Ico holds a unique place in the minds of those who have played it. Some love it, praise it, and will tell others to try it every chance they get. Others despise it, feeling it is 'boring'. I will say now that I enjoyed my time with Ico immensely, so it should be obvious which group I fall into.
The story goes that a cursed village bears a horned boy every century or so, and at a certain age, that boy is brought into a far away castel, where he is locked up for the rest of eternity. You take control of such a boy, who's name is Ico. After being locked up, he has a dream, which I won't reveal the content of, and is awoken by a tremor. This frees him from his prison, and begins a story that is pretty mixed. Ico wanders around the castle, and soon finds himself at the place of his dream. There, he finds a radiant princess locked in a cage HIGH off the ground. After freeing her, two shadowy portals appear in the ground. Out of these come two shadow demons, who go after Yorda, the princess. After fending them off, you decide that the two of you will escape this castle together. The only bump is that the two don't speak the same language.
On one hand, the story is a tad shallow, with only about 3-5 story scenes in the whole of the game. On the other hand, the story is deeply moving, despite the fact that it is conveyed virutally without words. It is storytelling at its finest, and something every gamer should go through.
The grahpics in the game are a unique case in the world of video games, almost as mixed as the story. On one hand, they are average, with decent texturing, some jaggies, and landscape that ranges from great-looking to blocky. On the other hand, everything about this game is beautiful, and constantly made my jaw drop. The reason is that the game has a unique art style.
The outside of the castle shines with a radiant brilliance that has to be seen, and one which had me stunned throughout my 6 hour play-through. Yorda herself shines with the same brilliance, givng off the feeling that she is part of the castle, that she belongs. The shadow creatures, who look as if they are made out of black mist, are a direct parallel, and as such, also fit the game quite well. The odd one out is Ico, who, in his red shirt, looks as though he is from a different world than Yorda. This also adds quite a bit to the emotion of the game.
The Castle itself is massive and is located on a cliff, which is used to great effect. Saying the imagery in this game is 'epic' would be an understatment. If you are afraid of heights, you will have a hard time completeing this game.
The game itself is a 3d platformer, in which you traverse the massive castle, completing Tomb Raider-esque puzzles. Ico can hold one weapon, the first one being a stick. This can be used for combat, or to solve puzzles. It can be lit on fire to light torches, bombs, etc. Later, the sword can be used to cut ropes and things, and is better in combat. However, 'Ico' throws in a new element, that being the princess. Ico is a versitile boy, able to climb chains, pull switchs, climb across pipes, push boxes, swing on chains, and fight. Yorda, on the other hand, is virtually defenseless. She cant't climb anything but boxes and ladders, nor can she fight. You need to lead her by hand through the castle, at times leaving her to find a way to advance the both of you through the castle. Luckily, Yorda isn't stupid, and won't walk off cliffs or get stuck on a corner. If she is within the area, you can call for her, and she will come to you, which is a very nice touch, one which is actually neccessary to solve some of the puzzels.
But leave her to long, and shadow demons will appear and take her away. She being defenseless, it is your job to protect her. Too bad all you have is a stick (Though you will eventually find a sword, and later, an even cooler weapon). The monsters will rush Yorda, will grab her, carry her back to the portal, and put her in it. She will then begin to slowly sink in. You ohae to quickly run to her, grab her hand, and pull her out. Often times you will find yourself the only thing between Yorda and 5 shadow demons. When they grab her, and you run at the group, dive into it, and knock them down, you really get the feeling that you are a true hero, defending a fair maiden. It is a feeling other games only wish they could come close to matching.
While enemies don't pay attention to Ico (They will just run at the princess), they will if he is in their way. With a powerful knock, they will send him flying. But don't worry, as there is no health in this game. It will only give the enemy time to grab and transport Yorda, for you will be clutching your gut in pain. All in all, it is quite compelling.
Sound in the game is equally compelling. The musical score is haunting and melodius, though most of the time the only sound you will hear is the hurried footsteps of Ico and Yorda, or frantic shouts for Yorda. The thud of your stick connecting with shadow demon is always satisfying, as are the unique languages in the game.
The game itself is quite short (5-10 hours), and has little replay value, save experiencing the adventure again. If you can, go out and buy this game. Let the world of Ico become your own, and reap the benefits of this marvelous title.
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