Children of Llullaillaco were three Inca kids found in the Northernmost part of my Country. They were human sacrifices that took place in a religious ceremony at the top of a cold mountain, were they were buried alive.
One of these children was a high-born lady, destined from birth to become a sacrifice for the gods.
The other was a random kid they found in the streets of the Empire, while the lady was well dressed and clean, the boy was blindfolded, wore rugged clothes and fought nails and teeth to save his life.
The vivid mummies of Llullaillaco are one of the most well preserved of all times, they don't look dead or ancient. They are just sleeping children.
While I was playing this game I found small parallels between these stories. In my head it felt like the boy (who looks just like the mummy) was given one last chance to save his life and that of the Maiden. The desperate running, the way he swung his sword not as a skilled swordsman, but as a kid trying to fend off something he doesn't quite understand. It felt personal, yet distant. Like the events of Llullaillaco only happened a mere 500 years ago, right were I live.
The tale of Ico unequivocally places the player on the shoes of a kid; He runs like a kid, fights like a kid, jumps as a kid and even sits as one. Every mechanic is built in service of this: The combat is simple, doesn't have a Health bar cause' it doesn't need to. The tight jumps where you need to catch the maiden, where you are at the edge of your seat waiting for your joystick to just slightly vibrate is executed masterfully.
This 20 year old game creates an immersive and rich experience, polished by the subtle art of subtraction. Ico tells the story that those kids never had. I'm not sure if Fumito Ueda was inspired by the Childrens of Llullaillaco, but his team manages to tell a tale where for about six hours-
You were there.
One of these children was a high-born lady, destined from birth to become a sacrifice for the gods.
The other was a random kid they found in the streets of the Empire, while the lady was well dressed and clean, the boy was blindfolded, wore rugged clothes and fought nails and teeth to save his life.
The vivid mummies of Llullaillaco are one of the most well preserved of all times, they don't look dead or ancient. They are just sleeping children.
While I was playing this game I found small parallels between these stories. In my head it felt like the boy (who looks just like the mummy) was given one last chance to save his life and that of the Maiden. The desperate running, the way he swung his sword not as a skilled swordsman, but as a kid trying to fend off something he doesn't quite understand. It felt personal, yet distant. Like the events of Llullaillaco only happened a mere 500 years ago, right were I live.
The tale of Ico unequivocally places the player on the shoes of a kid; He runs like a kid, fights like a kid, jumps as a kid and even sits as one. Every mechanic is built in service of this: The combat is simple, doesn't have a Health bar cause' it doesn't need to. The tight jumps where you need to catch the maiden, where you are at the edge of your seat waiting for your joystick to just slightly vibrate is executed masterfully.
This 20 year old game creates an immersive and rich experience, polished by the subtle art of subtraction. Ico tells the story that those kids never had. I'm not sure if Fumito Ueda was inspired by the Childrens of Llullaillaco, but his team manages to tell a tale where for about six hours-
You were there.