Patreon button  Steam curated reviews  Discord button  Facebook button  Twitter button 
3DS | PC | PS4 | PS5 | SWITCH | VITA | XB1 | XSX | All

ICO

ICO (XSX) game cover art
Platform: PlayStation 2
Tags: Adventure
Developer: SCEI

Publisher
Region
Released
NA
09/24/2001
EU
03/22/2002
JP
12/06/2001

ICO (PlayStation 2) screenshotICO (PlayStation 2) screenshotICO (PlayStation 2) screenshot


Reader Reviews

ICO review

Reviewed January 28, 2005

autorock says: "If ICO is one thing, it's underrated. "
autorock's avatar

ICO review

Review date unknown

cheekylee says: "''Single white female seeks young horny male to take me by the hand, and lead me from the shadows. Must posess unending patience, and a big stick.''"
cheekylee's avatar

ICO review

Reviewed June 21, 2008

dagoss says: "Though intimacy between individuals is one of the most important experiences of the human condition, video games have remained understandably silent on the subject. When attempting to mimic the narrative techniques of films, video games can only come so far – evoking real attachment to polygonal actors is an enormous feat, and one in which most games comically fail. In addition, there are so many negative, misunderstood (cf. Mass Effect on Fox News), and downright misogynist representat..."
dagoss's avatar

ICO review

Reviewed February 12, 2006

djskittles says: "In some regards, Ico is the antithesis of most macho console games. There’s little in the way of narration aside from a couple cutscenes, but the mysterious plot is one of the most intriguing aspects of Ico. There are no health bars and the simplistic combat often has the young protagonist armed with only a wooden plank. There aren’t any bosses aside from the final enemy, but there is plenty of hand-holding and puzzles. All of these things come together to form a unique and memorable ..."
djskittles's avatar

ICO review

Reviewed January 24, 2005

lilica says: "Ico was born with horns on his head. It may look like he’s wearing a helmet, but those two buggers are rooted to the bone. Although such an unfortunate devil-horned child would today undergo scientific study and vivisection, Ico lived in less tolerant times. Local villagers shunned the young boy, believing him cursed; his kin fervently waited for the day he would die. On his twelfth birthday, Ico was carried off by dark horsemen to an enchanting but ominous castle built atop a wave-washed cl..."
lilica's avatar

ICO review

Reviewed August 27, 2007

MartinG says: "Books can have a deep influence over a person; I doubt I will ever forget Flannery Culp’s murderous panache in The Basic Eight. So can movies, and paintings too for that matter: the very title of The Hours evokes in me the intense ennui of a desperate Virginia Woolf, and seeing a beach painted by Sorolla is so very much like feeling the real sun on your skin. Until 2002 I had never stopped to think that a videogame could be added to this list of ultimate artistic experiences, but t..."
MartinG's avatar

ICO review

Review date unknown

matsuko says: "Waif-like freaks who don't speak your language never looked so good..."
matsuko's avatar

ICO review

Reviewed August 09, 2006

sophina says: " Forbidding battlements rise above a stark ravine. The stillness of the surrounding forest is broken by the sound of approaching hooves. A group of horsemen appears, masked and silent, carrying with them a struggling young boy. His wrists are bound and two curved horns jut from his head. Wordlessly, the horsemen enter the fortress. They bring the boy to a cavernous hall lined with stone sarcophagi. One casket opens and the boy is placed inside. There is the sound of receding footsteps and then h..."
sophina's avatar

ICO review

Reviewed July 26, 2015

Suskie says: "We don't need copious exposition and jibber-jabber to understand that these two characters need one another."
Suskie's avatar

ICO review

Reviewed January 07, 2011

zippdementia says: " The reason ICO is so difficult to capture in a review is because it is an experience that occurs in the negative spaces that its narrative leaves behind. From the moment you start ICO, you will be struck by how sparse it is. All the game gives players at the beginning is a situation: a young boy with horns is being placed inside a castle, alone. "
zippdementia's avatar

ICO review

Reviewed February 05, 2004

zoop says: "One of the key ingredients to a successful game, as most would say, is common a marketing technique. Whether it is a gimmick that a specific title uses, or a certain household name to boost sales, bad games tend to sell decently based on something that is completely driven away from the original concept of having fun. ICO is the complete opposite of what I am discussing here, and for such a good reason: it uses no gimmicks, it has no star-power, and it is not a flashy title. Playing ICO is like ..."
zoop's avatar

ICO Reviews Around the Internet

Below are links to ICO reviews we found on external sites. If the site's content is still active, you can click on the rating the site awarded the game to open the review in a new tab or window, or click the name of the site to see a selection of other reviews from that outlet. The game's average score across the referenced sites (not including sites that don't offer a numerical score) is indicated to the right.
AVG
8.9

External Site
Rating
8/10
4/5

More PlayStation 2 Games to Consider...
Details NA EU JP
God of War artwork God of War
Reviews: 9
Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Third-Person
Release Date: March 22, 2005 (North America)
Indigo Prophecy artwork Indigo Prophecy
Reviews: 7
Tags: Adventure, Contemporary
Release Date: September 20, 2005 (North America)
Shadow of the Colossus artwork Shadow of the Colossus
Reviews: 6
Tags: Adventure
Release Date: October 18, 2005 (North America)

At HonestGamers, we love reader reviews. If you're a great writer, we'd love to host your ICO review on this page. Thanks for your support, and we hope you'll let your friends know about us!

User Help | Contact | Ethics | Sponsor Guide | Links

eXTReMe Tracker
© 1998 - 2024 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. ICO is a registered trademark of its copyright holder. This site makes no claim to ICO, its characters, screenshots, artwork, music, or any intellectual property contained within. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors. Staff and freelance reviews are typically written based on time spent with a retail review copy or review key for the game that is provided by its publisher.