"An Instant Classic"

Simplicity. A word that pretty much sums up the entire design philosophy for Sony's underappreciated gem, ICO. Released in late September, 2001, ICO was overlooked by the masses in favor of other more hyped titles, like Twisted Metal Black and NBA Street, as well as the earlier release of the Gameboy Advance. With the low sales ICO brought in, one might come to the conclusion that this title is a poor one. But let me reassure you, nothing could be farther from the truth. ICO not only stands as one of the PS2's finest first-generation games, but as one of it's best games, period.

Presentation: The first thing you'll notice about ICO is it's hideous box art. The pictures on the case, while not exactly misleading, do a terrible injustice to the otherwise fantastic artistic style used in the game. The game has a uniquely creepy presentation. From the eerie intro and main menu, to the vast and vacant castle, to the ghostly apparitions which hunt you down; this game gives off a very unsettling vibe. There are no menus or on-screen indicators of any kind in ICO, which really enhances the cinematic aspect the developers were obviously shooting for. Also absent from ICO is a substantial soundtrack, which although sounds detrimental, actually succeeds in giving the game a more realistic feeling. There are however a couple of songs, although they're only used during certain cinemas. Aside from those times, the majority of ICO is spent without any musical accompaniment. The camera angles are very good in most situations, and often swing to show you relevant environmental information. Another cool thing about ICO's presentation is the fact that nobody speaks English. All of the speech is subtitled, and Yorda's is written in an fictional language, which always keeps you guessing as to her exact meaning. Overall, very original presentation and style.
Score: 9/10

Gameplay: In ICO, you assume the role of a young boy named...Ico, who has been sent to remote castle by his village to die, on account of him being born with a set of horns on his head. Ico finds himself locked in a cage, left with the not-so reassuring message that what his people are doing to him is for the greater good of the village. Luckily, an earthquake sends Ico's cage tumbling, breaking open on the ground. Immediately after this cinema, the letterbox fades away, and the player gains control of Ico, in what is to become a tale of breaking free of one’s destiny. At first glance, ICO seems like any other adventure game, in that you can move around freely, jump, climb, push, pull, and swing; all standard adventure game elements. But at it's heart, ICO is a puzzle game. You'll soon realize that scanning the environment around you is not only visually pleasing, but a necessary part of progressing through the game. Some of the puzzles in this game are extremely hard. Often you'll sit there for close to an hour, looking at the environment around you, trying to figure out how to get Ico and Yorda from point A to point B. Yorda is a girl that Ico finds in the castle during his escape. He takes it upon himself to protect her at any cost, and get the both of them out of the castle. And therein lies ICO's most interesting and fresh gameplay element. You see, Ico can jump fairly far, climb ropes, pull switches, fight, and push boxes, none of which Yorda can do. You'll often find the exit to a particular area, only to realize you have to find an accessible route for Yorda as well. Furthermore, at various times throughout the game, swarms of shadowy spirits try to kidnap Yorda, and pull her into the castle. Your job here is to beat the snot out of these spirits; if they get Yorda, it's game over. Ico can wreak havoc with a few different weapons, his horns, wooden sticks, a sword, and a secret hidden weapon. The fighting aspect, however, is one of the games downfalls. It really is fun to beat up the shadows, but that's all you do. The enemies remain the same throughout the game, as do their attack patterns, and difficulty level. It gets repetitive quickly, but it's definately tolerable.
The controls in ICO are responsive, easy to get a hold on, and never cumbersome. To get Yorda to follow him, Ico can call her from afar, and the camera will move to her position. Once she's in range, Ico must grab her hand and guide her. Unlike the similar gimmick in MGS2, bringing Yorda with you never feels like a chore. Instead, you really get a feeling for the characters, and actually want them to make it through their journey. It's almost impossible to come out of this game without a soft spot for Ico and Yorda. What's great about the characters is that you learn a lot from their expressions and, in Yorda's case, tone of voice. You have to think about context when trying to determine what Yorda is saying. For example, without giving away too much, there's a scene in which Yorda, not of her own will, does something bad to Ico. As she does, she utters a word. Now, to the indifferent player, who's just blazing through the game without a care about the dialogue, the scene is simply an unlucky one for Ico. But to the astute player, who has given some thought to the relationship between the two protagonists, the word reveals itself-''sorry''. The very same players will also marvel at the fact that you can read Ico's face like a book; the utter terror he feels at that moment, hoping to god that Yorda pulls through. It's moments like this one that make Ico so memorable, and worthy of playing through again.
Score: 9.0/10

Graphics: ICO's graphical style is simply breathtaking to behold. During the very first scene, when Ico is being taken to the castle on horseback, the graphics are reminiscent of an impressionist painting. After that, the camera pans way back, and the castle is brought into full view, which by the way, is probably the biggest castle ever. The lighting effects are excellent; often you'll come through a door to an outside area, and the sun will almost blind you with it's brightness. When outside, you can zoom out into the surrounding landscape, which goes on for quite a while. It's simply amazing the first time you're scaling a wall on a little tiny ledge, 300 feet in the air, and you pull the camera back and take in just how small Ico is compared to the castle. And the castle itself looks amazing. The level design(although there are no specific levels, it's all one huge castle) is spectacular. Everything feels just right, and looks brilliant, from the crumbled and decaying sections of the castle, to the massive water system in the caves complete with grinding gears and huge spinning wheels to scale. Arguably the coolest looking thing in the game though, are the spirits. The look like oily black smoke in the shape of a human, although often times they'll have wings or several arms. When you move around and the view changes, the burning blue eyes of the spirits produce an awesome motion trail. To put it simply, ICO's graphics rock.
Score: 10/10

Sound: As stated before, ICO really doesn't have much of a soundtrack. There are only two full songs, but there are very well done. They remind me of the Celtic-type tunes from Chrono Cross but not as upbeat, and it fits the game perfectly. During most of the gameplay, all is eerily quiet, save the noises from the nearby waterfalls, birds chirping, Ico's footsteps, crackling fire, etc. But again, this gives the game a more realistic feel, and heightens the suspense once you learn the noise that the spirits make when they appear(I don't know how many times I stopped moving because I could swear I heard spirits coming out of a void). The game also has some very well done voice acting, although you can never understand what's being said(by Yorda, anyway). Overall, the game is rather short on audio, but what's there is great. Less is more, right?
Score: 8/10

Replay Value: This is where ICO falls short. The game itself is not very long, probably between 7 and 9 hours for most people. And when you're done, sadly, there are absolutely no extras to be unlocked. I believe the Japanese version got an unlockable two player mode, as well as the option to be able to read Yorda’s speech, both of which were omitted from the US release. Not much to say here, really; when you beat the game, you're done with it, unless you’re like me and like to play through again just for the experience.
Score: 4/10

Final Comments:. Years from now, this game won’t be remembered as a groundbreaking title, but as a diamond in the rough. While there really is no incentive to go back and play again, truly appreciative gamers will hang on to this classic because simply put, it’s a work of videogame art. With barely any speech, few cutscenes, and a sparse soundtrack, ICO still manages to challenge one’s wits, tug at the ol’ heartstrings, and provide an immensely enjoyable experience that few who play will be able to forget.
Final Score: 7.9/10
Reviewer’s Tilt: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/03