A HORNED BOY.

A girl in white.

Welcome to the fairytale world of Ico.

Now seven years old, the fact that Team Ico have produced only one other game since, and are currently in production of their third, should go a long way towards proving just how phenomenal it must have been. And still is. Featuring arguably the most impressive visuals of any game this far produced, and a haunting soundtrack that as all the more poignant for the fact that the game relies far more on a distinct lack of music to create mood.

The basic premise is fairly simple. You play a young boy of approximately ten years of age who was born with a set of horns growing from the sides of his head. This seems to be some form of taboo in his local village, for reasons which are never really explained. The game opens with a group of men on horseback walking up a winding path through some woods to an immense fortress which has clearly seen better days, and is on it’s own island accessible only via a large bridge, or by boat. The decrepit nature of the architecture is important to the plot, as it is a combination of this and the young boys ingenuity which allow him, and the young girl Yorda, to ultimately find their way to freedom.

When I first heard about the game, specifically the focus on leading the young girl (approximately fourteen or so), barefoot and dressed all in white, by the hand, I was more than a little dubious. The symbolism of it all seemed just a little too strong, and I was concerned that the focus would be far too suggestive in nature. However, unlike many Japanese productions, this was simply not the case. Innocence and corruption are far more important themes than simple sexual innuendo. Or rather, that was the impression I took from it all. And as Fumito Ueda-sama (the Director and Lead Designer) has said, he intentionally left the specifics to be somewhat vague. Arguing that it should be a unique experience for each player, and that it should be left to us, as individuals, to take from it what we will. Something which I and many other fans of the game, agree that he has succeeding in creating.

There are a number of factors which combine to make this game such an outstanding experience. Not least of which is the animation style. Utterly mind blowing for the previous generation of gaming (when it was released) and still a major contender in the High Definition era. Rather than focusing on a push for photo-realism, the environments are rendered purely to be as stunningly beautiful as possible. Lush colouring, beautiful clear water and glare from the sun being only some of the things which combine to make this a truly breathtaking game to behold.

This game really was the first time when I played it again simply for the joy of pausing to look around me. Either to watch the water lapping against the shore, or to see the high peaks of mountains or other parts of the island fort in the distance. Almost everything you see along your journey can be reached at some point, which means you have the opportunity to think about potential obstacles and work out solutions far before actually being confronted with them. And this is extremely useful because the puzzle solving side of the game is far more integral to progression than bashing away at the strange shadowy creatures which will attempt to drag Yorda away.

If you should happen to ever find yourself struggling to work out what you need to do next, then turn to Yorda herself. She’s a smart girl and will often be able to work out what needs to be done to move on quickly. Though she will rely very much on the player to do much of the work. Such as moving weights onto pressure pads and climbing chains to reach areas that are otherwise inaccessible. It could be argued that Yorda’s apparent infirmity is sexist and degrading, but when you consider you first find her dangling hundreds of feet above the ground in a cage, perhaps it’s not so surprising that she seems to be a little lethargic at times. After completing the game for the first time, there’s even the option of changing to a two player mode which is nice, but would probably have been better if added as an option from the start.

Still, the game is a true joy to play, and though short, there’s so much symbolism in there that each time you play through it there will always be something else to think about. Though it would have been nice if there were alternate methods of solving puzzles or multiple paths to explore. It’s not a game for everyone, especially those who prefer a far more action packed experience, but for the people who are interested in an engrossing, thought provoking, completely beautiful experience, Ico is about as close as you can come, and firmly proves that you don’t need amazingly advanced technology to produce stunning visuals.

Graphics: 9.5/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Audio/Music: 9.5/10
Plot/Scripting: 9.5/10
Overall: 9.5/10

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