Everyone and everything in life is entitled to a second chance. To wipe away the past and start anew, hopefully with a better, more fitting outcome. Ico, the critics’ darling, hailed by many as the finest game this generation didn’t match that title in the sales department.
But four years on, and by popular demand from those that didn’t realise what they had until it was too late, Ico gets its second chance. To fulfil its potential and rectify the quick and silent death into despair it so wrongly received all those years ago.
A young boy cursed to live, grow up and die alone as a result of a set of horns that rest on his young head. Everything he ever had, snatched from his small hands and forced away from the family that raised him.
But as fate would have it, young Ico breaks free from his tiny prison to be acquainted with Yorda to escape a much larger and more sinister prison. Yorda a lady bathed in sunlight must rely on Ico to protect her from the inevitable danger that lay ahead. And with ICO taking Yorda by the hand, the heart wrenching story begins.
The basic concept of Ico is indeed, very basic. As the young protagonist it is your mission to lead yourself and Yorda out of the cursed castle, by solving simple to taxing puzzles. Oh yeah, and fighting off the occasional shadow monsters that are determined to prize the defenceless Yorda from you and take her back to the Queen with only a two by four as a weapon… as I said, simple stuff.
In a game that only has two main characters to carry the story in a convincing manner, plus the fact they must rely on each other to flee the castle, the relationship between the two needs to be believable. And thankfully it is.
It’s the subtle nuances found in these interactions that bring a smile to the face and evoke such emotion that protecting Yorda isn’t just about doing it for the sake of completing the game, but for you own personal reassurance, that it will all come out good in the end, that everything you fought so hard for has prevailed. Your heart will skip a beat as Yorda flings herself off the edge of a platform that dangles hundreds of feet precariously swinging her legs in mid air as Ico leans over the opposite ledge with his arms stretched out as far as physically possible and then some to catch her. She never falls or slips from his grasp, but the way it all animates gives a predictable outcome a nearly overwhelming feeling of uncertainty.
And it’s the animation that is the catalyst for all this emotion. Everything seems so real, the way Ico runs as his poncho sways around, and how Yorda flounders and trips on her own two feet trying to keep up with Ico as he tugs on her arm like a thin, delicate piece of rope. All movement and actions are silky smooth and accurately portray how vulnerable Ico and Yorda are, understated yet so profound.
The animation has held up superbly well but the visuals have taken a hit, you could say a beating. Naturally, a 5 year old game isn’t going to be the crème de la crème among the power houses such as God of Wars and Metal Gear Solids of the game world. But its artistic beauty and well thought out design hasn’t just held up well, but puts to shame nearly every release in the past year, maybe only matched by its younger, more technologically advanced brother. And that speaks volumes, the game world is seamless and all the areas you visit genuinely feel as if it’s part of that one castle. As you stand tall on one part of the giant structure, you can look in awe at another section that only an hour ago, you were standing in.
Then it reaches (slightly too prematurely for my liking) the final hurdle, the ending that proves to be a hard act to master for most games these days gives you everything you had hoped for and a little bit more, all those intense battles and at times, impossible puzzle sections, rewarded for an ending that just solidifies its title handed down by so many, leaves you with a game that like wine, only gets better with age and as it did all those years ago Ico steps out into a harsh environment, standing tall and providing those open minded enough to try it an heart felt experience unlike no other.
You have all been given a second chance, to fix the wrong and to give this masterpiece the attention it deserves, don’t throw it away; there won’t be another chance like this again. No matter how much you beg.
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