ICO for PlayStation 2 Reviews by Gamers

ICO is one of the games that can define the experience of the PS2 platform. Like other beloved games like Xenosaga, Secret of Mana, and Castlevania, ICO is a game that reaches out for the imagination of the player and ensnares it with something that isn't shaped, cut, and dried the way other games are. While trying not to reveal too many details, it should be said that ICO's story has a very unique, ethereal feel to it. It is vague and amorphous, most of the details are only implied, and there is almost no dialog in the entire game. However, at the same time it seems to tell the entire story very clearly, by expressing the feelings and mood of the characters through some of the most amazing graphics on the PS2, coupled with very slight and strategic use of color and sound. Character movement and interaction are simply superb, the way the two characters act and interact with each other is as much a part of the story and the game as the graphics and gameplay. Overall, the effect that ICO gives the player is a feeling of environmental unity, it's useless for the player to try to isolate one part of the game and turn it into a mental breakdown of numbers and effects like with most other RPG's and puzzle games. ICO feels more organic and whole than other games, and should be used as a model for RPG's in general.

Gameplay is set up simply as a string of logic and interaction puzzles, similar to other action/adventure games, however the environments themselves seem to lend less toward the ultimate goal of progress, the environment itself obfuscates the actual game to the point that the player can forget that he or she is playing a puzzle game, and just interact with the game on a basic exploratory level and manage to make it through the game. The level of interaction with the game reminds me of a child poking an animal with a stick, however playing the game is much less cruel. Combat is tricky enough to be a challenge, and not so difficult as to detract from the game.