• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Miyazaki says there would have been no Dark Souls without Ico

kyoji

Member
The creator of the Souls series, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has said that his games would never have existed without PS2 game Ico.

In a new Famitsu article celebrating the 20th anniversary of Ico’s release in Japan, a number of iconic creators pay tribute to the game.


This includes Miyazaki, who explains that had he never played Ico at a friend’s house, he would never have entered the video game industry in the first place.

Ico was developed by Sony‘s Japan Studio and Team Ico, and was released 20 years ago on the PS2. Designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, the game is about a young boy called Ico whose village has locked him in a fortress because he was born with horns.

While exploring the fortress, Ico encounters Yorda, a girl being pursued by shadowy creatures. Playing as Ico, the player has to help Yorda escape the castle, often holding her hand along the way.


“On a personal note, after graduating from university and starting a new job, I was away from games for a while when I happened to play Ico at a friend’s house on a recommendation,” Miyazaki said.

“It was a beautiful, untold experience and story that I had never imagined, and I’m very sorry to my friend, but I was quietly moved and silent.

“And that’s when I left the company I was working for at the time and started working for FromSoftware.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say it was the game that changed my life, and I’m proud that it was Ico and it was Mr Ueda’s game.


“Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of Ico, Mr Ueda. As a fan, I’m looking forward to your new games.

“The mythology that runs through your games, including Ico, has always been a goal of mine.”


 

Con-Z-epT

Live from NeoGAF, it's Friday Night!
ICO - The only time you hear positive things said about Escort Quests.
Who would say something bad about escorts?

escort-accompany.gif
 

darkangel-212559

Dreamcast Love
Ico. What a special game. I think for any Dark Souls fan here it's easier to see where Ico's influences are felt in the DS series.

Environmental story telling, hidden and abstract lore left for the player to work out. The map being one big interconnected puzzle and it's sheer way of making the player feel totally isolated in a lonely world is everything Ico does as a framework for the DS design philosophy.

Great stuff. Ico is truly a work of art.
 
Last edited:

Kuranghi

Member
I've put off replaying it because I felt a remake coming. Will wait til next Summer and play it if theres nothing by then.
 

SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
I am not gonna lie. Ico didnt connect with me at first. Hated babysitting Yorda. Hated the damn genies. Didnt care for the puzzles, but then I lost her at the bridge and spent the next 2 hours or so trying to get her back. I had no idea that I had become so attached to this girl and this game world. This is when i first realized the power of interactive storytelling.
 
Last edited:

Kuranghi

Member
I am not gonna lie. Ico didnt connect with me. Hated babysitting Yorda. Hated the damn genies. Didnt care for the puzzles, but then I lost her at the bridge and spent the next 2 hours or so trying to get her back. I had no idea that I had become so attached to this girl and this game world. This is when i first realized the power of interactive storytelling.

Same for me mate, I remember she got "got" a few times in a row and I was getting frustrated but then I understood the flow a bit better after that and as you say the rest is history. Sharing that melon on the beach at the end left a lovely final impression of the game with me.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Ico. What a special game. I think for any Dark Souls fan here it's easier to see where Ico's influences are felt in the DS series.

Environmental story telling, hidden and abstract lore left for the player to work out. The map being one big interconnected puzzle and it's sheer way of making the player feel totally isolated in a lonely world is everything Ico does as a framework the DS design philosophy.

Great stuff. Ico is truly a work of art.
Well said. I remember I first tried ICO on one of those demo discs they used to have.

I was hooked and there day 1 to buy upon release. It's enshrined as one of my all time faves for those very reasons.
 
Last edited:

HYDE

Banned
I’d like to know if Ninja Gaiden or Onimusha impacted Miyazaki for Sekiro. Or Metal Gear Rising perhaps.
And ICO is one of the GOATs for sure!
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
You know what sorta puzzles me; Demon's Souls established an enormous number of mechanics, settings and thematic elements that run through all his works, and yet I don't think anything quite matches the Ueda-esque spectacle of the Storm King boss. Yeah they did kinda revisit the power sword gimmick in DS3, and there are other flying bosses in the Souls games, but they always seemed more keen to revisit Dragon God for their boss fight as set-piece encounters.

Wonder if he felt that it was getting a bit too close to SOTC in style?
 

Banjo64

cumsessed
One of Sony’s best ever exclusives. I don’t really know what more to say than that.

I got the platinum trophy on the PS3 HD remaster.
 

GametimeUK

Member
I played Ico for the first time ever this year. What a special game. It is absolutely timeless. The trilogy of games (Ico, SOTC, TLG) are absolutely incredible masterpieces and each game has moved me in ways no other games can. Their ability to use gaming as a platform to tell their stories and captivate you making you engrossed in their game world's is on such a high level there is no wonder these games have inspired many. I can certainly connect some dots between Souls and Ico. It's great how Souls games are now inspiring others too and the cycle continues.
 

Fbh

Member
I still think it's pretty cool how he changed career paths and got into game development at 29, and then went on to create some of the best games in the industry (at least IMO). As a 30 years old that regrets a lot of the decisions I made in the last 10 years, it sort of gives me hope I might yet make something worthwhile.


And yeah ICO is a special game. You can definitely see some of that Fumito Uead inspiration on the work of Miyazaki
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
I don't think I've played Ico, so a sequel or a remake doesn't sound bad to give it a try.

What you said? I play the old one in 2021 (2022-ish)? I just knew about it through historians and it's too old to me now.

top-10-modern-technologies-that.jpg
 
Why? Why would you come here to post this drivel? Totally different genres. Souls games have influenced a whole generation just like ICO. I’m blown away by people here lately. Jesus fucking Christ.
Oh look, another one. If it's an unfair comparison, then why did Miyazaki bring it up in the first place. Fail harder, I have already added you to my ignore list.

zFneSGN.png
 

Tschumi

Member
I don't think I've played Ico, so a sequel or a remake doesn't sound bad to give it a try.

What you said? I play the old one in 2021 (2022-ish)? I just knew about it through historians and it's too old to me now.

top-10-modern-technologies-that.jpg
have you played the last guardian? It's very similar in a lot of ways, a castle, a mysterious stranding, mindless enemies trying to get at your companion, it's just that the companion is a lanky schoolgirl rather than a giant mythical beast.. holding her hand to get her to hurry up is a nice touch, but i recommend disabling vibration because my hands got numb from it :p

It feels really modern, the way the characters move and interact is incredibly refined, it's obviously a pretty old title but there's a lot to like and , like i said, it hasn't aged much
 
Last edited:

Bo_Hazem

Banned
have you played the last guardian? It's very similar in a lot of ways, a castle, a mysterious stranding, mindless enemies trying to get at your companion, it's just that the companion is a lanky schoolgirl rather than a giant mythical beast.. holding her hand to get her to hurry up is a nice touch, but i recommend disabling vibration because my hands got numb from it :p

It feels really modern, the way the characters move and interact is incredible refined, it's obviously a pretty old title but there's a lot to like and , like i said, it hasn't aged much

I loved The Last Guardian! It was a very unique experience, vague, weird, mysterious, just like nothing I've played before. I honestly can't play last gen when I move on, or like games that have been released like 5 years ago and sometimes even less. Would wait to play it one day in a proper form as a remake or the sequel.
 

Tschumi

Member
I loved The Last Guardian! It was a very unique experience, vague, weird, mysterious, just like nothing I've played before. I honestly can't play last gen when I move on, or like games that have been released like 5 years ago and sometimes even less. Would wait to play it one day in a proper form as a remake or the sequel.
that's fair enough, i have it emulated on my xbox series S which makes it very HD, emulation might be a good way to go, anyway up to you ^_^
 
very special and unique game. the older i get, the more i love things like this. same reason i liked death stranding. yeah some parts really pissed me off but i just loved the fact that it was a very different game to everything else.
 
Last edited:
I got The Last Guardian collectors edition. I was hyped for this game. EH. I would give the keys to any developer.. I was more interested in the world that the actual game. I would play any decent open world game in the ICO world.
71bFYgYayiL._SL1500_.jpg

I guess GenDesign will keep using the same lore.
 

A.Romero

Member
I can see the influence in the way the story is told. Nothing is given, everything has to be "noticed" and the world is built in the player's head. With so many blanks, everybody has a different idea of what everything means.

Thanks for sharing, OP.
 

Ladioss

Member
Love Ueda games. Perfect blend between a timeless sense of adventure, and emotion focused sense of emotion.

The slew of early 2000s quasi-experimental games really defined the PS2 brand at the time for me. Sony really shoot themselves in the feet when they decided to forego that legacy.
 
Last edited:

kyoji

Member
I was looking for someone to mention this. Did Miyazaki forget the 'Souls' DNA was already present in From Software years before he joined?
I think you are misunderstanding, yes its true ico has some influence in souls games but thats not what he said, he said ico is the reason he became a game dev in the first place, he was inspired.
 
Last edited:

SSfox

Member
I don't think I've played Ico, so a sequel or a remake doesn't sound bad to give it a try.

What you said? I play the old one in 2021 (2022-ish)? I just knew about it through historians and it's too old to me now.

top-10-modern-technologies-that.jpg
No masterpiece game is too old to be played imo. I played FF7 and OOT in 2007 and watched Alien in 2008 and still both blew me away. Never late to experience those kind legendary games ( and so for movies while we're at it)
 
Last edited:

Juza

Member
He mentioned that a long time ago (after PtDE got released if I recall) He stated that he had never imagined it was possible to create such an atmosphere and story in a video game
He also said that ICO was one of the motives that made him excited to work in a video game company.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom