In celebration of the games 20th anniversary, a PS1 build for Ico has been revealed and it’s really something special.
Ico was released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 on December 6th, 2001. Developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, this game would become one of the most cherished titles of its time. Furthermore, in 2011, Ico was remastered along with Shadow of the Colossus for the PS3 as part of an HD Collection.
As reported by TheGamer, the concept of Ico began as a dream from its creator Fumito Ueda. Its premise was simple; you control a boy that must guide a girl through an abandoned castle to escape from ghostly creatures that lurk within.
Escort missions in video games are one of my pet hates. However, for me personally, Ico bucked that trend and for a game that is essentially an entire escort mission, I can see why it is so beloved.
A rare glimpse into the history of Ico
So, with that being said, genDESIGN, a studio created by Fumito Ueda along with some original members of Team Ico, shared a very rare build of Ico. The build in question is Ico running on the original PlayStation and to be honest, it looks very impressive.
If you’re familiar with Ico, fans will find the PS1 build instantly recognisable. Though as impressive as it is, I can see why it never launched on the PS1. Sure, the build looks great, but it’s confined within a small tech demo.
If released as a full game, I doubt that the PS1 would have coped due to its technical limitations. So, I can see why Ico was never released on the PS1 and instead made its debut on the PS2. Nonetheless, it’s a fascinating piece of history and shows what a remarkable machine the PS1 was.
No Ico, No Dark Souls
Earlier this week, Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki said that the Soulsborne series would never have existed without Ico. You can read more on that story here. Make sure to also check out our retrospective on the classic adventure game written for the 20th anniversary right here!
Would you have liked to have seen Ico released on the PS1 or was it the right move to release it on the PS2? Let us know across our social media channels. Oh, and Sony, can we have an Ico remake, please?
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Featured Image Credit: genDESIGN/Team Ico