Speedrun Fast: Ico

Ico, a 3D adventure game, released on the PS2 in 2001. In 2011, an HD remake landed on the PS3 along with Shadow of the Colossus. The game centers around protecting the AI-controlled Yorda and solving puzzles as the two attempt to flee the castle in which they are imprisoned.

There are two videos below to choose from. The first ran on the Japanese version of the game sees completion in an hour and a half. The English version finishes later with a time of around an hour and forty minutes but includes commentary from the runner.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCRdC7j-zac[/embedyt]

While minor random occurrences can influence the flow of gameplay, the true deciding factor in this Ico run is the skill of the runner. Karekusa makes very few mistakes, a considerable accomplishment made all the more impressive by the decision not to use save points. And yes, this is the current world record run.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU7BF–ANCo[/embedyt]

The silver trophy belongs to Shizoku (Pattern Iwakura on Youtube). His commentary throughout the run highlights a few of the things that can add seconds to the final runtime, such as the behavior of the birds. Another important ting to note is that there are only a few mandatory battles in Ico, as most can be fled from.

It is possible to give control of Yorda to a second player in an NG+, but doing so provides minimal to no gameplay advantage most of the time. Ico truly is a game that’s all about atmosphere and interpretation, as proven by the often-infuriating difficulty in acquiring the Castle Guide trophy (beat the game in under two hours). That being said, it’s a surprise more running methods aren’t being found, considering the exploration/puzzle nature of the game.

There is, however, plenty of new stuff to discover around The Nerd Stash. Be sure to leave a comment and check out the rest of the site.

Matt Eschbach

Matt Eschbach is a PC, Mac and Android indie game developer and fiction writer. His works have won multiple monetary awards from various contests. Graduating college in 2012 with a major in Game Design, Matt spends his time making stuff up and then building it. His favorite hobby… is sleeping.