Ico (Ico (PS2))

Member Name: butters

Product:	Ico (PS2)
Date:	14/05/06 (533 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful story

Disadvantages: Repetitive enemies

ICO is the Shadow of the Colossus prequel that at the time, not many people knew about, even though it was constantly getting nine out of tens in magazines, or the equivalent, I expected this game to be fantastic. It was a rare game until its re-release along with its sequel.

Story?
*****

You play as ICO, who, as a small child had a 'curse' for he was born with horns, which brought fear to the townsfolk. 'Send him to an orphanage if you treat him bad' I said, but they didn't hear me because I was on the other side of a TV screen instead, so after many signs, horsemen appeared at his door when he just turned twelve, taking him to a mysterious castle surrounded by practically nothing. In this castle that has imprisoned him though, he finds he is not alone and this horned boy is sent on a miraculous journey with a friend he has found in the castle for a great escape. However, the little idiot girl is a troubled ghost and the demons don't want her to escape, so it is you that protects Yorda and guides her through the castle to find the freedom of the outside.
This is a marvellous story for a game and I would expect nothing less in a movie. Instead of violence of any sort, this game and story differs and you find yourself not fighting to 'save the world' or 'for respect' but for the freedom of you and a girl you don't know and it's a touching story because it is so original. You'd expect a game confined to a castle would be dull-there's no pirates after all for you to insult, or no Crimson Guards to blast, but the Castle is enormous and although not al of the castle is accessible from the start, it is free-roaming because there are no missions to break it up.

Characters.
**********

Well, there are only two main ones really and they I have already mentioned. There's Ico and Yorda. The characters have a brilliant relationship that isn't shown through words, but though a dependence on each other. The story is touching, as are the characters. Yorda for example can open doors, and Ico does the fighting.
Yorda is a little annoying because you have to hold her hand throughout the journey or she gets lost, though it's all part of the beautiful story.

Gameplay.
*********

The gameplay is quite unique. It's not a violent game at all, though there are enemies. You have to make your way through a castle with Yorda, holding her hand throughout the journey. It's mainly a puzzle adventure as you travel through room to room, working through various puzzles in an attempt to escape the castle, though there is combat. It can occasionally get frustrating, having to build a bridge for Yorda for example, but the puzzles are genius. It's a very relaxing game overall, and because of the slow paced nature of the game you get to see how beautiful the environment it. The Windmill and water in one puzzle for example is excellent to just look at.
The combat is pretty basic, though it's good that it doesn't get too complex. Demons try to drag Yorda into their realm and you must fend them off. Yorda is quite useless, leading to some frustration as you chase after her as she randomly runs away from your protection but the combat isn't bad. There is a little too much though as the beauty of this game is really more in the puzzles than the combat.

Environments.
************

Sublime and that is the only word for it. The castle is amazing because it is so different and split up into different sections and it's really fun to explore because it looks so realistic. Not quite because I'm not that sad, but it almost gives you the same feeling as when you see a mountainous view-the detail on each stone and the birds, the grass, the water. It's serene and beautiful, and really urges you to explore. You feel so alone as you go through the enormous castle and there is a great amount of immersion in the game. A pigeon landing beside you for example may seem small, but it really immerses you and relaxes you. The small details count.

However, I never really felt the sense of freedom too much. I did in the fact that you are clueless to when one 'level' starts, and another ends because it just takes you straight though and you don't know what you will encounter next, but in other ways, this was spoilt. Running into enemies broke up exploring the huge castle more and that annoyed me. Also, not too much is available at one time and I have noticed that a lot of the time (minus the Windmill), you don't get to explore the best parts of the area until you've beaten the enemies there, which, after completion, you just what to move on. However, when there are rows of no enemies and just great surroundings for you to explore it becomes great once more because you can just roam and look at the marvellous job the developers have done instead of having to rush past it

Enemies & Encounters.
*******************

Another thing the game lacks really. The story (not a spoiler, you find out early on) is that 'The Queen' (an enemy spirit that is in control of the castle) wants Yorda to stay for a reason I will not tell you, so she is the boss really. I really can't say much because describing the final boss would give away too much but I will tell you that it is pretty good. However, I would like more bosses in the game really, Shadow of the Colossus style would have been magnificent but instead we have normal enemies. 4 of them and just four different types re-appearing over and over again until you get bored. The enemies obviously tiered, with some being harder than others, though they are all about as interesting as each other and get boring fast.
Basically, a battle consists of a range of these enemies in a normal room, which means that if there is a door on the other end, you can sometimes avoid. What you have to do is protect Yorda from the attacks because if they grab her they will take her to a portal and when she has been sucked in, it is game over for you. With her small resistance though, it leaves time to run to the portal she is being sucked into to grab her. However, the A.I (Artificial Intelligence) of the enemies is fantastic. They won't all go after Yorda and some will go after you and it makes for a good battle really because of the challenge. For example, a Sentinel will take Yorda to a faraway portal and the Sentries or Ghouls will surround you and corner you meaning you can't protect Yorda. It's actually fantastic. However, with so little enemy choice, it ends up getting boring, battling the same enemies over and over until you get bored and if the enemies surround you too much it gets 'controller-breaking' annoying because you can't protect her.

Extra Information.
***************
www.icothegame.com
Made by SONY 2001
PS2 format only.
360kb minimum
1 player
Amazon price-£16.99 or from £12.50 used & new.

My Opinion.
***********
Overall I do like the game and I have a think that this game is probably 8/10 which is 4 stars. The storyline is beautiful and unique and that means you should instantly think about buying this game. Very few games are this unique and very few games will actually make you care about a character you have to protect.
The environments are brilliant to explore and really add to the atmosphere though the enemies spoil it a little due to the lack of variation. However, if you do not play the game none-stop to completion and take your time this doesn't become a huge issue.
The gameplay makes the game so good though which makes up for the more average qualities of the game. When you aren't battling and are trying to figure out how to get yourself or Yorda over that gap and take a look around, I rarely found myself getting frustrated because the game is so laid back. There were those times when it annoyed explained but when you solve a puzzle you get a sense of accomplishment. The music is barely noticeable and it just seems to just drift around you making you relaxed which suits the gameplay and I think this plays an important part in the game because it suits the theme of the game.

The game will last you a good few days if you do decide to play it in one and the graphics are superb too, and, along with the great gameplay minus a few flaws then this is definitely a game for you to get.

Summary: A flawed but decent game.