Oh Ico, how we loved you. One of the most beautiful games to grace the PS2, this standalone game became a cult hit, so much so that it was re-released in Europe five years after its original appearance.
It followed the story of Ico and Yorda, two cruelly treated children left trapped in an ancient fortress, who alone didn’t stand a chance, but together their teamwork could lead to freedom. Persecuted from the get-go, Ico was born with the ability to grow horns - something his people saw to be evil. They chose to sacrifice him in order to save the village from any misfortune, and so at the tender age of 12 he is taken to the fortress - believed to be abandoned, and left to starve to death.
Here he meets Yorda, a girl with mystical abilities and no concept of the outside world. Trapped in the fortress by her own mother, when Ico helps her to escape, she is followed by shadow beings who try to drag her back, intent on keeping her captive forever. Such a delicate little girl, she needs Ico’s strength to help fight against the creatures, and Ico needs Yorda to help point the way to the light and to open pathways out of the fortress leading to freedom for the both of them.
With elements of action, adventure and puzzle this game was very accessible, but its ethereal feel, and those of its characters are what really made it stand out. Atmospheric and ambient graphics like this hadn’t been seen before, and even writing about Ico now, all these years later, brings goosebumps to my skin. There’s just something ‘more’ to it, and the story just seems to reach out to your heart. Throughout the game they grow closer and more dependent on the other and although they are occasionally parted, their reliance and affection for each other leads them to risk their own lives in order to return and help the other. Simply put, alone they are nothing, but together they are whole, as our Top Trumps scores show.
The game ends with the children free and together, however many questions were left unanswered and gamers cried out for the series to continue. In this sense both Ico and Yorda have gaming lastability. Instead of an Ico 2, the development team created the ‘spiritual’ successor Shadow of the Colossus, but there are many indirect references to the original and the creator of both games; Fumito Ueda, has since confirmed that Shadow was set in the same universe and is actually Ico’s prequel.
Yorda….oh how I had a crush on thee…..
Comment by JohnSketch — Apr 14, 2008 @ 11:33 am
@ Johnsketch
Guess you would take issue with the ‘0′ then…
Comment by Three Speech — Apr 14, 2008 @ 11:40 am
I miss read the title, I thought it said Yoda… ;p
Comment by ojko — Apr 14, 2008 @ 11:54 am
0 for sex appeal? Holy creit! Ico’s ending is still my favourite in any game. It was one of the few games that made me feel something at the end. I was so freaking depressed when I though that the game ended with Yorda dying, I was completely destroyed.
Yorda had a sex appeal of 10 for me, that is for sure. The whole games mechanics were built around making you care for her and it worked.
Comment by Kamiboy — Apr 14, 2008 @ 11:58 am
@threespeech
a segment of my soul chipped away when you gave her a zero
*protests in the name of yorda*
Comment by JohnSketch — Apr 14, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
Sex appeal 0 o’rly?
http://sugarless.blog.shinobi.jp/Date/20070219/
Comment by lxd — Apr 14, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
I’m guessing its more because yorda and ico are ‘kids’ and giving them sex appeal would be a bit dodgy in the times we live in…
Yordas mom was hot though… haha
Comment by SH4RKY — Apr 14, 2008 @ 12:33 pm
Yep loved Ico with a passion, great great game, atmos, ending, the sound, the look, the way it made you FEEL. Biggest mistake with it was the terri ble cover art, it put me off buying it for a while as despite having read reviews it made me feel I wouldn’t get the game I was reading about. Did that make sense?
Comment by MrJimmy — Apr 14, 2008 @ 12:35 pm
WARNING SPOILER!!!!
4) She didnt die, just keep watching after the credits for a bit of extra story
END SPOILER
Comment by carl — Apr 14, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
My vote for the next TS Trump: Abe! All passwords should contain farts, it’s just right.
Comment by MrJimmy — Apr 14, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
Ohhhhhh! mudoken luuurrrvvee
Vote Sex Appeal: 10 !!
Comment by JohnSketch — Apr 14, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
I’ve not played Ico. But - and call me an infidel if you must - this Yorda lass looks like a nine year-old boy, so perhaps it’s best the Sex Appeal rating is upheld.
Comment by rooee — Apr 14, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
Those who’ve finished Shadow of the Colossus already knew that SotC is Ico’s prequel.
Comment by Stef Nighthawk — Apr 14, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
[...] It followed the story of Ico and Yorda, two cruelly treated children left trapped in an ancient […] Source: Top Trumps: Ico & Yorda - at Threespeech (No Ratings Yet) Loading … RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL Write a comment [...]
Pingback by Top Trumps: Ico & Yorda | GameBlews PS3, XBOX 360, Wii, PSP, DS News — Apr 14, 2008 @ 1:00 pm
What I liked was when starting the game for a second time (after complesion), you were able to read what Yorda was saying the first time around!
This gives sooooo much more understanding to the way they came together!
Comment by Diver68 — Apr 14, 2008 @ 2:02 pm
I was under the impression that the queeny lady was keeping the daughter to use as a replacement vessel/body for when hers got too old. Blimey it was a good game though. I’d love another just like it. I loved all the puzzles and settings and graphics and audio and stuff… Also, did you notice that on the second play through you get subtitles for Yorda? Nice touch.
Oh and yeah, she has “potential”.
Comment by LordOfRuin — Apr 14, 2008 @ 4:22 pm
Whay, Diver68 pipped me. That’ll tech me to start writing a comment, while at work, and finish it after a meeting. Mmm! Anyway….
Comment by LordOfRuin — Apr 14, 2008 @ 4:24 pm
Does Shadow … work on the PS3? I have a 60Gb version, but well, you know how some games work, but not very well? I wouldn’t mind picking it cheap if it does.
Comment by LordOfRuin — Apr 14, 2008 @ 4:26 pm
The 60GB Is the best version is terms of Backwards compatability. There’s should’nt be too many problems with SOTC.
Comment by Wisdom Wanderer — Apr 14, 2008 @ 8:03 pm
@15: Really?? I guess I never played it a second time until I started from scratch on my PS3. I’ll try it, thanks!
Btw.: How about we all started begging/nagging Team ICO for a recompiled version of both ICO and SoTC for PS3 and they releasing them on PSN? Wouldn’t that be awesome? They should keep the game as close to the original as possible, but of course render it to 1080@60fps =)
Comment by Zta — Apr 14, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
i need to get the shadow of colossus copy from somewhere anyone got any idea
oh and god of war 1 and 2
Comment by icanthinkof1 — Apr 14, 2008 @ 11:32 pm
@20 : Count me in. I’d easily pay full price to get a 1080p rendered version of Ico and SOTC. Of course, I’d appreciate it even more if they added a few extras at the same time.
I can’t play my version of Ico on my PS3, as they’re from different regions. Sony, why oh why can’t you remove the PS2 region restrictions from the PS3!
Comment by Dave — Apr 15, 2008 @ 2:30 am
@20 and @22, thirded, imaging a nice PSN/disc for £10-20 for both Ico AND SOTC in hi def. I’d buy that in a heartbeat, where I’m not sure I need a Haze, Army of Two etc
Comment by MrJimmy — Apr 15, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
Mr Jimmy - I have a copy of Army of Two for ps3
Impulse buy - crap single player, fun co-op!
Comment by JohnSketch — Apr 15, 2008 @ 3:58 pm
I have no problems playing Ico and SotC on my PS3 (60GB). They are both in my all-time favorite games list, and probably will be forever.
@21 - You should have no problems getting a copy of SotC from most retailers. Amazon sells it as well as GoW 1 & 2.
Comment by coalhalo — Apr 15, 2008 @ 11:26 pm
I’m in need of *good* single player games, and ICO and SOTC are absolutely phenomenal. I don’t find it very exciting fragging kids on the net in yet another shooter, that didn’t bother to design a proper single player campaign.
Comment by Zta — Apr 16, 2008 @ 8:38 am
Guys, think about it - the reason I gave them a 0 sex rating - their children! Seemed a bit creepy to give her a sexy rating when she’s supposed to be child-like and innocent.
Do see your point of view though, she does have something about her, but still…
Comment by Keri A — Apr 17, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
Leave a comment