Occasionally a game comes along that not only transcends genres, but also steps outside the self-imposed, limited boundaries of game development to allure the fickle mainstream gamer. Ico is such a game and, while there are a few niggling problems that prevent it from being the first PS2 game to be classified as classic, it will manage to equally appeal to adventure, strategy and puzzle gamers alike.

The plot is reminiscent of one of those strange, ancient Russian tales of folklore that we remember from our childhood, but never fully understood. Ico is a twelve-year old boy sporting a set of goat horns atop his head. As determined by village custom, he must be sacrificed (Raise of hands - how many other parents have wished they could sacrifice their children before the onset of the teen years?) and thus is led to a remote castle where he is interned inside a sarcophagus. As luck would have it, a mild tremor soon crumbles portions of the castle and also frees Ico from his imprisonment. His escape route reveals Yorda, another unfortunate prisoner imprisoned in a giant birdcage. Yorda is an ethereal young girl - whiter than sliced bread and paler than Casper the Ghost. She also seems to be party to the Calista Flockhart/Courtney Cox non-epicurean lifestyle.

Ico now takes it upon his horny head to lead not only himself, but also his newfound friend to freedom. As is soon revealed, his choice was wise as portions of the crumbling castle are sealed off by magical barriers that can only be opened by Yorda. Since every good game or story must have an opponent so too does Ico, but in this case it is the castle; a rambling, sprawling, larger-than-life structure in which every dark corner and crumbling ledge must be explored and conquered. Oh sure, there are the usual monsters that are prevalent in every console game since the beginning of time (when will the dunderheads who develop console games realize that killing or fighting does not have to be an option), but in this case they are usually so easy to be as to be negligible: shadowy-like beings (and later in the game ghouls and spiders); easily disposed by a few swings of your stick or sword and who always appear at the most inopportune times. Since they are so easily defeated, it begs the question as to why bother with such simplified combat and of course the answer is, as always, God forbid a console game exist solely based on puzzles.

Yorda is - and I really don't want to give away anything from what is already a paper-thin plot - slightly taller than Ico and seems to be very demure. She is also easily startled and non-aggressive. Now, while being non-aggressive can be a virtue, especially in the world of console gaming where violence seems to be the end-all to everything, Yorda's refusal to lift even a finger in her defense even while being attacked by hoards of shadow warriors eventually becomes not only frustrating but also shatters our suspension of disbelief. For while Ico is doing his best to beat off the shadow men what does Yorda do? Oh, she lays on the ground in submission or, even worse, she will just wander away allowing herself to be captured and dragged down a shadowy hole thus requiring the player to start all over again from the point of the last save. Just as bad is Yorda's refusal to do anything of her own accord. If you want her to follow Ico through a doorway, you must almost always literally drag her through by her hand. Other times she simply will not follow unless you first call to her. While this was a wonderful touch early in the game, by mid-game it had become intrusive and annoying. Any character growth at all, especially given the circumstances, would not only have been embraced but could also have elevated Ico to classic status.

But for all my misanthropic mumblings, it is also these small touches that elevate Ico above other games. Ico and Yorda's personalities are defined through their movement and body language as is the eventual fondness they develop for each other. At times they will even speak to each other, but as neither understands the other's language (nor do we) they learn to communicate via hand expressions and eye contact. They are easily two of the more memorable characters in gaming history.

The puzzles are your standard push a box, shimmy up a chain, jump across a chasm variety, but they are so ingeniously placed as to seem fresh to even the most jaded gamer. Much of this can be attributed to the feeling of discovery you experience along with Ico while exploring the castle ruins. This is a castle that never has and never will exist except in our minds and for that reason it is the perfect fantasy structure. Sunlight speckled with motes of dust stream through cracked stained glass windows. Waterfalls and drawbridges and windmills all seem as natural in this environment as a walk through your local park. It is a perfectly imagined world where gazing out a tower window provides a whimsical vista that evokes memories of every fantasy movie you have ever seen or every book you have read. Yet, you never once think, "This reminds me of Lord of the Rings or this reminds me of the movie Legend," for every area of Ico fits together as natural as a jigsaw puzzle and, to be trite, the whole is the sum of all the parts.

Looking back at my earlier complaints concerning the lack of character development, was I a little harsh in my judgment? Probably. But, when a game is so close to perfection it is frustrating to watch it temporarily falter because of some perverse loyalty console developers have to conventions such as fighting and killing. Still, Ico is easily the most addictive game I have played this year on either console or computer and would be a welcome addition to any adventure gamer's collection.

Final Grade Ico - A.

If you liked Ico then:
Play: Prince of Persia 3D
Read: Grimm's Fairy Tales
Watch: Legend