if theres one thing to take away from ico, its that it accomplishes a lot with very little.
its clear ico was designed to be as immersive as possible. this manifests as an absence of any non-diagetic elements such as an onscreen hud, button prompts, and music. to counteract the lack of a display, interactable elements are always visually consistent. boxes, levers, chains, and climbable ledges straddle the line between standing out enough to be immediately obvious while also fitting well into the overall aesthetic of the area.
the world of ico feels real in the sense that nothing about the areas looks like it was specifically designed for the player to traverse. everything about the castle looks functional and its only the degradation of it that presents the challenge of moving forward.
interiors are often large and empty, with pulled back camera angles and unsettling ambient noise. in contrast, the outside is sunlit with gentle breezes and signs of life, and its only in these areas will the player find spots to rest and save their game. this serves to align the players motivation with ico and yordas motivations of escaping the castle into the green forest thats constantly teased in the distance. this is taken even further during one of the final areas when the environment suddenly becomes metallic, harsh and unwelcoming, representing the urgency of the current situation.
ico is also a masterclass of environmental storytelling. the ending recontextualizes everything about the environment that the player has seen up until that point, eliciting a profound feeling of melancholy that other games could only ever hope to come close to.
if youve ever played either god of war 2018 or ragnarok, you would know that jumping onto a wall or into a boat causes atreus to immediately be right there behind you. its clear that your companion is teleporting all over the place for the sake of the players convenience. compare this to yorda in ico and the difference is obvious. the player has to wait for yorda to physically move between locations. she wanders off on her own sometimes. it feels like shes a real person bound by the rules of the world in the same way the player is, not only furthering the sense of immersion but also the connection the player feels between the two.
it feels as though the game was created with a distinct goal in mind: immerse the player into the world and make them feel a connection between themselves and yorda. any element or mechanic that didnt directly contribute to this goal was ultimately cut, resulting in one of the most focused and flawless experiences ever seen in gaming.
theres not much more i can say about the genius of this game without spoiling it. if youre a game developer or at all interested in game design it would be irresponsible not to play ico.
its clear ico was designed to be as immersive as possible. this manifests as an absence of any non-diagetic elements such as an onscreen hud, button prompts, and music. to counteract the lack of a display, interactable elements are always visually consistent. boxes, levers, chains, and climbable ledges straddle the line between standing out enough to be immediately obvious while also fitting well into the overall aesthetic of the area.
the world of ico feels real in the sense that nothing about the areas looks like it was specifically designed for the player to traverse. everything about the castle looks functional and its only the degradation of it that presents the challenge of moving forward.
interiors are often large and empty, with pulled back camera angles and unsettling ambient noise. in contrast, the outside is sunlit with gentle breezes and signs of life, and its only in these areas will the player find spots to rest and save their game. this serves to align the players motivation with ico and yordas motivations of escaping the castle into the green forest thats constantly teased in the distance. this is taken even further during one of the final areas when the environment suddenly becomes metallic, harsh and unwelcoming, representing the urgency of the current situation.
ico is also a masterclass of environmental storytelling. the ending recontextualizes everything about the environment that the player has seen up until that point, eliciting a profound feeling of melancholy that other games could only ever hope to come close to.
if youve ever played either god of war 2018 or ragnarok, you would know that jumping onto a wall or into a boat causes atreus to immediately be right there behind you. its clear that your companion is teleporting all over the place for the sake of the players convenience. compare this to yorda in ico and the difference is obvious. the player has to wait for yorda to physically move between locations. she wanders off on her own sometimes. it feels like shes a real person bound by the rules of the world in the same way the player is, not only furthering the sense of immersion but also the connection the player feels between the two.
it feels as though the game was created with a distinct goal in mind: immerse the player into the world and make them feel a connection between themselves and yorda. any element or mechanic that didnt directly contribute to this goal was ultimately cut, resulting in one of the most focused and flawless experiences ever seen in gaming.
theres not much more i can say about the genius of this game without spoiling it. if youre a game developer or at all interested in game design it would be irresponsible not to play ico.