ico is taken to a distant castle by a number of occult-type fellows. In this castle, he’s locked inside a large tomb. Not content with the position he’s been placed in, Ico manages to break out of his confinement, only to find himself marooned in the colossal castle, and needs to find his way out. Along the way he meets the mysterious Yorda, a waifish girl who has been caged away who seems to have some sort of dark force trying to keep her from escaping. Together, Ico and Yorda look to escape the castle and their destinies.
The castle is pretty big...
The story of Ico can be considered somewhat old-school in that a significant portion is told to you in the manual (which happens to be quite useful). In the game, you aren’t really told the story. It’s much more of a matter of finding things out for yourself and seeing how they pan out. Some gaming newbies may not be used to this style but for Ico, it works pretty well. Abandoning the story in this way lends the game a unique atmosphere, one that isn’t all that present in games these days.
A lot of games that were released four or five years ago have gameplay that just doesn’t quite hold up today. Amazingly, Ico manages to make a lot of games that were released in the recent holidays look redundant. Some parts and issues are a little bit patchy but overall, Ico is an exhibition of excellent game design. The control scheme is simple but it’s open to many an action. One issue that may have turned off gamers about this game is that you have to figure out a lot of the actions on your own (or a lot are actually in the manual) but in general, the game tells you very little. Experimenting reaps rewards.
Getting out of the castle is like one giant puzzle, and you'll have to use Ico and Yorda’s abilities in tandem to do so. Aside from sporting a nice set of horns, Ico is really just a young kid. However, you have to admit that he’s very sprightly. Ico can run, jump, hang off chains and ledges and all seemingly without breaking a sweat. Initially, the concept of the game leaves you in a room and you need to find your way out to the next area. To do this, each portion in the castle is like a mirco-puzzle in itself, and your actions range from simply following a ladder to pushing blocks or flipping switches. As simple as this sounds, it does get much more cerebrally challenging, especially in the later stages as you try and figure out how to open the gate to the castle.
A lot of the actions are easily and seamlessly performed. Whether Ico is going hand-over-hand across a horizontal bar or swinging on some hanging chains, all the actions come off as you control them. Most stuff-ups are your own fault for not being patient enough. Four years down, Ico’s movements feel a little bit loose but it isn’t something that will hinder the game too much. The easy-to-control actions and fluid movement just further underline the greatness of the game's design. There aren’t many occasions where backtracking is required, and only a few portions seem like they’re included to increase the overall game length. It’s amazing how you can spot something that leads to another clue and then another, and eventually to the next room. It really feels like it’s been blended in and it’s not apparent enough for you to know automatically what to do. If you don’t spot it, there's obviously a fair possibility that some unnecessary frustration will set in, but that’s part and parcel of the game.
You shall be punished with my Beating Stick of Death! Ahem.
Playing as Ico can be tremendously satisfying, especially when you figure out something that you didn’t think was possible. However, for the most part of the game, you need to take care of Yorda as well. She can’t really take care of herself and is very limited as to where she can go. Effectively, you spend a lot of time hauling her semi-useless rear end around. By pressing the R1 button, you can call her to come to you. This can be used to get her to hold your hand and drag her along, or to encourage her to make some jumps or help get up a few walls. However, if you’re in an unreachable position for her, she’ll blatantly refuse to come to you. She isn’t completely useless, as she is necessary for you to open certain passageways, and the AI that controls her is excellent.
This isn’t all as easy as it sounds however. Yorda is wanted and needed in the castle and Ico isn’t free to just whisk her away. Throughout the game, strange, shadowy beings appear in large groups and attempt to snatch Yorda from your grasp and take her back into the portals that they appeared out of. However, your main means of protecting Yorda is to either resort to your horns or to the good ol’ beating stick. The thing that holds back some of the beating stick goodness is that the battle engine consists of a solitary swipe. And you need many swipes to take out the surprisingly intelligent enemies. They may look like black smog formations, but will happily gang up on you, fly over you, flank you and even avoid getting close to you if you’re looking at them. They knock you around and if they manage to capture Yorda and take back into their dimension, it’s game over. There are swords and better weapons as you go along but in general, the combat is the weakest portion of the game. And it can be annoying when you’d like to go exploring because if you wander too far, Yorda is likely to get captured.
If that’s the worst thing that can be said about the game however, then things can’t be too wrong. In the end, combat is somewhat secondary when compared to the rest of the game. The only other issue in terms of gameplay that can be held against Ico is that it is pretty short. We’re talking single digit hours, even if you’re having some troubles figuring out what to do or where to go. It can be argued that a good puzzle game is likely to keep you coming back for more but with Ico, a lot of the thrills aren’t there as you go through again. Regardless, the game is a rarity, in that it provides a unique sense of accomplishment and is an experience that is very different from most games out there.
Graphically, it’s amazing to see how well the game has held up over this period of time. It's a commendable achievement that Ico displays greater textures, architecture and lighting effects then a lot of other much more recent games. Not only is the game design great, but the castle is designed in such a way that you really feel like your isolated and alone. While never really extravagant, the castle really does look superbly believable. The physics in the game are very good as well, with some great little effects included (like Ico’s cape blowing in the wind or the residue left behind by the dark creatures). Still, there are reminders that this is a four-year-old game your playing, namely the 30 fps the game runs at and the lack of detail to be seen when you zoom in close. Regardless, it’s very good technically and artistically.
King of the swingers
Now this is something that’s a little bit difficult to comprehend. GTA cities are often described as “living and breathing”. However, after playing through ICO it shows that this description is a load of bulldust. The sound creates an almost perfect atmosphere. You don’t always hear something, but it’s the sound of echoing footsteps or rushing water in the distance that not only make a great setting but they really make the game feel like it should - that you’re isolated and trying to find your way out of this massive castle. The music is spot-on to the situations that you find yourself in, but the only thing that doesn’t quite sit is the lack of English voices but that’s just me I guess.
In reality, ICO is not the golden goose of PS2 games that it’s made out to be. However, it’s not a game that should have been shunned into obscurity and it simply runs rings around the majority of games released since. If you missed it the first time around, this is your opportunity to catch up on a game that is a wonderful experience, one that envokes feelings that other games can't match, and one that has considerably influenced some other major modern titles. And at a Platinum price point, there simply is no excuse.
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