Ico and Shadow of the Colossus: A Fresh Perspective
by xSPOCKx, HSM guest contributor
Ten years have passed since the release of Ico. Shadow of the Colossus was the follow up to that unforgettable game. I am among the many that had missed out on the opportunity to play through these legends on their first run, but have been privileged to the re-mastered collection in HD. I played the games through fresh eyes, but not a fresh mindset. I had read and heard about the game for over a decade, and had seen friends playing it before. When the re-masters were released I was compelled to try them out.
The first thing that struck me about these games is how quickly we forget and can become spoiled. Technology changes dramatically in such a short amount of time. Yet, as soon as a new device or software comes out, we are rarely ever awed. We often see it as expected or anticipated, like something we have been waiting for that we finally get. It doesn’t take long before we are used to it, and we forget how refined it may be.
When playing, at first I was struck by how difficult and limited the motion control seemed. I am so used to game engines being so fluid now, and the camera controls being much improved from the last generation of consoles, that it was a bit of a culture shock to return to an old system of character motion. Trying to move the characters around was arduous at first, and the camera was frustrating as well. No matter how much I moved the camera to look around, I had a limited range of motion that would automatically return to its previous position. Riding the horse in Shadow of the Colossus didn’t feel realistic or fluid enough. It took some time get used to the controls of the game.
Once I got past the technical limitations, I decided to restart the game. I tried again from the beginning, without my expectations of motion or camera control. Even in HD I had to remember that it was a classic PS2 title, and forgive the lapse in quality I am used to from more modern games. I was still struck however by the beauty of the design. I felt oddly cheated for having missed this experience the first time around in the PlayStation 2. I felt I would have been completely awed back then, had I given it a chance. What struck me next was how captivating the story was, and it seems rather unfair to judge the two as a whole when they are completely different. So I will critique each one individually as a whole rather than as a unit.
Ico
A princess trapped in a castle again. This may seem like a cliché of a video game plot, but Ico differs dramatically from all of them. There is something endearing about this boy’s plight. We begin with the boy in custody, taken to this giant castle to be imprisoned and sacrificed because he was born with horns. He is being placed in a giant totem mask where he is basically left to die. By chance he frees himself from this prison, and he sees a shadow being in a giant birdcage suspended from the ceiling. He is grabbed by another shadow creature and sucked into the shadow world. He awakens and as you fumble your way around, you find the cage again but this time it is not a shadow being, but a glowing vision of a girl, Yorda – the quintessential damsel in distress.
The game could have been translated into English, but I am grateful that it was not. The foreign language and subtitles add an element of authenticity to their universe, and voice acting would not have done it justice. The story unfolds little by little, but you learn that children born with horns are brought to this place to be sacrificed for the safety of the village. The spirit of the boy engulfs you; despite his ordeal he takes it upon himself to help Yorda out of her own prison. It is further developed as you are quickly attacked by shadow beings that want to kidnap the girl, and armed only with a stick and an indelible spirit, he fends them off. It seems unreal at first that you would fight off these seemingly powerful creatures that manifest portals in the ground, and some can even fly – and in cases are intimidating and large – yet the boy can fend them off with only a stick and determination because it takes a while sometimes to defeat them.
Rescuing the princess is not the same as in other games with similar plots, because unlike those games, this princess can at times be an ally and an obstacle herself. The entire purpose is to help her escape, so even though you can always find a way around by climbing or jumping, she always needs your help to go from one level to another, but you also need her because only she can open doors along the way. The game is challenging because you can not stray away from her for too long before more shadow beings appear and attempt to kidnap her again. At times though, it is necessary to leave her behind as you explore ahead and it becomes urgent to return to her before it is too late.
There is a constant threat of a shadow being siege, but the greatest challenge is solving the puzzle of how to escape an area. I found myself getting frustrated at times when I couldn’t find an immediate way out but whenever I was lost, Yorda would point to a clue. Often – sometimes too often it was necessary – to literally pull her by the hand, and at times her head shaking protests were just enough to let you know you weren’t doing something right. She quickly becomes an ally and a frustration, but as she is the purpose of the game it also made it challenging. The game is beautiful in design. It is massive although it doesn’t at first appear to be, but after exploring level after level, you quickly realize how enormous the castle really is.
Shadow of the Colossus
Ico was a beautiful, challenging puzzle adventure that tested your mind, patience, and problem solving abilities. Shadow of the Colossus, on the other hand, is gorgeous.
There is a simple brilliance to the game that is full of challenges and makes it unforgettable. While games where the protagonist fights a giant creature have been done for a long time since the 8-bit era, SotC took it to another level. Challenging you to first find the lair of the guardian, and then figure out how to get to the weak spots to bring it down. This may sound easy but it was deceptively complex.
The story was intriguing in that the protagonist, the Wanderer, was not so much a hero, but led by a purely selfish quest. The Wanderer is on a quest to resurrect the girl Mono whom was sacrificed for being deemed an omen, and an entity in the ancient temple within a forbidden land instructs the Wanderer to destroy sixteen guardians (the titular Colossi) in order to save the girl. The companion horse Agro made it a touching story, as the absolute loyalty of the horse was captivating; programmed to be or not, the absolute loyalty of an animal is always touching. Even when facing a Colossus your horse would respond to your calls – edging all too closely to the danger of the boss’ attack.
The game was still difficult to maneuver around in with the limited engine on which it runs. Controlling both the Wanderer and Agro took some time to get used to, though some similarities remained from controls in Ico. Camera controls were still difficult, particularly when trying to see the Colossus while trying to fight it. The Colossi were levels of their own once you began to climb on them, some making the task incredibly difficult by shaking uncontrollably trying to loosen you, or burrowing under sand, earth, or water; a few would even fly through the air. The strength of the character was always a factor to consider as you could not hold on indefinitely. There were limits to your strength even as you leveled up.
The feel of the game as you reached a Colossus’ lair changed, from one of exploratory to one of true peril. They were always intimidating, even if I knew how to defeat them. As enormous as they are they were never aggressively hostile, the Colossus defended themselves, but didn’t always actively pursued you, with a few exceptions of some that actively fired at you.
The game was expansive, the world unique and beautifully captured the feel of an ancient and mythological place. As much as I enjoyed exploring the world, it felt oddly empty. Unless you found a lair of the Colossus, you never encountered anything that threatened you in such an expansive world. Other than the odd bird flying about or crawling lizard, there were no other creatures at all. At first I found it rather limited; I wanted to encounter other animals and have to fight off things along the way, but as you finish one giant boss after another, I found the game challenging enough as it stands. Any other adversaries would have just been busy work on your way to the main battles.
Both these games were hauntingly beautiful, and unforgettable. They left something behind in the unfolding stories and experience that kept you wanting more. They left you with a memory that demanded you return to the journey almost as soon as you finished. Control and camera issues aside, you adapted to those limitations to relive that adventure.
The two stories are tied together, at least interpretively. The end of one seems to tie into the beginning of the other. Though both can stand alone, and one is not necessarily a sequel to the other, they both left the mark of an ambitious journey that even in an HD re-master shows just how much it pushed the limits of the technology of ten years ago. It is striking now even with the extraordinary technology with which we are so spoiled and from which we expect so much.
Although I have read and heard of the anticipated title The Last Guardian from the same developers, I never felt the expectancy that other fans have. After playing these two titles though, I can see why they are unforgettable and why they are so beloved, and can share in the anticipation of that future title. The previews show a glimpse of a similar world, as well as scope, mixing elements of the two in a way. The cooperative efforts of your protagonist and his companion, in this case a giant mythical feathered creature that works with you, and is as loyal as Agro.
JapanStudios’ Team Ico has clearly shown how well they can adapt an ambitious concept and push the limits of the technology they have to work with. As much as we expect from PlayStation 3 and Team Ico, it leaves us wondering and anxious to see what they can present us with – The Last Guardian. I simply cannot wait.
October 24th, 2011 by xSPOCKx | 2 comments
I have to say that these games sound very interesting and unique. You did a great job of covering them Spock.
two masterchiefs, than, i hope, will be “sublimed” by the powerfull of the ps3!
this year i only buy Uncharted3,the remakes of ico & silent hills!