In a ten-year-old interview with the Guardian, Elden Ring director and creator Hidetaka Miyazaki credited the early-2000s PlayStation 2 game Ico as having an incredible impact on his life, ultimately swaying him to pursue a career in video game development. Ico was a revolutionary concept that pushed the boundaries of what was possible with the available technology at the time. It's also the spiritual predecessor to The Guardian & Shadow of the Colossus, all of which are the brainchildren of legendary director Fumito Ueda of GenDesign studios.

If you're old enough to have played Ico back in 2001, you likely haven't forgotten its beautifully somber tone and minimalist approach to puzzle-platforming that felt completely authentic and original. If you never had the chance to play Ico, however, you're in luck — the game is actually available to stream on PS Plus right now. Ico helped Miyazaki see what video games could be, and the best way to understand why it had such a profound impact on him is to go play Ico yourself.

The Soulsborne Genre Wouldn't Exist Without Ico

Miyazaki Credits Ico As A Key Influence In His Journey

In a decade-old interview with Miyazaki's development of Dark Souls, ultimately spawning the entire Soulsborne genre that encomes games like Bloodborne and Elden Ring, among others.

“That game awoke me to the possibilities of the medium. I wanted to make one myself.” - Hidetaka Miyazaki

In a 20th anniversary celebration of Ico by the Japanese publication Famitsu, Miyazaki elaborated on his affection for the game. As shared in translation by VGC, Miyazaki describes Ico as "a beautiful, untold experience and story that I had never imagined [...] I was quietly moved and silent."

After reading through these old interviews, I felt an urge to replay Ico, and it turns out that it's available to stream on PS Plus with a subscription. Despite its crude early-PlayStation graphics, Ico is still a mesmerizing and enjoyable experience. Aside from being a total nostalgia trip, I started paying more attention to the details of Ico that reminded me of Miyazaki's work.

The influence is glaringly obvious as soon as you get started. The world of Ico is a somber and mysterious one, and its gameplay feels like an early version of what the Soulsborne genre would eventually become. If you want to know what sparked Miyazaki's imagination, you can get a taste of that in the very early parts of Ico, from the very moment you take the princess's hand and venture into the castle depths.

Ico's Influence Is Obvious In The Dark Souls & Elden Ring Universe

From The Mind Of Fumito Ueda, Ico Follows A Young Horned Boy & A Princess

Ico's premise is a simple yet incredibly successful one that hinges on an age-old story trope: a hero saves the princess from a castle. In Ico, a young horned boy named Ico helps free a princess named Yorda from her evil mother, the Queen, who plans to use Yorda to become immortal. What ensues is a 3D puzzle-platforming adventure through a mystical and labyrinthine castle full of all sorts of twists, turns, ominous ghost enemies, and even obnoxious flying enemies like those found throughout the Soulsborne universe.

Gameplay in Ico is very reminiscent of what you experience in Dark Souls and its ilk, particularly when it comes to some of the platformer elements, like traversing narrow high-beams in the rafters, extra-long ladders between levels, and especially how the player's actions influence the environment and open up shortcuts or new pathways. There's even an epic final boss battle that likely inspired some of the most beloved boss fights from Miyazaki's work.

Ico's influence likely extends to many modern juggernauts in the industry.

Ico's influence can be seen in a ton of modern games outside the Soulsborne genre as well, and the game has supposedly influenced the likes of Neil Druckmann, director of The Last of Us Part 1 & 2, and was even beloved by the legend himself, Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Super Smash Bros. Ico's influence likely extends to many modern juggernauts in the industry as well, given its unique and innovative use of the limited hardware power and technology available at the time.

Ico Is The Spiritual Predecessor To The Last Guardian & Shadow Of The Colossus

Fumito Ueda's Trilogy Deserves A Full Remaster

I'd highly recommend giving Ico a try if you haven't had the chance to play it. For those looking beyond PS Plus, its successors are also worth checking out. If you haven't had the chance to play either The Last Guardian or Shadow of the Colossus, you can get both of them for $20 on the PlayStation Store. The real question I have about Team Ico's games is whether they're planning any new remasters, and I think the answer to that might be coming very soon.

When Shadow of the Colossus launched back in 2006, GenDESIGN also re-released Ico, and a PS3 remaster was eventually released in 2011. The Last Guardian released in late 2016, and a remake of Shadow of the Colossus by Bluepoint Games followed 14 months later. And as GenDESIGN's next project is fast-approaching, I'm very hopeful we will see an announcement about re-releases, remasters, or remakes in the coming months.

I'll be surprised if we don't see some sort of remake or remaster for one or even all three of these games as a bundled promo around the time of GenDESIGN's next major release, currently referred to as "Project Robot." This project has been rumored for some time and was officially teased during the 2024 Game Awards with no name or major information. The new project promises to carry on with the studio's aesthetic traditions, and it will likely be another cult classic hit for fans of Ico and the studio's other major projects.

The influence that Ico had on innovators such as Miyazaki is undeniable, and with so many different remasters and remakes in the works across all genres, it would be a major missed opportunity for Sony not to jump in and give fans updated versions of these classics. I'm setting my expectations low, but getting access to remasters of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian would make me even more excited to invest in the "Project Robot."

If you're a fan of Elden Ring and Miyazaki's other major hits, and you want some insight as to where his unique style originated, you should definitely check out the work of Fumito Ueda and GenDESIGN, including Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Guardian. These games are distinctly different from Soulsborne epics, but the ambiance, tone, settings, themes, and certain aspects of gameplay have some definite overlap that you'll find familiar, entertaining, and every bit as beautiful.

Source: The Guardian, Famitsu, VGC