Stepping out of my comfort zone is not always something I enjoy doing. I am more inclined to play games that are familiar to me such as Fallout rather than exploring wider possibilities from various genres. This is due to my fear of starting a game and then not finishing it. You see, I am a perfectionist. Within Far Cry 4 I had to collect EVERYTHING. Fallout is much the same and so the thought of starting a new game fills me with an insatiable dread in case I don’t enjoy the game and move on without gaining 100%.
BUT…
Not too long ago I was given Ico which is deemed, along with Shadow of Colossus, to be one of the best games ever made. It took me a long time to really pick the game up and give it a shot due to my fear that my motivation would falter. However, after looking intently at my games collection trying to find something kick ass to play; I picked up Ico and curled under my duvet so whatever was going to come my way could be unleashed.
Although not a long way into the game I have already fallen in love. The relationship between Ico and Yorda is one of the most charming I have ever seen and has kept me very much excited to continue. I know its cliché, and I pride myself on being different from the ‘norm’, but the most hooking thing about this game is their relationship. When I found out you could hold her hand and guide her through the environment well… my heart melted. I find I’m placing myself in Ico’s position entirely and even I become protective over Yorda (and I’m pretty much a misanthropist). This leads me to feel very panicked when Yorda is being dragged through the floor by the shadow creatures and I am constantly striving to keep her safe for Ico’s sake and even for my own.
The emotional attachment to the characters is only heightened by Ico’s character development. His quiet and timid nature makes his bravery and courage in looking after Yorda even more touching. He comes out of his inner shell to save her in the presence of enemies he has never seen before and doesn’t even have an understanding of. It reminds me of the relationship between Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us. Joel has a very harsh personality at first and due to the loss of Sarah he closes himself up to any new relationships. His fear of taking on more responsibility and not being able to protect Ellie like he was unable to protect Sarah swallows him. Yet as the story unwinds he becomes a fatherly figure and makes Ellie his main priority therefore making it one of the most captivating relationships in gaming (it even beats every relationship I have in reality). Ico reminds me of my boyfriend. When I first met him he was shy and we didn’t really talk at all. Yet, he became very bold with me; even organising an entire dinner just for me bearing in mind we hadn’t been friends for long. When someone pushes past their fear just for you it makes you fall in love with them so much more. Ico’s willingness to put himself in positions of danger for a mysterious girl whom he cannot fully comprehend is heart warming. The puzzle-based story line encourages team work and pushes Ico to take on a leadership role as he helps Yorda, who isn’t given much movement or many actions and therefore has to be guided. Using the puzzles, Ico is given the responsibility of finding a separate path for Yorda enabling her to escape the clutches of her demons and enabling him to find himself.
The atmosphere of Ico has me placed in a completely different realm which I adore. One of the reasons I enjoy gaming is because it takes me out of my regular dull existence and places me into worlds I could only ever dream of. As a player I feel like I’ve been engulfed into the game and all these aspects add up into one of the most amazing games I have played. I am definitely excited to see how the story unfolds and how the characters develop. Loving or hating the characters you play as, play against or interact with is a massively important part of gaming and although action, fighting and general game play engages an audience; the relationship between a player and the characters is the reason wekeep coming back for more. Humans have a tendency of being able to create an emotional response better using pixels than they can applying the same principle to real life. Maybe I’m just a tad jealous.
If you haven’t played Ico before I beg of you give it a chance. I am very happy I did.
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