Ico & Shadow of the Colossus

Ico

Praised for apparently it’s design and atmosphere, ICO is the first title of Team ICO exclusively for Sony. I was able to lend the HD version and the other title bundled together. It’s a very minor adventure for me. The puzzles and navigating Yorda around were fine, the controls could had been better though.

As for the scenery, I suppose it had some kind of tranquility going on apart from the shadow creatures wanting to take Yorda away. The story is deliberately slim, not much can be said about Ico, Yorda or the Queen. Henceforth, some people call this game artistic. 

Anyhow, I don’t agree with it being one of the best games ever, but it surely is recommendable for puzzle and adventure fans who prefer to have peaceful moments most of the time. I think the most interesting thing that happened for me during the game is Ico losing his horns.

Rating: 6.6

Shadow of the Colossus 

Much appreciated effort for designing something that isn’t ordinarily seen in video games. Shadow of the Colossus is a spiritual successor towards Ico, but it is also a prequel. Your goal is to slay the 16 colossi in order to finish the ritual.

Since there are no normal enemies to fight, nor is their interaction from fellow humans, it felt empty, but for this game, that emptiness was made up with a vast mystifying landscape and of course impressive boss designs.

The colossi were intimidating at first, but once you know their behavior patterns and the locations of their weak spots, overcoming them is only 1/3 of the challenge. You see, they have their attacks, but they also have their bodies to swipe you around and if possible, throw you off balance as well.

Seeing as this is a boss marathon game, I was reminded of titles such as Alien Soldier for the Sega Genesis. The similarities aren’t that much, but it’s nice to see a 3D game such as Shadow of the Colossus giving this sub-genre a new approach. 

Grand heroic songs accompany the battles that at times can be called epic, mostly because of the size differences between the protagonist and the colossi. Your horse is also an elegant partner for traveling and for some fights.

The ending wasn’t that terrific, but I did acknowledge the connection with the two games. What bothered me more though is that although the controls work, sometimes I struggled with the way to smooth the camera work and getting some of the climbing jumps right.

Rating: 7.7