Product Description

ICO incorporates elements from puzzle, adventure, strategy, fighting and role-playing-game genres. It's the tale of a courageous young boy on a heroic journey through an unknown castle to save a princess and discover his own mysterious fate. Faced with numerous puzzles, ranging from simple mazes to complex brainteasers, ICO invites gamers into a deep, mysterious story line with beautiful, dreamlike graphics.

As the story goes, once every generation a boy is born with horns. Thought to be the minion of an evil spirit, the afflicted but innocent ICO was captured at age 12 by the village's leaders and brought to a deserted castle to be sacrificed for the good of the community. After the villagers bury him alive in a castle tomb and leave him for dead, he is able to break free of his confines; he then learns of a beautiful young princess who is likewise held captive. From there he embarks on a challenging course through the castle ruins to save her.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3304 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2006-02-17
• Rating: To Be Announced
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ico weaves the tale of a young boy trying to escape his imprisonment in a large, vacant castle. Along the way, he discovers another captive--a beautiful princess named Yorda. Unsurprisingly, you control Ico with the goal of escaping the castle with the princess safely in hand.

Although it looks like an adventure game and has some rudimentary action sequences, Ico is mostly about solving puzzles. Players will run, jump and climb their way through the gargantuan castle as well as figure out which objects and environments are interactive. Yorda is very much a damsel in distress, and isn't nearly as capable as Ico. A great deal of the puzzles require the player to create a safe path for Yorda, who isn't physically able to get to the places Ico can. The puzzles are quite brilliant, although a few are so tough that players will feel like ditching the princess.

Graphics, particularly the lighting effects and animations, are fantastic and the developers did a superb job of conveying the enormity and beauty of the castle. When Ico and Yorda move and interact, their actions seem totally lifelike. The ambient soundtrack and simple controls let the player focus on the tasks at hand. Sony has crafted a very unique game that anyone can play; few games are as elegant in their simplicity as this puzzler. --Raymond M Padilla

Manufacturer's Description
Fate has taken a dark turn for Ico. He finds himself trapped in a vast, crumbling castle that sits high on a craggy cliff. Those who placed him here intended it to become his home. But Ico is not alone. A long time ago, a young girl named Yorda was also imprisoned in the castle. She has spent years in captivity, consumed by her loneliness and sorrow. But with Ico's encouragement, she begins to believe that perhaps there is a way out. He gently takes her hand, and the two of them set off to find freedom.

They quickly discover, however, that the entire castle is a prison from which escape will not be easy. Shadowy spirits emerge from gloomy corners, desperate to drag Yorda back into the darkness. Every twisting staircase, creaking door and towering pillar is part of a larger puzzle. Each torch and shaft of light only serves to illuminate another mystery.

A game so unique that it almost creates its own genre, ICO boasts some jaw-dropping graphics, with a unique atmospheric look and strangely unsettling enemies that single-mindedly focus on Yorda intent on dragging her to another dimension. ICO is an absorbing adventure with tremendous replay value too.

Customer Reviews

.......wow...........
In order to truly undrerstand the impact Ico had on me you would need to speak to me fac-to-face, so I could at least attempt to convey the emotion involved. I have NEVER been so awed or involved in a game. The storyline is one of the most simple yet eternal themes ever to be written, and it appeals to us on more levels than we would care to admit. The interaction between Ico and Yorda seems to represent everything good we believe the human spirit is capable of - love, courage, compassion, empathy. Yorda is the woman you have dreamed of rescuing. As you battle to save her from the shadows (which are never explained, adding to their mystery) you almost want to jump in to the tv and kick their asses yourself!
But the action is not where Ico excels - the puzzles will have you scratching your head for a while, before someone pipes up "well, what about that window/bomb/chain?". Whilst Ico is a one player game, you can happily sit around in a group and play for hours (the night I bought it I and three mates played it for four hours with hardly a word muttered that didn't involve the puzzles). You will be so engrossed by the beauty of the castle (I defy anyone not to give a gasp as they look out from the top of the windmill,or gaze up at the waterfalls) that you will give up your life in the quest to see what is next. And perhaps this is the game's main downfall - you become so lost in Ico and Yorda's struggle for their freedom that the game is over before you are aware what you have accomplished - I finished it in less than nine hours. If you have an analytical mind and a 'feel' for games of this kind (think Zelda 64 type puzzles, but more intricate) than you may find this title rather short. However, the game is SO beautiful and the ending SO heart-breakingly affecting that you will forgive it any flaws. Ico is an astonishing gaming experience and a leap forward in game design..

Absorbing, beautiful masterpiece.
Ico is, without doubt, the most beautiful masterpiece of a game ever created. The amount of graphical and emotional style that has gone into is unsurpassed by anything else. The game is fairly simple though, and relies on a system of symbiotic survival. You play as Ico, trapped in a huge castle you must help to free a strange spirit girl named Yorda. You have no life bar, but your life is ended if Yorda is captured by the castle's spirits. So your survival is dependent on hers, and vice versa. This system creates an incredible atmosphere, and a bond between player and character. Your mind will be focused entirely on Yorda's protection, creating anxiety whenever the sound of the spirit enemies can be heard. Your only weapon (at first anyway) is a piece of wood that you must swing valiantly to defeat your foes. They will only appear occasionally though, but when they do, it is usually in groups, and they will work as a team to try to capture Yorda. The rest of the game relies heavily on its puzzles, and you must try to help Yorda get to the places that only Ico can originally reach. Its all very clever stuff, and makes you think, whilst keeping you on edge all the time. Added to this is the game's graphical style that perfectly compliments it. Yorda has a kind of glow, as she moves elegantly and silently, holding onto Ico's hand. Facial expressions are also visible as well as the very subtle body movements of the characters. It's all very lifelike and helps to bring the characters to life that little bit more. The castle environments are huge and helped by the long draw distance. In fact, the graphics are nothing short of stunning, constantly showing that with a bit of good programming, the Playstation 2 hardware can be pushed to astonishing proportions. Absolutely beautiful game.

Legendary
This is a puzzle/adventure game with a few key differences. How many times in other games have you been able to quickly spot an item you can interact with because it doesn't blend in with the scenery? Not in Ico, the environment all looks consistent. How many games plaster icons, bars and scores in a head-up display over the scenery? Not in Ico, and I'm glad because the scenery is breath-takingly beautiful and having no clutter makes the game more film-like. How many games have basic puzzles you've seen before or can work out in 5 seconds flat? Not Ico, the vast majority of the puzzles are original, and a delight to discover. And how many games make you genuinely care for the characters, and make you feel like you're there? Ico does.

The puzzles are hard, but not illogical. They're also very original and SO satisfying to solve. The level design is true genius.

The central game mechanic revolves around you controlling Ico, helping to guide a strange young girl called Yorda as you try and escape the castle. Leave Yorda on her own ad she'll get attacked. Sometimes she even helps you solve puzzles by pointing to places you should direct your attention.

Like the best games, Ico draws you in with its fantastic atmosphere. The graphics and sound are both absolutely top-notch. The haunted castle feels and sounds dark and lonely. High up on the parapets, it's cold and scary as the wind blasts you.

If you don't already own Ico - buy it! It's easily one of the best PS2 games to date.