ICO: The Forgotten PS2 Masterpiece
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- Whenever I talk to people about the masterpieces of the PS2 era, rarely do I hear people mention ICO, the first game created by the developers who went on to release Shadow of the Colossus. Today, I want to talk about this forgotten gem.
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Twitch: / tangomushi (Live 3 times a week!)
Twitter: / iloveklim
Check out my horror reviews here: ruclips.net/user/playlist?list...
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
1:17 - The story begins
2:16 - Gameplay
3:17 - Atmosphere
4:26 - Combat
5:08 - In-game language
6:23 - Character interaction
7:12 - Plot and ending (SPOILERS)
13:55 - Final comments
MUSIC USED IN VIDEO (IN ORDER):
Castle In The Mist - ICO
The Farthest Land - Shadow of the Colossus
Darkness - ICO
Heal - ICO
Prologue - Shadow of the Colossus
Déjà Vu - ICO
Shadow - ICO
You Were There - ICO 
Игры
![Sean Rii, Karyon, Sharzkii - Taungule [My Love] (Official Music Video)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eJoMuypbSzQ/mqdefault.jpg)
If I remember correctly Yorda’s subtitles are translated in NG+
NG+ also has a hidden lightsaber which is weird.
One of my favourite elements is the subtle vibrations on the pad when you hold Yorda’s hand. It accentuates the feeling of separation in that last act in a really tactile way.
One last thing; any Dark Souls fans in the comments can thank this game. Miyazaki says playing it made him change career so he could make video games.
Ico is such a masterpiece and highly influential work of art. Thank you for the wonderful writing and emotional delivery of your tribute!
I'm glad I've managed to connect with so many other ICO fans through this video - thank you so much for watching, it warms my heart
I love all the Team Ico/Ueada games. They all feel of a piece but with enough difference to be their own thing. SotC may be the most iconic, but for me, The Last Guardian is my favourite. However, Ico has a unique vibe onto itself and of the three, it's the most meditative I find. It's like playing a dream.
It's very dreamlike, I agree! SotC feels more like a fairytale whereas ICO feels like a weird, hazy dream sequence! Ueda is a severely underrated director in the gaming scene, I think - he should be seen on the same level as Kojima, Miyazaki and Yoko Taro, I think!
@@tangomushi He’s the Terrence Malik of video games far as I’m concerned 👌
I know this probably doesn't get mentioned a lot but I remember once upon a time seeing a fan art of Ico and Yorda holding hands as they rested on a stone couch. I was for some reason so moved by this at the time as I'd had never heard of Ico before that I went on youtube searching for this moment only to find out that this happens at the Save points in the game. The music that plays during the save is exactly the reason why that fan art captured me so brilliantly - "Heal" is a perfect piece of music that is light, and peaceful, and despite the trials that the two go through they can always take a breather from the world at large.
I cant believe shadow of colossus got a remake but this game didn't. Don't get me wrong shadow of colossus is an awesome game and work of art. I guess this game is more of an acquired taste kind of stuff. I strangely feel melancholic when I play it, not sure why.
I guess SotC has action, big setpieces and a more clearcut goal - ICO has those things too, but on a smaller scale, I would say. But I think that's exactly what makes me like ICO more, tbh!
This game did get a remake, well before SotC in fact - it was on the PS3
@@gingermcgingin4106 Those were just HD remasters, Shadow of the Colossus was fully remade from the ground up on PS4
This game is a spiritual experience. I can't describe how powerful the emotions I felt playing this game were.
I was absolutely blown away by TLG and SotC remake on PS4, I bought a PS3 pretty much exclusively to play Ico and the (not really) original version of SotC. It absolutely surpassed all my expectations and became one of a handful of favorite games of all time, and the greatest thing is, I can't even express main reasons for this. I've seen dozens of videos on this game, and your take is, for some reason, the most resonant on a purely emotional level. I see the ending a bit differently. I like that it is kind of intentionally ambiguous, as if its main purpose is not really to tie up the story, but to create this very specific feeling of bittersweet longing, irreversible separation and precious memories. It's like the whole game was constructed to be a buildup for this extremely precise poetic piece that is the ending. Anyway, thanks a lot! I'll be watching this space!
I see where you're coming from, and that's a wonderful way of looking at it! That's exactly what I love about the ending - everyone has their own take, whether their interpretation is more sad or hopeful. It takes a lot of skill to write an ending that can pull that off!! This game truly is a masterpiece. Thank you so much for your kind words, it warms my heart that the video resonated with you ❤️
Without Ico there would be no “modern” Prince of Persia games, and without them there would be no Assassins Creed.
This game had such a giant influence on gaming and yet it’s only remembered as a hidden gem of PS2 library…
What a beautiful interpretation of the ending.
I played the game a couple of years back, for the first time, and really enjoyed my time with it. The minimalistic design philosophy really helped with the immersion, and the amount of detail that went into the environments and how the castle crumbled at the end, and the way that it broke apart as it sunk into the ocean was almost beautiful and melancholic. Whilst it was a silent participant in the story, preventing your escape, I don't believe that the castle itself was necessarily evil, so it was almost sad watching its fate against the backdrop of "You Were There".
Anyway, great video, as always! I also didn't realise that Yorda's speech could be translated back into Japanese, though I did pick up on ICO's speech being similar to Japanese due to living in Japan at the time I played the game.
Anyway, looking forward to watching your other videos!
The first time I see the part with the letters making sense, Ueda is one of the best directors of all time and This video makes the game justice. Great job. Ico always reminded me of Hayao Miyazaki's movies, you're thrown in a world that is completely alien and by the end, you've formed such a strong bond with these characters even though you know relatively little about them, and the ending is a gut punch.
I have The Last Guardian installed on my Playstation for what seems like ages now and still haven't started it because the prospect of having (for now) no new Ueda game to look forward to is an extremely saddening prospect to me. Just revisited SotC a while ago and it has only gotten better with age, it stands just as tall among gaming nowadays, if not more so since the landscape of games has gotten wider, and once I go back to Ico, I'm sure I'll love it even more.
Great, great video. You said so much in such a short time., kind of like the game.
I have just started playing eco, never had a ps, couldn't afford, hence late to the party.
But I wanted to ask, so many people say their favourite is bloodborne but how does that compare to others like ico or shadow of the collosus or crimson butterfly?
I absolutely love your content. I discovered you with your clock tower video. I rarely comment ever on youtube because I never know to say. I watched your other video because I knew the games or was interested in playing them but I skipped this one. Now, months later I felt like I should watch it as the cover art intrigued me and I am not disappointed. I am so thankful that you made me discover this amazing game, merci.
At the time you made the video about hungry ghosts I thought about playing it but watching your video was much better than playing it as I don't think I would have been able or willing to find all these pieces of information.
I know it's selfish to ask, but please keep making content, take the time you feel you need but I really appreciate what you have to say and I'm sure many other people feel this way too.
I remember listening to the soundtrack on Spotify as a kid, the music was so pretty and the album cover which is the game official poster just made the album so mysterious. I later forgot about the album and found your video, I thought the album was from an anime or a movie. I don't know why I never looked into it. Anyway your video was fantastic and finally answered my childhood questions on what was ICO.
Also I went to my local manga shop and found two ICO books! I was tempted to buy but decided to wait until next time, maybe the books has more answer's.
I haven't played this in years and this video made me tear up. I'm glad your channel floated my way.
Honestly, even knowing the story, it's worth going through the game oneself. The thing with ICO is that it carries so much with it's atmosphere, details and characters. The way walking with Yorda feels can't really be described well. Her presence and how comforting her voice feels in a world of silence and sinister sounds is an experience.
It's enchanting and the game doesn't rush or pull you with collectibles, progress measurements or any other such things. It's a great piece to explore at your own pace, perhaps in small portions each evening as you unwind for the day.
This was such a formative game for me and it’s so nice to hear about it. The battle against the shadow children absolutely chilled me. I did enjoy shadow of the colossus but tbh remember almost nothing about it other than the horse. Ico burned itself into my brain and though I haven’t played it in 15 years or so I remember so much of it so clearly.
I love stories that let you know lots of details and have elaborate scenes and dialogue, but I think you're right that Ico did a fantastic job with very little. Not that I want every game to be Ico, but I'm very glad that Ico is Ico and also very sad that it seems to be forgotten except for its connection to Shadow of the Colossus (which I think is crappy). A simple plot, but one that is very well-done and makes up for its lack of complexity by using the feelings you mentioned of isolation and the few bits of refuge we get in Ico and Yorda getting along.
Very interesting idea that Ico and Yorda both died, as I always thought it weird that Ico could survive an impact with a wall like that (heck, I think a lot of adults would have a hard time surviving that kind of crash). The only thing I'm unsure on is if Yorda can be a Shadow and in the afterlife at the same time and the way the game portrays the final scene feels more like a definite happy ending than Grave of the Fireflies...But maybe that's this game's aptitude for subtlety on display and I just didn't catch it (though, that watermelon ending is really pushing my mind towards Happy Ending vibes).
Tango, that was a beautiful tribute to an understatedly brilliant game. It was always on my list to play this at some point down the line, I think you may have convinced me that it needs to happen sooner rather than later. Well done on an amazing video!
Brilliant video! The use of environmental storytelling in Ico is still, all these years later, innovative and unique in the gaming world. But what always stuck out to me about the game was just how crushingly sad it felt. Shadow of the Colossus was similar, but different, because in that game we were seeing a man descend into evil and selfishness, and how it destroyed himself and the land around him. But in Ico, we're following an innocent in a dying world. The sense of isolation, clinging to the one human connection he has, is tragic to me. Very few games feel as heavy, and it's all done in such a minimalist fashion.
Totally forgot to comment - another smashing video. Particularly like the part about the language as I had no idea it has it's roots in something actually understandable!
Excited to see what's next!
I went to my local game store today and they had this on the shelves I have never seen or heard of it. I had no service in the store but it just looked like something different. I’m so excited to play now
I played ICO on a PS2 Jam-Pack demo disc when I was nine, I resonate so much with your story. This game absolutely enraptured me. It reminds me of seeing Spirited Away for the first time on cable TV in the middle of summer break as a kid, going in totally dark. Again, no words for how that journey felt.
I remember seeing a play-through of this game many years back. Although I never managed to see the end of the game the second you showed the bridge it was just instant recognition. I always wanted to find this game again thanks for making this video.
I find it crazy that this video is only 15 minutes long.The reason being that I was as immersed and engaged as I would typically be in a 30 minute video. Wonderful video ♥️
I remember watching my dad play this game when I was just a kid and being utterly enchanted by it, even though I had very little idea what was really going on. What a beautiful tribute. Thank you.
Thank you for this. I had barely heard of this game before now but just from watching this video I feel to at least some extent I have been on that journey. Thank you.
This game literally changed the medium as a whole for me, glad im not alone. subbed
One of my absolute FAVORITES, I keep meaning to dig out my Ps2 and show my wife this classic in particular. One day!
Your videos are so amazing. It just blows my mind. How slept on you are.
I used to subscribe to the theory that they are dead at the end. Although since I found out you can literally find that exact beach on the Shadow of the Colossus map I’ve started to go with the more hopeful interpretation that the beach is the real world and that they did survive :)
I had asked myself after playing ICO what would have happened if I had not immediately turned around and jumped back to Yorda during the bridge scene. It was however a meaningless question. I would never not have jumped back.
Just binge watched this entire channel. Love it and I can’t wait for more videos!
I played it in 2005 cause I played SOTC then and I loved it and want to find anything else that Fumito UEFA and team Ico made. Ico is the only game that made me cry in the end... I have played so many years in so many years.I will never forget playing this masterpiece..Im so lucky to play this game in 2005 on ps2.Its my 3rd favourite game of all time for me. Shadow of the Colossus is great, but Ico is making you feel a lot more.The bond in this two characters is unforgettable..Games like this is made one in 30 years...Also a lot of times I come back to the ost just to feel like I am 16 years old as I was when I played it..
We need more games like this now a days
I just came across this channel and I was looking at your videos and saw this!! ICO is one of my favorite games and it deserved to be talked about so much! I subscribed :)
I had only played the Ico demo, never really got around to the full game. For The Last Guardian unfortunately I had a save file corruption about 60% through the game and I just couldn't bring myself to replay it all the way back. Good video, and great you have such fond memories of it!
Thank you so much for this video. I played the game over and over during a very hard time in my life. "You were there" still gives me goosebumps. I interpreted the ending the same as you, its soul-crushing and a beautiful story at the same time.
I'll never forget moments of panicking that I'll be leaving Yorda by herself for too long. The whole atmosphere is just.... perfect.
There is a book called "ICO: Castle in the mist" from Miyuki Miyabe, it's her own personal interpretation of the story around Ico and Yorda and a great read!!! It also has the same cover art as the game. Highly recommend it.
Oh Hell Yeah!
One of my all time favorites!
Actually still have this game, I think it was in the PS3 bundled with Shadow of the Colossus as well. I just love those types of games with all of these emotions.
I played Ico for the first time over Christmas and it was one of the most important gaming experiences of my life. I really wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. Truly a masterpiece. Also, great video! I'd love to make one myself about this game but it wouldn't fit on my channel, sadly... xD
So glad I found your channel! You've got great takes, and great delivery.
Ahhh you're too kind, thank you so much!!
I've been wanting to play this game for some time, but I don't even know where to get.
Besides being a great piece of art, the other reason why I want to play it is because I heard it inspired the creator of Dark Souls, Hidetaka Miyazaki, to make videogames
It's strange to see this being treated as a hidden masterpiece. Not criticising, it is a wonderful game. I'm just surprised because it was so popular when I was growing up. It was the most commonly played game in my age group at the time until Minecraft came out.
because zoomers bro. if their immediate friend circle doesnt know about it, or they don't see it as mainstream, its instantly some obscure game no one remembers. this game was huge for what it was. The demand for remasters of it were everywhere until the ps3 one came out. its zoomer revisionism
Glad to see this gem is still getting the attention it deserves. Great video!
Haha, I will always try to sell this game to everyone I meet! Thank you so much for watching :)
@@tangomushi this game and DMC1 are my most favorite games, especially since they were my first video games I owned as a kid 😁
@@QP9237 DMC1 is another big favourite of mine. So nostalgic. Glad to meet another appreciator of quality games!!
@@tangomushi same 😄, it’s usually hard to find people who like both at the same time considering the genre differences 😂. This was a great surprise to find someone else that can cross the genre line!!
This game looks amazing - I hope I get the chance to play it someday.
its been over 10 years since i last played through this. your video brought back so many memories of the emotions i felt playing it and its ending, which still has me in tears, and why ive considered it such a favorite of mine.
i felt the same about the ending, that its more than likely the afterlife or a dream. which just tears my heart up, its so hard to not love and want to protect yorda and fight against ico's fate. but he was truly a hero in his story, even if the outcome was tragic.
Yo! Saw this and your Night Cry video and I gotta say I really dig your channel!
That's very kind, thank you very much!!! Always a pleasure to meet more ICO fans!
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are two of my favourite games ever. I play them regularly. Would love a remake of Ico like the SotC PS4 got
how does this only have 518 views! amazing video on such a beautiful game. :)
Wow thank you so much! This video has brought in an unexpected amount of fellow ICO lovers - glad to see the fanbase is still going strong! Thank you for your kind words
Such an ICO-nic game
Just like Ico your channel is HELLA under rated
And i hope you get more subscribers and i look forward into watching new videos
I had to stop this video 15 minutes in, because now i HAVE to play ico, i don't want the rest spoiled for me 😅
I remember my cousin playing this game many years ago and it caught my attention but I totally forgot about it until I saw this video
I love this video ❤. Like i love horror. And Team Ico. (Even though the last guardian was lacking the magic imo) Eurothug brought me here. Love your content so far, a binge watching marathon is going to begin right now. XD. Got yourself a new sub.
Absolutely brilliant
I wouln't call it forgotten. PS: I like your narrative about the 2nd ending. Sad but at the same time comforting. Great work.
After SotC became my "personally close" game (experience that really affected me), I played ICO.
Words can't describe who ethereal it feels to play a Fumito Ueda game. Wanting to save a girl is a very (male) human feeling, and I held on to the R1 button (handholding button) with dear life.
This was the first game I played where I actually had to fight with myself to not go running to YT for a walkthrough.
Beautiful video! I couldn't agree more.
Ico was literally the first video game I ever played! I think I was about three or four when I watched my dad play it for the first time. I’ve always loved the game, and wish it wasn’t so overshadowed by SotC (also an amazing game to be fair). It’s not action packed, but that’s what I like about it. It’s very serene most of the time and the environments are hauntingly beautiful. I always thought the puzzles were fun and well thought out. The ending with the shadow horned children always made me so sad, but I like to think that the player is helping them move on from their horrible fate into a better afterlife. Thank you for this analysis! Was really fun to revisit one of my childhood favorites (:
After watching this video a few days ago I started playing this game for the first time and now that I have finished it, I wanted to come back to watch the spoiler part. I suppose I’m too naive and eager for happy endings, because your interpretation of the last scene didn’t even cross my mind. But I can totally see it now. How.. sad. Beautiful, but sad. Uhgg I’m glad I persevered through the graveyard part so I could experience this game and its’ story.
In spite of all the advances in a.I. , game mechanics , video resolution, graphics etc - I feel that atmospherically and artistically games reached a crescendo in the 2000s. Ico, shadow of the colossus, re4, BioShock , demon souls (just off the top of my head )
Couldn't agree more! While the triple A budgets of modern gaming have brought about so many wonderful advances, it's also arguably made gaming just as commercial as film/TV... which has its positives and negatives. Everything is trying to be the next big blockbuster. In the early 2000s, it doesn't feel like that influence had kicked in yet - devs dared to be different, and we were treated to so many artistic gems that probably wouldn't be given the time of day by most modern audiences... I feel I only ever see games like ICO in the indie gaming scene nowadays. 😥
Thank you for watching the video!!
@@tangomushi
That's a good point about indie games (in your response )
There are some gems.
I especially liked child of light.
I saw an interview with Sylvester Stallone , where he was talking about how a movie like the original Rocky just wouldn't get made today... Studios will only invest $ in (at least somewhat) proven i.p.
So we get sequel after sequel, until the brand is milked to death.
I think a lot of the good writers seem to have gone to TV.
There are exceptions, but most of the modern movies I truly enjoy are more low key artsy films.. I.e. The Green Knight
Man...this game needsa remake WITH PSVR 2 support. I mean come on, I just want to "feel" Yorda's hand while escaping that castle.
Also on ICO HD, you can understand what Yorda's language when play it for the 2nd time.
This would certainly be an interesting experience in VR - anyone with a fear of heights would have a rough time though, there are a LOT of high up spots in this game!!
Ico is literally like The Dark Crystal of video games to be honest, people love LOTR but people never look at the better fantasy The Dark Crystal series. Such a shame
Such a beautiful game! It's amazing how many unique and experimental videogames the PS2 library has!
god I loved this game. great video!
From the beginning to the end was really a surreal dream for me while playing the game, but through out the adventure its comforting at the same time Knowing that what your doing is not for you alone but also for that person and that person is there to comfort you back knowing that your not alone, they don't understand each other but they know each other needed. It is not the ending i wanted but its the ending that satisfied me atleast knowing that even though its kinda feel wasted at the end. We free and stopped whatever in the castle and able to meet each other in after life.
I don't remember why I stopped playing this game but I need to finish it soon.
I bought it a year or so after it was releasad.
It left me different than how I was before I played it. It is more than a game, it´s an experience!
Amen to that, I totally agree!
Good stuff Tangoooooooooo!
You legend! Thanks 🥰
My favorite game of all time
Nothing quite gives me chills like the ending of Ico. I completely agree that it is art and such an incredible story. Shadow of the Colossus was an incredible follow up, but Ico is an artistry all its own.
There was translation in option menu after finished the game. I don't remember on which time you finished but there was even hidden lightsaber you can find after using the ball near big tree.
Nier Relicant seems to have taken some inspiration from ICO, especially the shadow creatures.
One of my favorite games from the Ps2, and possibly ever!
I’m literally in tears.
Thank you for the careful attention and reverence you’ve paid to a relatively unknown masterpiece.
I love this game so god damn much. I own the special edition of this game. Love every second of it.
Hell yes! It really is a gem. I only have the regular version but I'd love to own the special edition one day!!
Great video for this grossly overlooked gem! Any thoughts/opinions on games like Journey, Transistor, or the Gravity Rush games?
I played the game for the first time a month ago and loved it, i think it still holds up, a little dated in some areas but it didn't bother me. I also read the book to😅 now I'm playing shadow of the colossus lol great video 💕
Awesome! I'd love to read the book myself someday, I hope you're enjoying it! Thank you for watching!!
I always loved the story of Ico, and how it manages to forge a bond between the characters and the player so masterfully with so few words.
As an aside, there's a book related to the game called Ico: Castle in the Mist by Miyuki Miyabe, where the author gives her own interpretation of the story. The majority of the book is spent fleshing out things like Ico's life before he was sent to the castle, Yorda's past before she was locked in the cage, and expanding on the lore and origin of the Horn curse and the Castle itself.
I agree with everything you said. An absolutely brilliant and breathtakingly beautiful game,
An exquisite game, exquisitely described
hey what is the name of the game at second 5 of the video (the man with an top tier drip looking the sea)??? it would be great to know it. plus, cool vid. thanks
That's the opening cutscene of Final Fantasy X - phenomenal game, highly recommend it! Thank you for watching ❤️
Me, fifteen minutes ago: oh, what's ico?
Me now: NO! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS! NOOOO
My favourite game of al....
I'm still waiting for the remake of this beautiful game. Sony is slipping not remaking this game.
Thank you so much for making this video. I've never been able to quite understand why people like this game so much, but having seen the ending now, it makes sense. I had played it back in the day, but I kinda hated how little the game communicated regarding what's going on and just running around felt kinda boring. Guess my autistic ass doesn't like unanswered questions all that much.
Hello Tangomushi!! I watched all of your videos and now the internet is a bleak and empty place. Please be advised; you rule. Have a good one.
This game didn't sell well? That's a shame. I played this game as a demo. I got a free demo disk with Shadow Of The Colossus and ICO from my local game store. I didnt have enough pocket money at the time to buy either game but I thought both were the most beautiful (graphics wise) games I'd ever seen on the Playstation. Did ICO get a remake like Shadow did?
-Edit. I just finished the video and you mentioned a demo disk! Was it the double feature demo I spoke of with Shadow on too?
If I remember correctly the demo I had was before ICO even released, so I don't believe it had SotC in it? But I could be wrong! Had no clue a demo with both games existed!
Unfortunately ICO never got a remake like SotC. It gets very much overshadowed by SotC, which is a crying shame! But even in 2022 I feel ICO plays wonderfully, I'd even just be happy with a re-release on modern platforms/Steam!
My brother had this game growing up but we never finished it. I'm glad to see someone who still remembers it. If I remember right, this was the spiritual successor to SoTC.
Perhaps a little cruel take on the ending. I would honestly just enjoy to know the creators take on the ending more than anything. I enjoy knowing what the creator wanted.
I remember seeing the box-art and game on the shelf when I went to the store, but something about the box-art being off-putting and it didn't look interesting.
I was like about what 12 at the time or something? the box art really didn't sell the game at all.
Are you referring to the American box art, or the Japanese/European box art?
Does ico have a cartoon art style
Ico is Ueda's best game. Fite me😒👍😂😂
Couldn’t agree more 😏🔥
Maybe there is no right or wrong answer to the ending of the game, But I think your answer might be the most natural
The story was beautiful however it left a bunch of us famished. To much untold. We didn't need to be spoon fed every detail but at least some loose hints on to what was happening underneath the surface. The story was so face forward & face value, which is great, it got right to the point. However it still seemed unfinished
I kick myself for not playing this game back in the day. I would pick it up every time I went to the rental place down the street from my house, and invariably put it back down. Every. Time. I'm not even sure you can find it for modern consoles or the PC now, can you?
ruclips.net/video/VlSvKVG0JYQ/видео.html All you need.
played it as a child in 2002 ish
I thought Ico was reincarnated as a horned baby no?
Hmmm, I think you may be mixing up ICO with Shadow of the Colossus perhaps?
@@tangomushi ah your right the horned baby was at the end of SOTC not ICO 😂
Please do a vid for Shadows