ICO: The Forgotten PS2 Masterpiece

Whenever I talk to people about the masterpieces of the PS2 era, rarely do I hear people mention ICO, the first game created by the developers who went on to release Shadow of the Colossus. Today, I want to talk about this forgotten gem.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
1:17 - The story begins
2:16 - Gameplay
3:17 - Atmosphere
4:26 - Combat
5:08 - In-game language
6:23 - Character interaction
7:12 - Plot and ending (SPOILERS)
13:55 - Final comments

MUSIC USED IN VIDEO (IN ORDER):
Castle In The Mist - ICO
The Farthest Land - Shadow of the Colossus
Darkness - ICO
Heal - ICO
Prologue - Shadow of the Colossus
Déjà Vu - ICO
Shadow - ICO
You Were There - ICO

[lunk]

I went to my local game store today and they had this on the shelves I have never seen or heard of it. I had no service in the store but it just looked like something different. I’m so excited to play now

[RicardoDawson]

Ico is such a masterpiece and highly influential work of art. Thank you for the wonderful writing and emotional delivery of your tribute!

[itsmechriswong]

I know this probably doesn't get mentioned a lot but I remember once upon a time seeing a fan art of Ico and Yorda holding hands as they rested on a stone couch. I was for some reason so moved by this at the time as I'd had never heard of Ico before that I went on youtube searching for this moment only to find out that this happens at the Save points in the game. The music that plays during the save is exactly the reason why that fan art captured me so brilliantly - "Heal" is a perfect piece of music that is light, and peaceful, and despite the trials that the two go through they can always take a breather from the world at large.

[magnaesca]

I cant believe shadow of colossus got a remake but this game didn't. Don't get me wrong shadow of colossus is an awesome game and work of art. I guess this game is more of an acquired taste kind of stuff. I strangely feel melancholic when I play it, not sure why.

[TheBeird]

I love all the Team Ico/Ueada games. They all feel of a piece but with enough difference to be their own thing. SotC may be the most iconic, but for me, The Last Guardian is my favourite. However, Ico has a unique vibe onto itself and of the three, it's the most meditative I find. It's like playing a dream.

[Broeckchen]

Honestly, even knowing the story, it's worth going through the game oneself. The thing with ICO is that it carries so much with it's atmosphere, details and characters. The way walking with Yorda feels can't really be described well. Her presence and how comforting her voice feels in a world of silence and sinister sounds is an experience.

It's enchanting and the game doesn't rush or pull you with collectibles, progress measurements or any other such things. It's a great piece to explore at your own pace, perhaps in small portions each evening as you unwind for the day.

[danilalikhachev]

I was absolutely blown away by TLG and SotC remake on PS4, I bought a PS3 pretty much exclusively to play Ico and the (not really) original version of SotC. It absolutely surpassed all my expectations and became one of a handful of favorite games of all time, and the greatest thing is, I can't even express main reasons for this. I've seen dozens of videos on this game, and your take is, for some reason, the most resonant on a purely emotional level. I see the ending a bit differently. I like that it is kind of intentionally ambiguous, as if its main purpose is not really to tie up the story, but to create this very specific feeling of bittersweet longing, irreversible separation and precious memories. It's like the whole game was constructed to be a buildup for this extremely precise poetic piece that is the ending. Anyway, thanks a lot! I'll be watching this space!

[seantaylor]

I love stories that let you know lots of details and have elaborate scenes and dialogue, but I think you're right that Ico did a fantastic job with very little. Not that I want every game to be Ico, but I'm very glad that Ico is Ico and also very sad that it seems to be forgotten except for its connection to Shadow of the Colossus (which I think is crappy). A simple plot, but one that is very well-done and makes up for its lack of complexity by using the feelings you mentioned of isolation and the few bits of refuge we get in Ico and Yorda getting along.

Very interesting idea that Ico and Yorda both died, as I always thought it weird that Ico could survive an impact with a wall like that (heck, I think a lot of adults would have a hard time surviving that kind of crash). The only thing I'm unsure on is if Yorda can be a Shadow and in the afterlife at the same time and the way the game portrays the final scene feels more like a definite happy ending than Grave of the Fireflies...But maybe that's this game's aptitude for subtlety on display and I just didn't catch it (though, that watermelon ending is really pushing my mind towards Happy Ending vibes).

[Venoix]

What a beautiful interpretation of the ending.

I played the game a couple of years back, for the first time, and really enjoyed my time with it. The minimalistic design philosophy really helped with the immersion, and the amount of detail that went into the environments and how the castle crumbled at the end, and the way that it broke apart as it sunk into the ocean was almost beautiful and melancholic. Whilst it was a silent participant in the story, preventing your escape, I don't believe that the castle itself was necessarily evil, so it was almost sad watching its fate against the backdrop of "You Were There".

Anyway, great video, as always! I also didn't realise that Yorda's speech could be translated back into Japanese, though I did pick up on ICO's speech being similar to Japanese due to living in Japan at the time I played the game.

Anyway, looking forward to watching your other videos!

[JustToSaveYou]

This game is a spiritual experience. I can't describe how powerful the emotions I felt playing this game were.

[Clamely]

I remember listening to the soundtrack on Spotify as a kid, the music was so pretty and the album cover which is the game official poster just made the album so mysterious. I later forgot about the album and found your video, I thought the album was from an anime or a movie. I don't know why I never looked into it. Anyway your video was fantastic and finally answered my childhood questions on what was ICO.
Also I went to my local manga shop and found two ICO books! I was tempted to buy but decided to wait until next time, maybe the books has more answer's.

[jeffmianowski]

I haven't played this in years and this video made me tear up. I'm glad your channel floated my way.

[puellamaris]

What's interesting is that you can almost tie all the Team Ico games together. The lore and environmental storytelling in every game is so rich even if the stories are simple.
There's also a novel adaption of ICO and it's not considered "canon" but is a fun way to try and create a story from the art we have.

[matheusm.santana]

I played some of this game when i was 7 or 8. Very early on, yorda has to climb on a box so she can reach your hand and be pulled up. 8 yo me could not get her to do that, since her 2001 AI isn't exactly perfect. So i just reasoned i had to go do something else and come back, scared she would be taken while i was away. Since this is not a point the game expects you to be separated, no shadow creatures spawn, and the other points they do only trigger when Yorda gets close. For hours, days, i explored the castle without her, i went very far before needing her powers and without being able to save (since the couch only workss when both are on it).

[JuliusCaesar]

The first time I see the part with the letters making sense, Ueda is one of the best directors of all time and This video makes the game justice. Great job. Ico always reminded me of Hayao Miyazaki's movies, you're thrown in a world that is completely alien and by the end, you've formed such a strong bond with these characters even though you know relatively little about them, and the ending is a gut punch.

I have The Last Guardian installed on my Playstation for what seems like ages now and still haven't started it because the prospect of having (for now) no new Ueda game to look forward to is an extremely saddening prospect to me. Just revisited SotC a while ago and it has only gotten better with age, it stands just as tall among gaming nowadays, if not more so since the landscape of games has gotten wider, and once I go back to Ico, I'm sure I'll love it even more.

Great, great video. You said so much in such a short time., kind of like the game.

[MartinezEvulvE]

You have a beautiful voice and accent! I originally played ICO in my late teens and I am obsessed with the sound track! I recently got in touch with Lynne that does vocals on the end credits track as i just want to know more about her and her work too!

[Fredil]

I remember seeing a play-through of this game many years back. Although I never managed to see the end of the game the second you showed the bridge it was just instant recognition. I always wanted to find this game again thanks for making this video.

[trp]

I played ICO on a PS2 Jam-Pack demo disc when I was nine, I resonate so much with your story. This game absolutely enraptured me. It reminds me of seeing Spirited Away for the first time on cable TV in the middle of summer break as a kid, going in totally dark. Again, no words for how that journey felt.

[citrouilleparlante]

I absolutely love your content. I discovered you with your clock tower video. I rarely comment ever on youtube because I never know to say. I watched your other video because I knew the games or was interested in playing them but I skipped this one. Now, months later I felt like I should watch it as the cover art intrigued me and I am not disappointed. I am so thankful that you made me discover this amazing game, merci.
At the time you made the video about hungry ghosts I thought about playing it but watching your video was much better than playing it as I don't think I would have been able or willing to find all these pieces of information.
I know it's selfish to ask, but please keep making content, take the time you feel you need but I really appreciate what you have to say and I'm sure many other people feel this way too.

[johnnybeard]

Tango, that was a beautiful tribute to an understatedly brilliant game. It was always on my list to play this at some point down the line, I think you may have convinced me that it needs to happen sooner rather than later. Well done on an amazing video!