ICO

"Cory's ICO Review"

ICO is a puzzle platformer for people that are too old for the cartoon looking character. It is developed and produced by Sony Computer Entertainment America and is driven on graphics and story.

Gameplay 8/10
In ICO you will be taking the role of Ico and will have to run around with Yorda to escape the castle. This castle is filled with spirits that try to stop Ico and Yorda from escaping. On top of that that the castle is filled with puzzles that you will have to solve buy using your creative thinking. You will be able to control Ico with the left analog stick or with the directional pad. To walk you will press circle or with the sensitivity of the stick. The triangle will make Ico jump, square is to lunge or strike with a weapon; X will release you from climbing walls, chains or other such objects. Triangle is your action button that will let you grab, pull, climb, slide, and leap. R1 is the button to call Yorda and you can hold it to hold her hand to pull her up from an area below. Circle will activate switches pick up objects or weapons and throw objects. The right analog stick will allow you to look around to see your surroundings better. This is a great help when solving puzzles. R2 is the last button and it allows you to zoom in with the camera. The weapons you can use to fight the spirits are what I fell to be limited. You start out with a stick, later on if you complete a certain puzzle you will obtain a sword with magical powers and there will be areas that will allow you to use throwing bombs. The control in the game is a little sluggish but it can be overlooked.

Story 8/10
In ICO the game revolves around a boy named Ico and a princess named Yorda. Every generation in Ico’s village there is someone born with horns; this person is to bring misfortune to everyone around it. On Ico’s 12th birthday his horns had grown out and the village saw that he was the cursed one and sent him away with faceless horsemen. The horsemen had taken him to a castle only to lock him away in a tomb for the rest of his life. An earth quake happens and his tomb falls over to break it enough to set him free. Ico has a vision while this is happening that shows him that he is not alone in the castle and that he has to save the other person. As Ico is trying to escape he finds a princess named Yorda locked away in a cage. Ico saves the princess and has to find a way out of this forbidden fortress. The Queen has plans for Ico and Yorda to keep them in the castle so she sends shadows or spirits to stop them. As you progress through the game the Queen will take more direct action to stop them from escaping.

Graphics 9/10
In ICO the graphics look very artistic. The colors look as if they were pastels. The textures on all the characters are great and the in game graphics are perfect. One thing I did notice was that in the cut-scenes/FMV that there was fuzziness around the backgrounds and in the characters. The game has the effect of fog throughout it. This effect suits the game very well and they did a great job of lighting with this effect but it does make it hard to see with it sometimes so it will add more difficulty to the game.

Sound 9/10
In ICO there are very few sounds but in this case a few sounds make the game have a better atmosphere. Mainly there is the sound of Ico running, wind in the air, clinking of chains and a few other sounds when you come in contact with the certain objects. The sounds themselves sound to be a high quality and really pull the game together.

Music 9/10
In ICO I don’t think there is music at all in the game except at the end. Although if there was music in the game I feel it might ruin the atmosphere of the game so in this case less is better.

Play Time/Replayability 5/10
ICO will take around ten to twenty hours to complete your first time through depending on how much time you spend finding out where to go and how much time you spend on solving puzzles. Once you beat ICO I feel there is very little to do except for beating it again.

Final Recommendation
I would recommend ICO to anyone who enjoys solving puzzles, or an interesting story. I feel that the game is very original and revolutionary at the save time but like all games, if you are unsure that you want it then a rental would be a safe bet so you don’t waste you money on it.

I Wish
I’m not sure if I wish for anything in this game except for more replayability once you beat this game.

Average Score 8.0/10
Cory's Score 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/03/03, Updated 07/03/03