ICO (PS2)

ICO is frustrating, but an utterly worthwhile experience

Everyone knows ICO. It is the game held above all others by the gaming press and public as the ultimate neglected classic, a game which - they say - broke new ground, delivered an incredible and deeply emotional experience and, tragically, was all but ignored at retail. Its situation was hardly helped by Sony Europe's decision to release the game on a very limited run, convinced that it would not sell, and thereby condemning it to the very fate that the publisher feared. Now, though, almost as if seeking absolution from its public, Sony has released the game again on our unsophisticated shores alongside the development team's new project, Shadow of the Colossus - and it has fared considerably better than expected. Where Shadow of the Colossus entered the UK charts at number 1, knocking Need For Speed: Most Wanted from the top after a twelve-week run, ICO itself entered at number 24. It's not exactly as stellar a performance as might have been hoped, but it seems that a considerable number of newcomers are going to be experiencing the game for the first time over the next week or so. With that in mind, is ICO the untouchable classic that it's said to be?

The thing about ICO is that in the present day, it is perhaps more interesting culturally than it is as a videogame. This is a title that the entire gaming community rallied behind, something that's almost unheard of in an industry where games' faults and merits are obsessively contested by both its press and its audience. For that reason, it's a very special game, and one that anyone with an interest in the form really ought to play, regardless of its actual features and merits as a videogame - indeed, at the time of its release, its review scores were hardly spectacular. It's what this game has come to represent that's crucial - it has become the embodiment of every single under-appreciated, innovative new game that fails to perform at retail, and has therefore taken on an almost untouchable status despite its shortcomings. Those shortcomings, however, really don't detract from the experience that is this game - and again, these days, ICO is really played for the experience rather than for pure enjoyment. Setting that aside, though, ICO should really be subject to formal evaluation just like any other, and it's with that view in mind that I embarked upon this second visitation of the game.

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The game's protagonist is a cursed, horned boy, cast away from society and trapped within the walls of a truly massive prison. Thrown into the game without any explanation, map, weapon or any of the other things we are used to in videogames, the player is charged with the task of getting out. Soon, he meets Yorda, a girl made out of light who is also trapped within the castle, and together they explore the castle and find ways to get around its obstacles and traps. Something, though, really doesn't want either of you to get out alive, and so shadow creatures continually try to steal Yorda away into the darkness. As the game progresses, if you manage to consistently defend the girl from the darkness, you find swords and other items that will help you along your way, and although you will never truly understand, you begin to learn more about why you and the girl made of light have been brought to this beautiful yet menacing prison.

ICO, from the moment that the title screen fades from white into a gorgeous landscape view, is an absolutely beautiful game...

ICO, from the moment that the title screen fades from white into a gorgeous landscape view, is an absolutely beautiful game, Stylistically, it has lost none of its impressiveness in the years since I first encountered it, and what it manages to do with the PlayStation 2 hardware remains astounding. The castle in which the game takes place is itself a marvel, both architecturally and in terms of game design - the whole environment feels authentic, cohesive and, crucially, claustrophobic, despite its size. Walls, floors, landscape and objects are all fabulously detailed and entirely consistent in style, lending a level of believability and absorption to this game that to date has only been equalled by its spiritual sequel, Shadow of the Colossus. Because the game never aims for photo-realism, only perfection within its style, it never looks rough - much like Zelda: The Wind Waker, whose visual style gave it the privilege of being able to do pretty much whatever it wanted rather than being constrained by the limitations of its hardware.

Aside from its sheer beauty, it's the atmosphere of the game's environment that remains immediately striking. There are few moments more helpless than the first time you get to the top of a tower in ICO and see the sheer vastness of the surrounding landscape, the apparent inescapability of your prison. There is a feeling of isolation, of vulnerability about the game, echoed in everything from the protagonists to the combat mechanics to the interface to the rare moments of story. With no music, no map screen or health bar or other such action-game staples, ICO strays away from video game convention in order to create its unique and beautiful world. It's this atmosphere, chiefly, for which ICO is remembered - it is, in many ways, a deeply sad game, and although I'd never dream of ruining anything about the subtly-told and deeply affecting storyline, it's necessary to state that it is a uniquely touching and occasionally distressing story that, despite the infrequency of the story interludes and their relative obscurity, is as crucial to the game's atmosphere as the game itself.

Even today, the game looks beautiful

Strangely enough, it's the steps that the game takes to preserve that atmosphere that lead to all of its shortcomings. Yorda herself is helpless - so helpless that, when you're trying to get her to co-operate in order to solve a puzzle, she quickly becomes annoying. Combat-wise, our young hero is not exactly proficient - although his flailing incompetence in battle is entirely consistent with his character, it's exceptionally frustrating in terms of 'hitting button repeatedly'. As a game, the whole package could seem entirely uninspiring; it is essentially a series of puzzles punctuated by a few very annoying and clunky battles. And finally, ICO is quite short. Had it been a conventionally lengthy game, its atmosphere would no doubt have been considerably diluted. As it is, coming in at just under ten hours, it never relents for a second, but feels a little short.

To see ICO in terms of just a beautiful, but short and occasionally annoying action game, though, is to miss the point entirely. What makes this game worth playing is its exceptional and entirely unique atmosphere coupled with its emotionally provocative nature and, these days, its cultural significance. There's still nothing quite like this out there, except perhaps Shadow of the Colossus, which also juxtaposes beauty with isolation, helplessness and a desolate environment. ICO was, and is, a brave and beautiful piece of interactive entertainment, and though it perhaps doesn't quite live up to its untouchable reputation, it's a game that everyone ought to play regardless.