Ico Retrospective

[@ChristopherRoss.]

One thing I noticed about the game was a VERY subtle hint system; this came to mind when you mentioned that the developers will never directly tell you what to do. A couple of times when I got stuck on the puzzles, I did what I normally do: stop and think. It was then that I noticed that Yorda would turn and stare at something, and kind of fidget. After a while she would make a sound an point to something. It was Yorda alerting Ico to the next step in the puzzle. If there was a lever I couldn't find, Yorda would point me in its general direction, for example. I thought that this was ingenious, particularly from a game design perspective. This cemented all the more, how much care and attention and passion went into the core design of the game.

[@chazzergamer]

You bring up one of my favourite aspects of the game but forget one important detail. Yorda doesn't outright find the next objective and point to it, she kinda wonders around, studies the area then alerts the player. Its all a way to get Yorda to feel like a companion who is actively seeking the next objective just as the player is. She doesn't immediately know the solution but will come to it naturally just like anyone would, all within the limitations of both characters not speaking the same language.

[@doublebassman123]

I noticed something about Yorda that makes her really innovative as an element of interactive storytelling. Yorda is almost never used as just a puzzle solution. A good example of the opposite use of a friend character would be the Zora Princess from OoT, she acts as less of a companion and more of a weighted object to push buttons down, which is fine but the what they use Yorda is much more clever. Yorda is only used a few times in the whole game to stand on a contraption to move it but the majority of all the puzzles involving Yorda consists of you using the environment to get her from one place to another instead of using her to get from one place to another. This imo makes her feel like less of a tool and more of a person and frees her up to interact with you and the environment in more meaningful ways than being just a prop in a puzzle. And even her main use as the magic door opener makes her feel more valuable as a partner as well because she is the only one who can do that.

[@erikhumphrey2653]

I beat the game

[@HardDiskDog]

this feature was actually removed from the NA ps2 version

[@PotrzebieConolly]

@@HardDiskDog Well, my understanding was that the NA version came out early, so it wasn't actually removed from that game - it was added to all the other, later, releases. And even then there were instances where Yorda does show the way. After the first time we meet the queen by the gates, I saved. When I resumed Yorda got up and walked directly over to one of the posts. Following her I figured out that the posts could be pushed.

[@Yoxiv]

Actually, Yorda's birdcage does seem to have a purpose. If you look near the switch, there's a large metal shutter, just big enough for the cage to go through. And if you look up near the ceiling of the Queen's throne room at the end, you can see the same kind of shutter door. It's fair to assume that the Queen was bidding her time until she was ready to swap bodies with Yorda, and then move the cage into the throne room. Ico just happened to mess up that plan. That was really one of the coolest things about the game, how the castle's layout was consistent. No area was disproportionate from what you saw of it from the outside going in, or vice versa. If they could do a full on remake, I'd imagine having seamless transition from one area to the next (like in most open world games) would be something they'd try to do. Considering how the upcoming Last Guardian appears to be borrowing from Ico's "locked in a fortress/castle" setting, I can bet we'll see that some kind of design where, even hours after passing through an area, we'll see it from a vantage point and go "wow, so this is that ledge I glanced at earlier"

[@NickJerrison]

Almost a decade old comment, but someone tried porting the entire castle to Unity and merging it into one big seamless area to explore. It is absolutely astonishing to fly around and realize just how much everything is connected. It was one of the biggest highlights of the game to me too, the castle was as big a character as Ico and Yorda.

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

Well we don't know WHAT the Queen was going to do with Yorda at all, the cage that Yorda could have been sent to the queen's throne room, yeah sure, but that doesn't mean that the queen wants to "Swap bodies" with the girl at all. We don't know WHAT the queen was going to do.

[@Yoxiv]

@@Gadget-Walkmen But we do, the Queen quite literally says that her goal was to use Yorda in order to be reborn in a new vessel, as her original body was nearing its end. She says this just before the boss fight in the throne room.

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

@@Yoxiv I gotta go check that scene out again because looks like I forgot what she said if that is what she said.

[@The_Ninja_Tree]

It is strange all three games have a protagonist trapped somewhere unfamiliar. That's gotta mean something even if Wanda did it to himself.

[@garomastervideos]

17:09 I didn't know Yorda was more prone to falling over after opening the castle gates until I watched this video. At this point, she seemed especially drained, so I felt it was better to just walk with her in this part. The in-game character animations do a great job at communicating the state of the characters and giving them more life. The fact that the impression of Yorda's frailty in this moment is actually something that affects gameplay, and not just a wrong impression or visual flourish, made me appreciate this game more.

[@severalgecko]

I think the part when you realise that the shadows are other prisoned children is work of genius and it is handled in such a way that is completely unique to video-games. It was one of the moments that really made me think of games as art.

[@jamesh7411]

More than 18 years later... ICO is still one of the best gaming experiences I've had.

[@peelsreklaw]

The atmosphere and gigantic architecture of Dark Souls 1 reminds me so much of ICO.

[@Bobsss64]

+peelsreklaw ''it's like Dark Souls''

[@loudrockacdc]

Ico is a souls-like :^)

[@marcbraun5342]

You're not wrong, Ico was a main inspiration for a lot of games after that. One of the Designers was Mijazaki, who said somehting like Ico showed him the possibilities of the medium. And you could see that in so many ways. Astetically just look at the Boletarian Palace in Demon's Souls, the textures, the structure, even the lighting. The level design, where you have to open up a place, those closing circles, the minimalistic way of storytelling, even the fairly grounded actions you perform for a fantasy game. A green lighting magic sword inclusive! The Souls-games wouldn't be the same without Ico and just think what influence these games now have!

[@marcbraun5342]

@Shaman Xeed Ico is my favorite game of all time, even one of the main reasons I studied game development, so you are right but you don't have to tell me that. And just so you know, I don't like the the first Dark Souls either, that's why I wrote about the much better Demon's Souls [...Boletarian Palace in Demon's Souls...] and Mijazaki actually said that through Ico he saw the possibilities of the medium and brought him to delelop games.

[@IanZWhite00]

Shin Shaman Dark souls’ influence on gaming’s bred a lot of garbage, but the games themselves are nothing but phenomenal works of art, to the point that I feel silly even feeling the need to defend them here. Good games can cause bad trends, by virtue of being so uniquely good at what they do that they’re near-impossible to imitate effectively, at least within the same generation.

[@DouchebagChocolat]

Hell yes, this was perfect.

[@Techn0taku]

DouchebagChocolat Oh wow,,,, Ch-CHOCOLAT?!?!

[@quintenweits7694]

D...demo senpai..? Hmmm sugoi (＞人＜;)

[@TheREDBahamut]

so then dance, music and theatre are not art?

[@TheREDBahamut]

dwarfplayer so why do you not consider games as an art when it covers the definition of art and the criteria that music/fine arts/theatre follow. What you're saying would also apply to movies not being art which would heavily contradict you agreeing that theatre is art since movie making is just a contemporary evolution of theatre.

[@Grubiantoll]

IS it an argument- ''if something is entertainment it's not art'', which would basicaly be a statement that strikes out all films from art catagory, and all of the music out of art, and almoust all of the books, and sort of all the stories , all the meta stories,fairy tales (this includes bible and other religious texts), and most of paintings, which would hardly leave anything for us to call art, and definitely non of the performance art is art, because will its entertainment aswell

[@littlekitsune1]

As ultimately simplistic as the combat is, I think it deserves more appreciation than it gets. The enemy AI is actually rather good at getting you away from Yorda. They will bounce backward if you're obviously going to attack them, which can bait you enough distance for another shadow to grab her. I find that the best strategy is to turn my back to an enemy giving me trouble, which always prompts them to move in to try to knock you down. This shows they are actively opportunistic about catching you off-guard to get you out of the way so that they are free to grab Yorda. Simplistic combat, yes. A pretty good awareness of enemy management and AI for the time? Also yes.

[@thomasscott6146]

Its also nice to point out Ico isnt a warrior hes a child either early or preteen and i like the attention to him only having basic swing ability with swords too heavy for him. (Ik im late but i finally played the game and just want to appreciate it with others lol)

[@littlekitsune1]

@@thomasscott6146 No prob! Always glad to see people loving this game!

[@Crooked_Mantis]

Goading the shadows in that way is my favorite thing to do, and it’s also one of the only ways you’ll get to see a hidden feature of combat: The Parry. Yes, Ico can parry attacks, with any weapon. No, it is never stated he can do this in the English manual. But basically, if a Shadow begins to attack you from behind and you quickly turn to face it while holding O or just standing still, the attack will collide with your raised stick and neither of you will fall over. This is easiest to test with the early fights, where there’s only one Shadow to interact with. I think this only works in this instance because the Shadows are programmed to be smarter than to attack you from the front when you’re standing still, because that’s an easy parry. You can also sometimes parry if you and a shadow attack each other on the same frame, though this is much harder to test. Combat is way more complicated but even American localization teams had no idea.

[@littlekitsune1]

@@Crooked_Mantis That's a cool factoid! I've been doing it, but I never knew it was an actual parry.

[@dalgusmaximus4557]

I thought the combat was way more engaging than most games Ive played tbh.

[@ramasamystudios4101]

It's 2023 and I still love playing this on my PS2...

[@John_Locke_108]

This game blew my mind the first time I played it. No game has ever come close to making me feel what I felt playing Ico.

[@freneticgamer4174]

Thank you for uploading HIGH QUALITY reviews. You are fair and you even go so far as to point out the flaws in things that you love. The gaming industry really needs more reviewers like you. You analyze different views and subjects coming to your own well rounded and educated conclusion. I am glad to have found your channel and I hope that you continue to make videos. My one little critique is to sound less like you are reading off a script (still the quality is so good that it doesn't matter).

[@HardDiskDog]

sounding like you're reading off a script is called a video essay

[@JJJackson777]

just been scouring through the top search results for Ico review, & i don't need to look any further now. as an english lad i'd much rather listen to a crackin irish accent than a whiney smiley american talk about a game that has genuine sentimental value to me - my mam used to work in Choices (blockbuster before blockbuster) lots of VHS, lots of 5th and 6th gen of gaming, some DVD's. as things were in the early 2000's. Remember playing Ico with her at a very young age & loved the world it created. funnily enough we rented shadow of the colossus shortly after completing Ico, found it way too hard and ambiguous and never finished it before returning it's a bit mad really, when silly things like games stay in your mind nearly 20 years later & become warm & fond abstract memories

[@mrreyes5004]

19:55 "After all, it's hard to think of a concept more simple or effective than a boy and a girl holding hands." Little Nightmares 2's Six & Mono: *_Hold RT to hold hands._*

[@aleks19971997]

Ok, so, I know that you'll probably wont read this comment but I just have to say:You have to be the best game reviewer/analysis In the history of KZbin.I can't even start explaining how hard it is to write reviews like you do. You manage to get all your points acrossed in a simple yet sometimes witty manner that I utterly adore and respect, writing all your points in a well systematic order is something many reviewers don't do well. Many reviewers often just tell everything they can randomly without any thought behind it. You address your problems unlike any other: You don't just showcase general points. Many other people would present a certain topic and then break it down. You, however, do the opposite- You take few broke down points and create a general point with the pieces. This create a sense of following a story rather than listening to someone's rant. My last point, is how well you are able to make all your videos to sound and look objective while clearly having an opinion about it.I really appreciate your work and effort and I cant thank you enough for all the videos you made in the last couple years.

[@hiimmeurnot]

I completely agree, I did a search for an Ico review, and when I saw that this one was by Matthewmatosis, I was very excited. Keep up the awesome work Matt :)

[@Parris360XP]

Completely agreed. I just spent the last day and a half watching all of his content. An unparalleled reviewer in my opinion. I wish he could review every [good] game honestly just so I could hear an honest and well thought out opinion on so many things in gaming as a whole. However that's extremely selfish to ask of someone and I'm sure Matthew is doing important things in life at the moment.

[@remembertotakeshowerspleas355]

+Hiddenforever69 If you like this style of review/analysis that I highly recommend checking Joseph Anderson's channel. He basically reviews games in the same way as this guy. He's also the most like Matthewmatosis. Other channels like this include: Super Bunnyhop. His reviews are shorter and less thorough than these and he's more of a journalist, but he talks about similar games and his videos are just as well written and witty as these. Errant signal. He's more like bunnyhop and he tends to use videogames as a jumping off point for more complicated topics, but if you're into intelligent discussion regarding this medium than you'll probably like his stuff. Noah Caldwell Gervais. More like errant signal that anyone else I've mentioned and his videos are long as shit. He tends to focus more on western rpgs. Mark Brown/Game makers toolkit. Underrated channel that goes into insane depth on video game design. Worth checking out if you're into that stuff.

[@crono3015]

I prefer SomeCallmeJohnny. His reviews are also honest. Honestly, I'll take his MGS and Zelda reviews over Matthew's.

[@intheairex]

pttoau Weldezion After watching some of Joseph Anderson's videos, I've always felt that the somewhat extreme length hurts the quality of them. There has to be some mental roadblock when writing, recording, and editing a 2 hour video every month, and it's made some of the points he's brought up in his videos feel somewhat repetitive and contrived.

[@vopop30]

I really love Ico's jump animation. To me it looks like something is pushing him further up in the air than what he was expecting. Great video by the way. I'm always excited to see someone give their thoughts and interpretations on the story and characters. This game needs more love these days.

[@JonDaye07]

There's a book written by Miyuki Miyabe called Ico: Castle in the Mist which is based on the game. She was given creative freedom by the creators for it. The book isn't canon, but I enjoyed her view and expansion on the story.

[@freejrs]

He does mention it in the video but yes I also enjoyed it for what it is. Seems a lot of people dislike it.

[@joshuazastrow9881]

I'm glad I found this channel. You are an excellent critic of video-games. You should unquestionably be hired by someone somewhere in a capacity that puts you in charge of game creation direction. Your ability to describe the loves and grievances I've felt with each aspect of a particular game is more accurate than my own. That is intense. Keep it up man, love your work.

[@Crowbar]

I had the Shadow of Colossus HD collection for a very long time, but only played SotC, never touched Ico. This week I finally played Ico, after many years, and I'm so glad that I did. Inspiring game.

[@gilgamesh310]

The level design in this game feels the most natural of any game, outside of the Souls series. The location itself is one of the best things about the game.

[@glossedghost]

Look at all of you who were here all those years ago and especially look at Matthew who was also there to put so gracefully to words our feelings about these games when we couldn't. The environmental inspiration for the Souls series, even without prior knowledge, I think, is clearly visible, among other things.

[@amotimeplayer8229]

I remember playing the demo on the PS2 when I was maybe 5 years old and I wanted the game so bad, and finally at the age of 22 I have the game and can play it on my PS3!🤩

[@jessepbigjdp]

That last line truly was perfect and is probably the best single sentence summary you can give about the game. No game has ever really had such a profound impact on me immediately after finishing playing it as Ico did. For hours afterwards I played "You Were There" on repeat while looking up articles on the game, wondering how after playing it I could find the resolve to play other games on my backlog when they would probably be so shallow in comparison. Its not my favorite game of all time(that would be Majora's Mask) but its one of only a few games that just thinking about it for a short while has a fairly significant emotional effect on me. While games are art in general like films and books, Ico is one of the games I consider to be high art. The only thing that disappointed me a bit in this review is not talking about "You Were There", how perfectly that song tells the story of the game and mixes with the ending cutscene.

[@swimon]

Wow I totally missed the fact that the monsters are other children with horns like Ico

[@sefret]

I thought it was kind of odd that you didn't specifically talk about why people don't mind that the whole game is an escort mission. You touched on it a bit with the combat, but not really. Maybe it's just really obvious and I'll sound like a dumbass, but I thought it was actually *because* the whole game was an escort mission and there was not much else to the gameplay. Usually people dislike escort missions because it's only one mission from the game, and it takes away focus from the combat or some other more fleshed out and fun aspect of it. In ICO, however, there was really nothing else but to protect Yorda, and I think the combat being repetitive added to that. You didn't want to actually fight these monsters, you wanted to end the fight as fast as possible and get her to safety. Yeah, I dunno how to end this shit, fuck it.

[@WDSimp]

There are a few other games that have come out since ICO that have tried to make escort elements work in conjunction with combat, though were somewhat less successful at it. Resident Evil 4 was very much an escort mission for the bulk of the game and managed to avoid having that be a problem by letting the player hide the President's Daughter in a bin while they focused on combat. The Last Of Us was concerned that making Ellie killable during combat would become a problem, so nearly all of the enemies in the game ignored her to somewhat comical results. Enslaved took the bold step of giving the character you're escorting the ability to blow your head up if you wandered too far away from her, which tended to make things worse.

[@CasualShinji]

***** Resident Evil 4 also had the "huddle" mechanic, where Ashley would instantly take shelter behind Leon whenever he drew a weapon. I would honestly put this on par with Ico's handholding, because not only was it an effective way of keeping her out of harms way, as she would pivot along with you no matter what, it also totally fit the characters' motivation. It's one of the most clever little mechanics I've ever seen in a game.

[@sofakingimmature]

Cerulily Agreed. Ico never felt like a game with 'an annoying Escort' mission inside it. It felt more like two friends trying to escape a bad situation.

[@Arcananine77]

I was fine with ICO's combat being what it was because I think it made sense within the context of the game. The combat mechanics really help reinforce that Ico (the character) is just a young boy with little to no combat experience as opposed to a slick badass for whom killing is as easy as breathing.

[@prismsage3957]

It seems u missed the strong story this game had... That's y only u feel that way so.. Sis try again 😂🍶💆

[@Guccibear100]

I'm almost done enjoying all of your content. I honestly wish you could do a critique or review of every single game I've ever played.

[@JosefTrejbal]

That last line was solid gold. :-) Fingers crossed that you'll find time to tackle SotC. :-)

[@ALocalClown]

A fantastic review, it's great that you focus on the gameplay elements that back up the theme and tone, much as they do in the context of the game itself. Probably the best review of Ico I've seen so far.

[@NatStarlight]

I truly hope you continue to do this for as long as you can, Matthew. I appreciate your thoughtful analysis so much, and it truly stands out in the world of video game critique. On topic, Ico is a game I played once during the year that Shadow of the Colossus came out. For me, it was a build-up to SotC, or a prerequisite before playing that game, which I was anticipating very greatly. Therefore, I guess it makes sense that Shadow of the Colossus is one my very favorite, and objectively speaking what I believe to be one of the best, video games I've ever experienced, while Ico, despite me enjoying it, sort of faded from my memory. I need to go back and give Ico the attention it deserves, because this video made me feel guilty for forgetting about such a clearly brilliant work.

[@HamsterPants522]

I think you were probably one of the most appropriate people to review this game.

[@b0tster]

Oh gosh the fact that all the enemies were sacrificed horned children totally flew over me :0 The\ enemies in the final room looked so much like ICO that I just assumed they were clones of him and it symbolized the internal struggle of the loss of Yorda... Dammit!

[@DreamInSongs]

Interesting take on it

[@subprogram32]

I just thought that these children were *different* shadows and not related to the more monstery ones elsewhere that you fought beforehand. I never connected them together without this video.

[@HeroOfLegend115]

Another moment of role reversal that stood out to me is when the bridge is separating and Yorda holds her hand out for you to jump and grab onto. Also, I like how the enemies push you around through the whole game, in an almost bullying type way, but in the big battle at the end they try to avoid you because of your sword.

[@peterkeleher]

beautiful analysis of a beautiful game. thank you.

[@yiprajosie085]

one of the most captivating and underrated games around, reviewed by one of the most captivating, underrated games reviewer around. keep up the great work Mathew

[@cones05]

pls keep makin vids, i found ur channel today and have spent the rest of the day watching all ur vids

[@barrongeddon4462]

Great, profound analysis. I don't remember seeing one other youtuber wit h approach you are using. You're well informed, invested and know how to keep a viewer entertained. All of my praise.

[@larrykellogg6797]

Thank you for giving this game the praise it deserves. This and Okami are two of my all-time favorite PS2 games.

[@justaguy600]

I wish I could play Ico. It gives me ASMR and I fall asleep within twenty minutes of play time.

[@yunarose84]

Love these memories... And always got this queasy, uneasy feeling when I lost Yorda to the shadows. There's an unofficial prequel novel, ICO-Castle in the mist. It's a great read!!!!

[@arthurwild6563]

I'm impressed you mentioned Another World, but not the more obvious choice of inspiration; the PSX Classic "Heart of Darkness" it even has the same enemy types (visuals are also nearly identical) and also features a teenage boy as the protagonist.

[@deanfieldhouse]

Another World has an alien companion who you form a bond with over the course of the game - despite not speaking each other's language. You meet the alien as a prisoner (within a hanging cage, no less), escape together while assisting each other in progressing / evading capture, and in the end, your alien friend carries your damaged body to safety.

[@shaunseh]

In my opinion, sir, you are the most precise and critical game reviewer I know. Your work is impressive and thorough and I enjoy this channel very much. Thank you for your work.

[@CountAbel]

This video really brought me back. I remember completing this game over 10 years ago and being so emotionally gut-punched, that I felt it days afterwards. I might be more of the sensitive type, but this video really brought me to tears. Have you ever considered reviewing the original Silent Hill series? At least the first two games contain some genius programming decisions, which you might have a lot to say about.

[@geordiewood]

This is not only the best analysis of ICO I've encountered, but it also really helps clarify what it is that makes games as a whole, such a unique and important artistic medium. Thank you.

[@nexuzeb79]

I can't count how many times I've played through this and loved every single time!

[@goukeban6197]

I just realized that just watching bits of this game in a review is significantly less enjoyable than I thought. You did a phenomenal job, though. I love this game.

[@kingofthesharks]

Great video essay. This is exactly the kind of video Ico needs on youtube. I, like many I assume, played SotC 1st out of curiosity but loved it so much that I got the HD disc just for Ico. I'm surprised you didn't really talk about the infamous bridge separation scene. I heard that was an illuminating moment for some game designers who played Ico. I'm glad you discussed the penultimate fight and its music, because I thought it was the game's most powerful and haunting scene with very dark implications. I didn't realize the connection between the shadows and the gradually glowing containers until over halfway through the battle. Also, the ending was fabulous and you nailed why it embraced non-control and helplessness.

[@LevelUp9001]

I jumped out of my seat when I saw this. Love both Ico and you.

[@greenieboi5486]

When you tryna get the Oonspah but she hits you with the Yannen

[@Monkeyninjaghost]

One of the few truly emotional experiences I've had in games, no surprise that Shadow of the Colossus is also among those. Ueda might just be too much of a perfectionist, at least I think that is a large of why we haven't seen The Last Guardian yet.

[@vhoro4514]

Yorda: *exists* Me: *must protect* On the day of writing this I finished my playthrough of Ico. This game I can honestly say is one of the best video games that I have ever played. I knew little when coming into this game, and i understood even less upon playing it. My mind was not bothered by the questions of lore and what had become of the fortress. For me, I was captivated and immersed by one feature: "save my friend". I know that everyone hates escort missions. They are tedious, slow and all together poorly executed, but I felt nothing of the sort when it came to protecting Yorda. In fact, I can summarize for one particular reason why this feature was not wretched. I am referring to the feature of "holding hands", this small ability allows for the complete guidance of Yorda. This action both builds the attachment to Yorda as well as act as primary tool for traversing safely. This action is so genius; in fact, that I have no idea why modern games do not rely on this more. Without some kind of redirection for the character's A.I a great game can easily become one of loathing. And it can allow animosity to be attributed towards a character. I apologize for my rambling, and I am aware that these points have been stated time and time again. Although, I thought that it was appropriate for me to bequeath these aspects from my own perspective. Farewell and protect Yorda...

[@connorcorn7309]

If you liked Ico, I can't recommend The Last Guardian enough. It gets overlooked because people wanted another Shadow of the Colossus, but if you wanted something more like Ico it was great. The button prompts are my one real issue with the game, other than that it's pretty perfect. Oh, and hail Boognish.

[@DrDolan2000]

Now we can only hope Ico gets a graphical remake. The Shadow of The Colossus remake by Bluepoint was very well-received so if they did an Ico remake, the game would be given even more love, which is what it deserves

[@LongSinceDead1]

I really hope they don’t. The SoTC remake, while technically impressive, failed to capture the atmosphere and aesthetic of the original. Blue Point’s Demon’s Souls remake seems to be even worse in that regard. A remake of Ico isn’t necessary, especially if they’re going to alter the tone and experience to that degree

[@grandmarshallwade3696]

ICO is my favorite game of all time. Thanks for making a great retrospective on it.

[@j0hn19986]

"Iconic boxart", i see what you did there.

[@jimjoerobinson]

'ICOnic'

[@hamachibeans4471]

His brain is broken, he just can't seem to comprehend it after 3 months

[@Smilephile]

Ive been calling this game Eye-co my whole life

[@TheButterShave]

OH MY GOD MATTHEW IS ALIVE. I really appreciate the amount of effort you put into analyzing the games you review, Matthewmatosis; it's always a pleasure to see your videos pop up in my subscriptions list.

[@thesimpsoan7946]

Posted 9 years ago and still true to this day, man's upload schedule is non existent

[@SolusBatty]

God, i recently disabled adblock for your channel since i read you wanted to start doing this fulltime and i've just watched 8 minutes of some, german-esque teenager talking about sneakers i guess. I forgot ads exist, and this wasnt very pleasant. The things i do for love. Hehe, now back to your soothfull voice and slipping into sleep for me.

[@SolusBatty]

***** There was an annoying ad that lasted 8 min. Some teenager tried to sell me shoes. I think i was clear enough.

[@krombopulos_michael]

I think the reason it didn't spawn imitators was less out of a fear of challenging Ueda and more because of financial reasons. The game is a cult classic and people like devs or more enthusiast gamers who have actually played it generally love it but it still took a lot of work to make and didn't make a lot back. It would be very hard for a studio to get financing with the premise of "we're making a game that's like Ico".

[@Qwarky]

Wonderful video. Also always pleased to see when the name is actually pronounced correctly instead of eye-co.

[@undercurrent32]

great last sentence

[@SgtCrumpet]

Great review, as always! If you end up doing a review on Shadow of the Colossus, then I cannot wait!

[@zdueker]

Always a joy to watch a bonafide critique that analyzes a game far deeper than its face value.

[@Hardlight835]

First time I played Ico I was 11 years old, I really liked the aesthetic part as well as simple control system and story it told. Till this day I think Ico was on of the strongest gaming experiences of my life so thank you for this review.

[@Deadagent]

I dont think That I have agreed with a video more in my life. I went "I KNOW RIGHT" for pretty much the entire thing. Reminding me how good some of the games I've found on my travels to outside of mainstream has been is always a noble effort. Thanks for this and the Ghost Trick video.

[@Arcananine77]

I quite liked Matt's observation on the way the atmosphere of indoor and outdoor areas is reversed after Ico and Yorda are seperated, and the way in which a game embraces convention at just the right times to enhance the experience.

[@rosegilliland220]

I've lost count of the times I've played this, especially Shadow of the Colossus. I'd love to see you do a review on Baten Kaitos or The last story. Keep up the good work friend.

[@EXHellfire]

Baten Kaitos and The Last Story are both RPGs, right? They are not as focused on gameplay as they are on story telling, so I don't know if he'd do it. If that was the case, then I'd request a 999 review lol

[@rosegilliland220]

EXHellfire Haha! You have a good point! :D

[@EXHellfire]

Thank you n.n I'm just saying, it would probably be best to expect Matt not to review those games at all and instead go for others that focus more on gameplay design. I guess he's not that kind of reviewer. I would like to hear his thoughts on RPGs though.

[@lerigan]

What a beautifully written review. Lovely as the game itself.

[@Horus633]

Allow me to thank you for this and the zelda reviews. I have not played ico, but every zelda game you mentioned and I really like how you point out so many things, that I mostly disregarded during my playthroughs, thus completing my experience. Thanks

[@McSquirmie]

Excellent video, really enjoyed it. I didn't know Ico was originally going to launch for the PS1, I appreciate the information you find when you make a video about a certain game or series. Looking forward to future content!

[@lemming9984]

This is definitely favourite game from the PS2 era. I wish Bluepoint would remaster it.

[@LuckeeStrikee]

I was expecting a deeper reflection on the bridge section and the jump, which is the climax and the conceptual core of the entire game. Excellent review as always, tho.

[@WestPictures]

I like these retrospectives. I never had a playstation or playstation 2 growing up so seeing these retrospectives (like the one about Abe's Oddysee) makes me appreciate their games more.

[@greatrulo]

I just discovered your channel a while ago, but I really enjoy your video essays, here's to hoping you come back and keep making more videos.

[@Andromeister27]

ICO is PURE ART and one of the greatest video games ever created.

[@Solaire_of_Astora13]

DruMeister Hell yes!!

[@KnightLincoln]

Handholding and chilling on benches in one large escort quest. Watch and learn, Elden Ring.

[@Shifter-1040ST]

This game is so beautiful, I just had to buy a copy. I don't even have a Playstation lol

[@djamericanboy1]

dude I feel you. I started the Last Guardian and started crying. i have not been able to touch it for 2 years.

[@PingPongFilms]

@@djamericanboy1 have you tried playing it again?

[@jamesliu8101]

I have just finally played it(curse the exclusives!). And my god was I blown away.

[@jameswebber359]

Well thank you for the very enjoyable little trip down memory lane. Roll on Last Guardian! I must be honest I never made the link that the horned shadows at the end of the game were the shadow creatures throughout the game so thanks again for the insight.

[@KoalaMarch77]

The upcoming game Rime for the PS4 has some aspects of ICO I think.

[@VanishedDecoy]

Maybe odd for me to say, but I would ADORE sitting down to have coffee with you. Picking your brain sounds way too great.

[@phalweev]

Incredible anaylsis of one of my favourite games. well said and thought out as always. Keep it up these really are some of the best reviews on youtube.

[@Dacho_Shaki]

This was a pretty cool game back in 2001. It's definitely one of the prime examples of art defined by actual gameplay and mechanics without any reliance towards lazily scripted walking sections and you're almost always in full control of the character. Even during scripted segments you feel like you're in total control of the character and normally rely on the game's mechanics. I always respected Team Ico's effort of acknowledging the importance of gameplay and putting a major focus towards them despite their artistic delivery towards their games. Many artsy games, even the latest ones, seem to forget that and as a result totally missing the point of the medium. Ico may be my favorite Team Ico's game.

[@forbiddenspiral]

I've finished a second playthrough and wanted to explore and know more about this impressive game. Thanks for creating this video, and many thanks for the English subs.

[@ASolidSnack]

The point about video games being inherently art is something I wish more modern game critics could understand. Ico takes a very "back to basics" approach to design, having more in common with Super Mario Bros.' simple and effective use of the level design itself being the tutorial, challenging the player and having faith in the player's ability to understand mechanics, than it has in common with any of its contemporaries. This is something that can ONLY be done in a video game. Design complementing story, and vice versa, is something often forgotten by critics who seem to view the "game" part of the game as secondary to its ability to be compared to film and literature. This is why I think this video and the Tetris video are close to essential viewing for someone who wants to understand what video games as an artform actually means. Thoughtful and in-depth critique like the videos on this channel shouldn't be as rare as it is, it should be the norm. It doesn't take a genius to be able to comment on design, and yet this ability is so uncommon that any example of it is held up as masterful.

[@WinstonHofler]

Absolute masterpiece. Fumito Ueda is still the master of minimalist storytelling and game design. It’s clear Hidetaka Miyazaki took a lot of great inspiration from Ueda for the Souls games, but did it in his own way. I feel that Ueda doesn’t get enough credit for his work because a lot of games today use minimalistic elements whether in story or game design.

[@liplepeoberty5815]

The fact Souls games feature RPG elements already kill those great inspiration. - by me, cynically

[@boyonthemoon6035]

is it even possible to disagree with mathew? his logic is so clear and his observations are so spot on. these reviews are the only ones i can find that not only tell me what features are in the game but also whether those features ultimately benefit the game or not and then how it does or doesn't. he makes me feel like other reviewers can't even think about the game they're playing at all other than what's advertised to promote the game and the obvious. i just wish there were more mathewmatosis reviews. i also wish i could be as excellent of an analyst to do game reviews myself.

[@painbottv]

Yeah its really hard to disagree with him at times, but people can always offer a different perspective.

[@vagabondgamer2695]

Amazing video! Probably my favourite of yours so far!

[@FeelingSoFresh]

Will we also be seeing one of these on Shadow of the Colossus?

[@consensualsenses]

Oh Matthew... you always find the perfect words to end your videos :)

[@leadrevolver]

I really appreciate ICO, I think what it did with the presentation was revolutionary.

[@Golemie]

Awesome, any chance this may lead into a Shadow of the Colossus review/retrospective at any time? Would love to hear your thoughts on that as well seeing as how they're linked in ways beyond just the same creators.

[@FurryMeatloaf]

'Which, at worst, can result in death' So, no biggie.

[@joiky123]

I have a feeling that if you keep up with this kind of work and level of unbiased criticism you will honestly become quite popular. Keep it up!

[@MetalHearts100]

I dont know how the fuck i did it, but the first time i played this game (It came as a gift when i purchased my ps2 back in 2009) I I got to half the game without realising you can actually hold her hand to run faster, as you could imagine, this complicated the whole half of the game for me, since shes really slow and not too good in a fight .

[@jameswebber359]

+MetalHearts100 I didn't realise for quite some time that you could pull Yorda out of the black pool that the shadow creatures took her into. That is until is was impossible to get to her in time before they did so. This point is actually shown in the video at 6:45 where +Matthewmatosis says it's obvious that you can do so! :)

[@vidjagameenjoyer]

+MetalHearts100 This is impossible since you are forced to pull her out of a hole right after you release her from the cage.

[@MetalHearts100]

William Hitchens That's a cgi, you don't have to press anything.,

[@cordia96]

+MetalHearts100 Who needs manuals anyway?

[@timmadone8930]

+crewmate It's nice to have them when they contain lots of pics or beautiful artwork in color. Such as El Shaddai did.

[@liplepeoberty5815]

19:35 What did Matt try to say here? Why ICO isn't labeled as scuh? and how that has more to do with what happened after the game's release? Is it simply because there are not enough similar games exist so ICO isn't usually labeled as 3D cinematic platformer?

[@FlawedbyDesign777]

When he fell off the suspended platforms I felt that.

[@MasterGaming234]

I would like to know if you will be doing a review on the recently released Bioshock Infinite: Bural At Sea. I would like to hear your opinion about it

[@drunkensailor112]

The proper animated feet movement on steps and other uneven terrain was already done years before on shenmue and much better I might add.

[@MasterGaming234]

I would like to know if you will be doing a review on the recent DLC release Bioshock Infinite Bural At Sea. I would would like to hear your opinion about the game

[@MasterGaming234]

Welcome Back dude cant wait to see more reviews from you

[@Jackald]

I wonder when Last Guardian is ever going to come out...

[@nicolasradrigan21]

The Last Guardian? I thought it was just a legend, passed down for generations...

[@LesterRamos]

ChuckPalomo Just like Half Life Episode 3.....

[@doalwa]

You can say that again...I can't believe that another E3 passed without a single mention of this game...but I haven't given up hope...yet!

[@RhodesbySea]

I come from the distant future, unfortunately it's not fucking out yet.

[@krombopulos_michael]

***** People should take bets more often on which one comes out first, The Last Guardian or Half Life 3

[@GigaBoost]

Glad to catch this upload! Keep up the good work!