Ico
2001
- platform
- puzzle
- adventure
- action
- fantasy
- drama
- single player
The story
An action-adventure game in which a boy is abandoned and taken to a massive castle by his people. After exploring it for a while, he meets a girl who speaks a different language than him, then decides to get both of them out of the castle grounds by leading her along, in order to escape the shadow-like creatures that frequently try to kidnap the girl.
What it’s like
Sun-bleached and hushed, with long stretches of empty stone under a washed, hazy sky: a ruined fortress rising out of pale cloud, its courtyards and bridges drenched in soft afternoon light and deep shadow. The palette is muted ochre, grey and bone, with the only warmth coming from a torch flame or a patch of sunlight on a wall. The camera hangs back at a comfortable distance, so the spaces feel vast and the lone figures small within them. Sound is sparse: wind, the scrape of footsteps on flagstone, a few low chimes, and a soft, wistful score that drops out entirely for long passages. Nothing is hurried. Puzzles are solved by pushing levers and hauling chains, and much of the time is spent simply walking hand in hand with a companion who must be guided across gaps and kept from being dragged away. The vibe is quiet melancholy with a gentle tenderness, suited to a slow Sunday afternoon or a late evening alone with headphones. Combat is occasional and mild: shadowy creatures swarm and grab, and the fights are brief, clumsy and non-graphic, with no gore. Dread is the main intensity, not violence. For players who want a tender, wordless companionship story, atmospheric exploration, and a calm, melancholic adventure.
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