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In Ico, there's a moment where the two main characters, Ico and Yorda, run hand in hand, along a castle wall. Birds cry out in the distance. Waves crash into the wall from the expanse of water surrounding the castle's foundation. There is no music. Only the sounds of nature and Ico and Yorda's feet moving along the decaying brick. The camera angle automatically positions itself to follow the pair, but pans back so we can take in the wall and its surrounding environments. Beyond the castle, a forest. Below the castle, water. Back into the castle, darkness. Even in this simple stretch of running from one side of a wall to another, mystery and wonder permeate.
Ico contains a decaying castle, a young boy born with horns (Ico), an imprisoned young girl who seems more ethereal than human (Yorda), and dark spirits known as Shadows. Ostensibly, the goal of the game is for Ico and Yorda to escape the castle alive. But why are both children in the castle to begin with? Why do the Shadows not want Yorda to leave? The game provides few explicit answers, but that's part of its charm. There is no burdensome exposition to be found. You're given what you need to move forward, nothing else.
Survival against all odds is what Ico effectively portrays. For most of the game, Ico fends off the Shadows from Yorda with a piece of wood. The wood beats them back, but with great effort. Only later in the game do you get a sword (and if you search really hard, a mace) and feel like a true protector.
When the Shadows aren't overwhelming you, you're learning how to move forward with Yorda. Yorda is limited in her functionality. She can walk up and down ladders, but she can't climb chains or pipes. She'll only jump over chasms if Ico holds out his hand towards her. Often, Ico will have to leave her alone for awhile, so he can climb up and down castle walls, push blocks, and turn cranks in order to open up hidden pathways. All so that Yorda can move forward with him. While this might seem like a burden (and it can be), Yorda is incredibly affecting. She’s been through a great deal of trauma, and like Ico, you really want to help her get free of this castle.
The castle is an absolute delight to explore. One room is shrouded in gothic ambiance, while the next leads to a peaceful garden area filled with grass and trees. Waterfalls, windmills, and rail tracks sit alongside tombs, winding stairways and chandeliers. Even with this variety in its construction, no part of the castle feels contrived or misguided. If anything, you wonder why the castle was built this way and for whom? Was it part of a thriving kingdom? If so, what happened? The less Ico reveals, the more compelled you are to explore and uncover.
Ico and Yorda's plight to escape from the castle that seems to be their fate is a relatable one. How many times have we felt trapped, cornered and abused, unable to move forward? Our jobs burden us down with trivial meaningless tasks. Our family, our supposed caregivers, abandon us or treat us harshly. Life often feels lonely, oppressive, and miserable, with no way out of our struggles.
Ico speaks to the perseverance that this life beckons us to have. Hope is a reality, but if you want to see beyond your own large and looming castle wall, you have to keep going. The way out is somewhere, but it takes great effort and many give up along the way. They give into the Shadows, the darkness. They believe the lies that tell them the castle is their home, forever. Sometimes we need our own Ico to move us out of our imprisoned stupor. Other times, we are Ico, tasked with the strength to help others break free of their own binding cage. No matter where we are at in life, one maxim proves true: those who endure to the end will be saved.
Ico is available on PS2, PS3, and PS4 via Playstation Plus
Awesome, brings back great memories
This makes me want to play it, I think I played an in-store demo once, as a kid. The color pallette reminded me of Ocarina of Time, but it felt different, that's about all I remember.