Ico

Voices of: Kazuhiro Shindou, Rieko Takahashi, Misa Watanabe
Developer: Team Ico
Directed by: Fumito Ueda
Rating: T
Genre: Action-Adventure
System: Playstation 2
2001

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Ico, a boy born with horns, is locked away in a mysterious fortress. He helps Princess Yorda escape confinement and sets off a journey to help her flee from the evil Queen.

Review:
Tim: The Movie Files has certainly evolved some (though not the design, yay!) since I first started a geocities site back in 2001. The inclusion of Video Games is more recent, but it felt like a necessary add, as they have become more cinematic in recent years. However, the potential for video games as art has long existed and Ico is one of the games that come to mind. This game is beautiful. It tells a minimalist story that is short on everything, but big on vision. It's a gorgeously rendered game that takes a simple concept and yet immerses the player into a strange and befuddling world. I love that the game has no tutorial- it never tells you what to do, it never trains you on a single thing. You, like Ico, are immersed into this strange world and have to figure it out for yourself. It offers up a wonderful, unforgettable journey.

The story of Ico and Yorda and their attempted escape is seared into my memory now. This is a quiet game, filled with puzzles. It's not especially difficult, but it does offer up a few interesting challenges as the game progresses. Combat is simple- you simply whack away at shadow monsters, first with a stick, later with a sword. The objective is to defeat the creatures before they can suck Yorda down a shadow pit. The puzzles go from easy to somewhat challenging, but never approach truly frustrating. I admit I did look at a walkthrough three or four times- with no help during the game, there are a few moments where I needed help. One such example- I never knew the O button allowed you to swing on a chain, back-and-forth to build up momentum. Obvious in retrospect, but I spent way too much time trying to make impossible leaps.

The design of the game is absolutely gorgeous. The world is vividly portrayed (in 2001 graphics). The minimalist approach was a welcome, refreshing change from the myriad menus and statistics of more modern games. There's no experience, no levels, just Ico and Yorda trying to escape. It's power is in its simplicity. As the game progresses, you learn to care about these two characters. The game forces you to care about Yorda, to protect her, to always be aware of where she is, how far she is from you, and how you can help her advance. Their friendship evolves until one of the most powerful moments of the game, on the retreating bridge- this flips the game on its head for a moment and in a quiet way, is devastatingly beautiful.

I loved the Queen as the final boss. It's not "especially" challenging, but it was so much fun trying to figure out how to navigate her attacks with no help from the game. It was straightforward and incredible and a wonderful climax. The way the game ends- both the first part and then the unexpected finale- were nothing short of stunning. If there was any doubt that Ico is a masterpiece, that final scenes removes it.

One of the great things about video games is that they are endlessly variable. There's so many different approaches, shapes, tones that a video game can take. I play a lot of different kinds, but even so, can find myself moving through the same genres again and again. A game like Ico is a breath of fresh air. It reminds you how powerful a medium video games can be. This is undoubtedly an all-time classic.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: Shadow of the Colossus, Myst