ICO ~ review

I fondly remember the day when I first saw the review for ICO when I was a teenager. I didn't remember what they say about it, but what I did remember were the hauntingly good background music and a scene of a boy running up a staircase (or was it running down?) while fighting shadowy creatures. It was a fond memory indeed. I made a promise to myself to look for this game if I ever get myself a PlayStation 2 in the future. Time goes by and I didn't get a chance to buy one, and the memory of the game slowly fades away. At times I can still visualize the boy fighting the shadowy creatures but I can no longer remember the name of the game.

Fast forward to 7 or 8 years later, I finally purchased the game and completed playing it. I stumbled upon the game accidentally as I was browsing for PS2 games to buy. Although I didn't quite recognize it at first (I forgot the name of the game) but memories started flooded back to me and I immediately made my choice and bought it. The promise I made years ago was worth it because ICO is a beautiful, unique and heart-warming video game I had ever played.

ICO is about a young boy with horns who was locked away in a seemingly abandoned fortress by his village men since boys born with horns are considered as a bad omen. As he tried to find a way to escape the fortress, he met Yorda, a young girl with glowing skin, caged in one of the room. He freed her and together they explored the huge fortress to find escape while running away from mysterious shadowy creatures that relentlessly tried to abduct Yorda, and a mysterious Queen of the fortress who controlled them.


As I was playing the game, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the scenery in it. Even in a room filled with fallen rocks and ruins, I cannot help but amazed with the visuals. The lighting effect displayed in the game was spectacular. You can see that the developer are keen on the details. Although the visuals would not match the standard of today high-definition games on XBox 360 and PS3, they do have their own magic to captivate any gamers. Characters can appeared quire sharp on the edges on screens but I tend to oversee that due to the beautiful overall appearance of the surrounding environments.

Playing the game was quite simple; no health bar, no list of items, no instructions. You just go and do what you felt that needed to do. Guide Yorda through tricky places and figure out puzzles to overcome obstacles. Pick up sticks or sword and slash through the shadowy creatures once they appear. Call Yorda or take her hand and run if you must. I made it sound too simple for pleasure but ICO does give an emotional experience. The horned boy and Yorda did not speak the same language but somehow you felt their connection and bonding. They trust each other and language was not a barrier to them. It was really sweet seeing them fallen asleep next to each other on the glowing couch that act as a save point. And the cutscenes, especially towards the ending, was really heart-breaking. Story-wise, ICO is perfect.


One major complaint that I noticed from gamers around the world was the length of the game. Having played it, I must admit, it was short compared to the rest of the games that I had played. Nevertheless, the experience was priceless. There is simply no word that can accurately describe my feelings towards the game, therefore, I recommended people to buy this game and experience it yourself, if you haven't play it already. It is indeed a hidden jewel among all the blockbuster games that filled the market. It is worth every single penny.

For me, ICO is a masterpiece.


Images courtesy of Wikipedia and Gamespot.