Pros: Simple controls and nice puzzles. Some of the most beautiful graphics ever.
Cons: Yorda, if you don't like the idea of guiding an NPC around.
The Bottom Line: Ico is art as a game. It's not for everyone, but if you enjoy puzzle games reminiscient of Prince of Persia, you need to try this out.
While this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May wowed people with the promise of new consoles such as the Gamecube, XBox and Game Boy Advance, I was trying to focus my attention on actual software instead. Behold, Ico for the Playstation 2. I never heard of the game prior to the convention, so when I saw the game in action I uttered "sleeper hit" to my friends.
I certainly hope that people are spreading the word about Ico, though. Not because it's a "must own" title, but because it's a game that must be experienced or, at the very least, seen.
Ico is a boy who is banished from his home village at the age of twelve. Born with devil-like horns, he was considered a curse to the community (whenever the village experiences something bad, those who bear horns are blamed). So in the name of tradition, Ico is taken away by horseback to a castle where he is placed in a casket to die.
With luck, Ico manages to shake the casket to the ground, which also throws him out of it, free to escape. When the cutscene's letterboxes fade away, you're in control and the journey begins.
Ico reminds me of the classic "Prince of Persia". Both are third person adventure games with excellent character animation and a ledge-jumping-and-hanging feel to them. Of course, Ico features more than just that with its more complex puzzles and completely 3D environments. And in Ico you have a friend who is instrumental to your escape from the castle...
Early into the game you'll meet Yorda, a young girl who is imprisoned. Once you manage to get her out, "smokemen" emerge from a spot on the ground. For some reason they want to take her away and, naturally, you'll want to eliminate them. Once you've gotten rid of them, you'll start wondering what Yorda's all about, why she was caged and why someone wants henchmen to nab her.
At first she may seem like an annoyance, but Yorda is your "key" to opening various totem-shaped doors throughout the castle. One of the charms of gameplay is that when you are next to Yorda you can hit the default R1 button to "hold hands" (the button is also used to call her from afar to come close or reach out when she needs to make a leap across a large gap). As simple as this is, it makes for a shared adventure and is really cute.
While some puzzles are pretty straightforward (pull a switch to open a door, pull a box so that you can reach a high ledge), others require you to do a little more of this and that, all the while leaving the young girl to stand aside. You have to be careful - leave Yorda in another portion of the castle too long and the smokemen will go after her. This was indicated by her yelp of surprise as I was trying to solve one of the puzzles in an adjacent room. Thankfully, even if Yorda is halfway pulled into the smoke, you can pull her out with the "hold hands" function and still fight off enemies.
Ico boasts beautiful visuals and minimal but effective sound. I often used the right analog stick to view the surroundings. Outdoors I could see far off into the distance, which makes the game simply breathtaking. Sound was just as pleasing. Near the castle gates, the simple sounds of birds and wind accompany you. Inside, the crackling of fire from the torches constitutes most of the sound. There isn't very much music in the game except during in-game cinematic sequences either. But this "lack thereof" is perfect in my opinion.
The game is short: I finished it in around 8-9 hours of play including exploration. This may or may not be a good thing. Hardcore gamers might want to rent this title while others might want to keep it on the shelf for show. It is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played.
The only major complaint I have with the game is that of the right-analog-stick camera that allows you to view your surroundings. While this comes in handy when looking around, letting go of the right stick will center the camera back on Ico. Perhaps they could have designed it so that moving the camera around is fixed, and pressing L3 (that is, pressing down on the right analog stick) would bring the camera back to Ico.
Ico has been added to my library of PS2 titles, and I have to say that it should garnish some sort of award for art and design. You have to check this game out. It's definitely an experience worth your time if you have the patience for it.
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