ICO

"Simple Yet Elegant"

Originally released over three years ago (in 2002 I believe) ICO was largely overlooked by the public only to find a small, yet dedicated, audience. With the unofficial sequel, Shadow Of Colossus, to be released and the fact that the game continued to sell for up to £50.00 on EBay Sony decided to offer European gamers a second chance to own what is considered by many to be a masterpiece.

The opening of the game sees a young boy with horns, Ico, being escorted and subsequently entombed inside a colossal ancient castle. Able to escape from his premature burial Ico soon runs into a princess named "Yorda" and the pair set off to escape safely from their prison whilst avoid kidnap by the animated shadow demons that infest the castle.

Although probably best described as a puzzle orientated action-adventure game, it is very unlikely that you will have ever played anything quite as beautiful or unique.

I suppose the best place to start with this review is the graphics, since a large amount of media and gamer attention seems to focus on this. For once though a game is able to live up to the hype surrounding it. From the moment you get your first look at the scenery it is hard to believe that this is a three-year-old Playstation 2 title. It is possible to spend hours during the game just panning the camera round trying to get a good view of the fantastic coastline surrounding the castle. The character animation is equally as impressive, despite minor graphical glitches, with Yorda reacting realistically as she is pulled around the environment.

In fact it is arguably this level of detail in the animation that grants the player such attachment to the characters despite the fact that very little dialogue is spoken at any point during the game.

In terms of gameplay, as I already said, the focus is very much on puzzle solving with only brief fighting elements thrown in. Far from the frustrating 'lock and key puzzles' found in many recent adventure games (Yes, that it includes you Resident Evil 4) these puzzle elements are incorporated seamlessly into the game world and often involve having to traverse various ledges and obstacles in a similar way to The Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, only not quite as acrobatic. Although generally challenging these puzzles are usually fair (one major exception being having to climb the wind-mill fairly early in the game) and once you solve them you will be kicking yourself that you did not find the solution earlier.

Anyone who has played the aforementioned The Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time (itself an excellent game) will also know how frustrating it can be having to guide a non player character (NPC) through various levels. It is therefore a testament to the level of game design that a good number of the game's more striking elements are centred on the interactions between Yorda and Ico. Since Yorda isn't nearly as mobile as the young hero, you are required to spend a significant amount of time "creating" paths for her to safely traverse where before there were none. Simply put, you'll have to lower platforms for her to hop onto, create bridges for her to cross, and narrow gaps enough for her to jump across and land in your arms.

In an added twist the player is constantly put under pressure to return to Yorda as leaving her alone for too long will result in the shadow demons (the only enemies in the game aside from the final 'boss') attempting to carry her away which if you do not react to quickly enough will result in game over.

One of the most important aspects in an adventure game is the controls and in this department ICO again comes up trumps. The success is largely due to the way in which the developers have kept the control system as simple as possible. What you won't find are any five button combos allowing you to perform some super complex move, something that many games attempt but very few gamers really bother learning. What you will find is that one button press is enough to perform any required action. The R1 button for example allowing you to call Yorda if she wonders to far from you. The use of the analogue stick to rotate the camera to view your surroundings is also an inspired touch ensuring that you do not spend frustrating minutes trying to find where you should be going.

The result of all this is that any untimely deaths, either whilst climbing or fighting, are invariably the fault of the player and not the game design.

One final factor that cannot be overlooked in creating a sense of atmosphere within ICO is the sound. The decision to have very little background music must have been very difficult for the developers to make. However their bravery certainly pays off as the sound of the wind whistling past the castle and the echoes of Ico and Yorda's footsteps as they run/jump their way to freedom compliment the games visual style perfectly.

Having said all this you are probably wondering why I have not awarded this game maximum marks. Well the answer is quite simply that it is all over a little too quickly. While I wasn't expecting a game of Final Fantasy 100+ hours proportions the fact that this game can be completed in under 7 hours added to the fact that their is no real incentive to replay it can't be totally forgiven.

Summary:
One of the most beautiful and unique gaming experiences you could wish for that is probably just 2-3 hours to short. Now re-released and available at £19.99 or less there really is no excuse not to play this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/08/06