ICO

 PlayStation 2
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 528 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 448 out of 528
  2. Mixed: 57 out of 528
  3. Negative: 23 out of 528
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  1. Judgement1991
    Mar 28, 2023
    10
    + Settings
    + Gameplay and puzzles
    + Art direction + Ambient sounds + Music + Plot + The castle is wonderfully interconnected + The relationship between Ico and Yorda who do not know each other and do not understand why they do not speak the same language, but who help each other to continue and escape from the castle + The feeling of making you feel small compared to the    + Settings
    + Gameplay and puzzles
    + Art direction
    + Ambient sounds
    + Music
    + Plot
    + The castle is wonderfully interconnected
    + The relationship between Ico and Yorda who do not know each other and do not understand why they do not speak the same language, but who help each other to continue and escape from the castle
    + The feeling of making you feel small compared to the environment around you that give you some camera shots
    + No icon and Hud screen that makes you completely immerse in the environment and the game world
    + The places of the castle you see in the game you will reach them during the game and from different places you will review the places you have already visited because the castle is wonderfully interconnected
    + Perfect duration for the game type
    + Unlockable extra content once the game is over

    - None

    For me it’s crazy to think that Ico came out in 2001 and it was an incredible game for the time and it’s incredible even now, also it’s crazy how they made a game like that more than 20 years ago and that is still very enjoyable today.

    For my one of the best games of all time and one of my favorite games.    … Expand
  2. B00tador
    Dec 5, 2021
    7
    A cool story, but would imagine it doesn't hold up well today. I'd play a remake/sequel though.
  3. MadIsAdopted
    Oct 23, 2022
    8
    Simple yet genius.
    Ugly yet marvelous.
    Meaningless yet deep.
    Boring yet exciting.
    Outdated yet up-to-date.
    Goofy yet perfect.

    Forgotten yet legendary.
  4. The_D4RknesS
    Jul 29, 2023
    7
    I'm still giving it a 7 because the game has beautiful graphics, good gameplay and a rousing soundtrack other than that it's 90% walking and solving puzzles
  5. HuevoAlce
    Jun 27, 2022
    9
    Short but sweet. ICO continues so much story just by its sheer environment.
  6. ZangBang
    Feb 9, 2023
    7
    Intuitive, dynamic and engaging puzzles organically lead players through the lonesome atmospheric environments of a wonderfully interconnected, imposing yet peaceful castle, while the threat posed by perilous platforming and hostile creatures create a delightful feeling of dread in spite of the simplistic combat, especially thanks to a perfectly placed checkpoints. A scarcely replayableIntuitive, dynamic and engaging puzzles organically lead players through the lonesome atmospheric environments of a wonderfully interconnected, imposing yet peaceful castle, while the threat posed by perilous platforming and hostile creatures create a delightful feeling of dread in spite of the simplistic combat, especially thanks to a perfectly placed checkpoints. A scarcely replayable but memorable journey where gameplay and story intertwine with powerful, mesmerizingly immersive results.… Expand
  7. Chirritox
    Aug 2, 2023
    8
    Este juego lo jugamso en directo y nos gusto bastante la historia es interesante algo criptica y confusa el gameplay es bastante entretenido y se nota que este juego es la inspiracion de los juegos indies actualmente la musica es casi nula pero en su sundtrack tiene bueno temas, el u pero que es muy corto y la compañante es muy tonta y irritante pero estuvo bien

    la audiencia que fue    Este juego lo jugamso en directo y nos gusto bastante la historia es interesante algo criptica y confusa el gameplay es bastante entretenido y se nota que este juego es la inspiracion de los juegos indies actualmente la musica es casi nula pero en su sundtrack tiene bueno temas, el u pero que es muy corto y la compañante es muy tonta y irritante pero estuvo bien

    la audiencia que fue mostrado este juego en el directo le gusto hubo varios espectadores.    … Expand
  8. SilentLev
    Aug 22, 2022
    10
    Торжество аскетичного дизайна, минимализма во всех аспектах.
  9. Kjap92
    Sep 7, 2022
    10
    A Masterpiece. Beautiful story, you really become invested in the characters ICO and Yorda. The scenery is gorgeous and the level design great, good puzzles and obstacles.
    Controls are a little but clunky at times and the camera can be a bit unpredictable, but you soon become used to how it works! It's from the ps2 era so it isn't going to be perfect lol.
    Overall the storytelling,    A Masterpiece. Beautiful story, you really become invested in the characters ICO and Yorda. The scenery is gorgeous and the level design great, good puzzles and obstacles.
    Controls are a little but clunky at times and the camera can be a bit unpredictable, but you soon become used to how it works! It's from the ps2 era so it isn't going to be perfect lol.
    Overall the storytelling, characters and puzzles outweigh the bad. A must play.    … Expand
  10. 3ls0ul
    Mar 6, 2023
    9
    Este juego aún no lo eh jugado o completado, así que pondré una reseña y nota diferentes cuando lo haga.
  11. Mastereed
    Feb 27, 2023
    9
    SHADOW OF THE CUCKOLD MAN

    BEFORE WE BEGIN: The game was played via the official emulator in its original PS2 version. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA: The game begins, as usual of Fumito Ueda, the lead designer of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, with a mysterious silent Cutscene depicting the protagonist in the middle of a journey to an immense castle by the sea. As per    SHADOW OF THE CUCKOLD MAN

    BEFORE WE BEGIN:
    The game was played via the official emulator in its original PS2 version.

    IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA:
    The game begins, as usual of Fumito Ueda, the lead designer of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, with a mysterious silent Cutscene depicting the protagonist in the middle of a journey to an immense castle by the sea. As per his style, the whole thing comes across as extremely mysterious and open to interpretation. This is remarked by the language that the protagonist will speak, namely a made-up language, similar to Japanese, with reverse sentences. With the same mysteriousness as the intro, the game explains its mechanics; There is, in fact, no tutorial; the player will have to try his hand from the start in what is a puzzle game with hints of sword fighting. Just ahead of the initial area the little cuckolded man will free and get acquainted with a young girl, little older than herself, imprisoned in what looks like a birdcage. From there on, Ico's goal, and the player's accordingly, will be to discover the history of this castle, and to get the girl and himself outside the immense walls that separate them from the sea.

    EMBRACE YOUR STICK:
    The gameplay of Ico turns out to be as simple as it is intuitive. The basic parkour is well aroused by the genre of the game, the paths to follow being very intuitive, except for a few chaotic smears in which a player will rarely waste time finding the correct path. Puzzles remain very basic ranging from moving crates to operating levers to open paths. Combat, on the other hand, is very repetitive, consisting of few attacks and animations, and a couple of weapons that stand out only by their aesthetics and damage. The story is linear, allowing the player to retrace his steps whenever he wants, but leaving little freedom for exploration. The mechanic that gives the game a huge prominence is that of the girl, who will be an interacting character and not just a static NPC; in fact, the goal will always be to take her by the hand to drag her through the most difficult situations, creating easy passages for her thanks to puzzles, and defeating the enemies who will try to kidnap her. All this is of course balanced by impassable walls without the young girl, and the impossibility of saving to the game except in pairs.
    A wonderful little treat is the box art, which, at least in the Japanese version, represents a famous painting by painter Giorgio De Chirico.

    A SPRINGY SIGHT:
    The difficulty of evaluating a game played 20 years after its release is insane, but it is indisputable that Ico was a standard in its scene, with excellent and pleasing graphics even in modern times. The use of dull, gray colors makes the sight of bright colors such as green and blue a wonderful and exciting contrast. The animations are smooth and extremely natural, so much so that they impressed me in the foreground. Finally, the greatest virtue, from which many games should take a cue, concerns the camera; it, relying on the automatic one, turns out to be practically always perfect, engaging and suitable for every situation, following prominent cinematographic and directorial canons.

    HEARING DISTANT SCREAMS:
    The audio side of the game could be a very contestable point, as here too Ico stands out from the crowd, with little more than 3 in-game OSTs; most of the adventure is shrouded in silence, accompanied by chirps, gusts of wind, and bursts of grass. The ensemble creates an atmosphere of solitude and tranquility unique to the game and rarely seen in other titles.

    BUT WHY 9?

    PROS:
    Ico turns out to be one of those timeless gems. Even played after its 20th anniversary it turns out to be perfect in certain aspects and even undefeated in others, such as the already discussed camera. From the review itself it is easy to infer the merits and so no further information is necessary.

    CONS:
    The cons belong to small details that could be dictated by time and the inevitable aging of the video game. The biggest flaw is also related to the biggest virtue, namely the camera; it is not compulsorily automatic, but will be controllable by the player, in a way however, extremely unpleasant to the eye; the main sensation you get from using it is that it is like tied with a rubber band, and that it bounces every time you try to turn it. Combat is as already mentioned extremely repetitive, and the aesthetics of the enemies are of little consequence.
    The rest of the flaws found are superfluous and certainly given by the aging of the title, and it would therefore be pointless to criticize them.

    RATING
    Gameplay: 9
    Music: 7
    Story: 8
    Art Direction: 10
    _    … Expand
  12. Yojimbo2015
    Jul 18, 2023
    8
    Atmospheric and beautiful 3D platform game that sees you guiding a helpless damsel in distress through monster infested castles. Enemies can feel a bit more like a nuisance than a threat but the intriguing storyline and lovely visuals make for a rather unique experience.
  13. VLG
    Aug 22, 2023
    10
    A true work of art, there is nothing like it and there will never be. I played it some years after its release, and before the PS2 was dead. The atmosphere was absolutely unique, I wish there were more games like this.
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Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Best PS2 Game of 2001
8
#8 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2001
8
#8 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 59 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 59
  3. Negative: 0 out of 59
  1. Just Adventure
    100
    Easily the most addictive game I have played this year on either console or computer and would be a welcome addition to any adventure gamer's collection.
    Read full review
  2. Maxim Online
    80
    Odd adventure.
    Read full review
  3. Cheat Code Central
    90
    Although it borrows from other gaming experiences in certain places, you haven't ever played a game like Ico. Highly recommended!
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