Story and Games

[A Black Falcon]

I know what's not the best model.

Way to do the exact opposite of what I asked...

"The story is ridiculous"? It's about a boy who gets cast away from his village because he has strange horns. They bring him to a castle where he's locked away in a coffin, which he then escapes and comes to meet a princess trapped in a cage. He decides to leave the castle with her, and comes across strange creatures and a Queen bent on keeping the princess in the castle. I won't tell you why, and I won't tell you what happens at the end (or who the creatures are) since I doubt you played the game for more than a few moments. The story could have easily been done as say, a feature-length Miyazaki film, but of course it was made for a video game.

That's the basic premise of the game, but the real emotional depth comes from your relationship with Yorda. She's not just some NPC that you have to drag all over the place (though I'm sure many gamers thought of it that way), she's a character that has a bond with the role you play, ICO. Needless to say, later on in the game when you get separated from her and have to rush through caverns and waterfalls to get back to her is one of the more anxiety-filled and heart-wrenching moments I've ever witnessed in a video game before. And the ending, with its revelations... man. It simply doesn't get any better than that. However, these words do not do the game justice. It can only be understood by playing the game (and for more than a few minutes), beginning to end. And if you don't "get it", well, then too bad for you.

Just because he doesn't 'get' what you see doesn't automatically mean he has only played the game for a few moments...