So, I became aware of the developer Team Ico shortly after their first game (aptly named) “Ico” came out. I never played Ico but it received critical acclaim. Their second game was called “Shadow of the Colossus” Said simply, it’s a masterpiece!
Minor SPOILERS!
What initially struck me about the game, besides the stellar reviews, was the setting and the plot.
Setting: Your character is in a desolate land where the only NPC’s you interact with are 12 colossi and your horse. Think Hyrule if all life had vanished over 200 years earlier. Of the NPC’s your job is to kill the 12 colossi, leaving you with your horse as your only friend.
Plot: Your character makes a deal with a spirit. In exchange for killing the 12 colossi, the spirit will resurrect a dead loved one. To make matters more depressing, the colossi are innocent creatures.
I’m not going to go into a whole rant about this game (there are plenty), just to say the game is many things (most which a video game has never been before) including a meditation on loneliness and sacrifice. Team Ico has a new game called Trico for the PS3 and the trailer was just leaked, check it out.
