ICO

"Silent beauty"

I guess you could call me one of those people who considers videogames art. I mean sure, we all know Madden [insert year here] and other sports games are far from art, as well as most puzzle and racing games, but I'm talking about the ones that were created from a blank slate--action, adventure and RPGs, specifically. Some titles in those genres I feel are more artistic than others, of course... for example, I think that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is much more artistic than, like, all the Megaman X titles. Then there are the few, the proud, the poorly-selling titles that even outmatch the artistic qualities of games like PoP. As you would guess, Ico is no doubt one of those few. It has a quality that I feel is all its own, ranking higher than even some classic literature, art, and music. Is that weird? ...whatever, this game is beautiful. So why do I give it a 7? Well, just read on to find out.

PRESENTATION:
As I said before, I confidently consider Ico to be a masterful work of art. It's quiet presentation is what makes the game speak wonders for its overall theme, and I think that that is impressive.

Ico is the game's main character, a young boy who is banished from his village because of his horns on his head. Of course, we don't actually see much of the prologue... all we see is him being taken to a creepy castle by horseback, accompanied by mysterious men. He is now trapped in this castle, with the fear of an evil queen's gaze always upon him. He will meet Yorda, an very weak girl, whom he brings along with him in his escape.

This is where the game gets its beauty. We do not know why Yorda is there, we don't know her relation to the queen, hell, we don't know who she is at all. All we really know is that she is as frail as can be and hasn't been taken care of in what seems like an eternity. Ico doesn't even know Yorda, but brings her along with him anyway. They never say a word to each other, yet Ico refuses to leave her behind. Why? Well, all Ico's players (I'm no exception) assume that he is a simple boy with a heart of gold--his horns have no effect on who he is as a person. The relationship between Ico and Yorda is what makes this game so loved by all its players--it's bizarre yet necessary, silent yet powerful, and melancholy yet joyous. This is why Ico is such a beautiful game.
PRESENTATION: 10/10

GRAPHICS:
Even years later, Ico's graphics are very pretty. The lighting is some of the best you'll see on the PS2, even now, and the overall location (the giant castle) is done perfectly. Once again, much like Ico's and Yorda's relationship, the castle is another reason why this game is such an amazing work of art. The castle has this insanely menacing look to it, yet you also will come across areas of it that you will feel completely enthralled by, such as a pleasant, grassy yard with a trickling fountain in it. Yet another oxymoron, the castle is evil and beautiful at the same time.
GRAPHICS: 9.5/10

SOUNDS:
Ico's soundtrack is basically nonexistent, though there are some tracks in it. Still, these tracks I speak of are mostly just windy, ambient chords that are held for long periods of time. Now don't misunderstand me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. The lack of any "real" music in this game enhances it's underlying theme more than any sort of soundtrack ever would.

You will hear voices in this game, but very seldom. Remember, one of the ideas Ico presents is how you can form bonds without even saying a word to one another, and Ico and Yorda exemplify this perfectly.

Lastly, the sound effects are what you'll hear the most. Little footsteps, weapons being swung, walls crumbling, and gears turning--the loud sound effects enhance the mysterious castle's reputation tenfold.
SOUNDS: 9/10

GAMEPLAY:
Unfortunately, Ico falters a bit in this department. Ico's escape from the castle consists of two things: fighting off evil shadows and solving puzzles. He will find weapons around the castle, and must use them to fend off the evil spirits that try to recapture Yorda. There is just one attack button, which makes sense because Ico is just a clueless kid, but it still means there won't be any strategy in fighting. If there was any neat little addition, it would be that the shadows are after Yorda, and if they get their hands on her, they begin dragging her down into a hole that appears when they arrived. If she is being pulled under, Ico must run over and try to pull her out as quickly as possible.

The other part of Ico plays a larger role in the game. The castle is a gigantic place, and Ico must figure out all its tricks to get him and Yorda out of it alive. I'm talking about puzzles here, which serve as a sort of "anti-escape" mechanism for any of the queen's prisoners. Some of these are insanely time-consuming, and can require a lot of strategy... the problem with this is that most of them are "move the box" or "turn the knob" or "step on the platform" puzzles, just all bunched up together in different ways in each area. It was fun at first, but when the only new things to see in the puzzles are gimmicked repeats from previous puzzles, it kind of wears on you.

Still, I don't think the creators wanted the gameplay to be deep at all--it's the feeling you get when you play it that they want you to focus on. Despite this, the gameplay is no doubt flawed in both its features.
GAMEPLAY: 5/10

LASTING APPEAL:
Ico may be one of the shortest adventure games you will ever play. Taking less than six hours my first time through, I can't say I'm pleased with its length. Still, it might seem longer than that with all those puzzles. And even after you play it once, you'll eventually want to play it again because that warm feeling it gives you is so amazing.
LASTING APPEAL: 6/10

OVERALL:
Don't misunderstand my score here--I really do think Ico is a classic. I think that everyone should play it, and that it deserves a ton of respect. Forget the flawed gameplay and short length, the main goal of this game is to present to you how important love and friendship are, no matter how simple. And I must say, Ico definitely reaches that goal and beyond.
OVERALL: 7/10

Thanks for reading =)

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/11/07