When Team Ico released its first projectIcoon June 25, 2025, the game was an commercial failure. For the small number of players who played the game at launch, though, they were the lucky few to experience one of the most foundational games in modern video game history.Ico’s commercial woes did not impact its critical success; it was quickly recognized as something imperfect, but deeply special.
The game’s visual design and minimalist sensibilities can be seen in modern releases by indie studios like thatgamecompany (Flower,Journey,Flow) and major franchises likeHidetaka Miyazaki’sDark Souls. What has keptIcopresent in conversations about modern game design is how successfully the game created a moving experience with such a deliberately limited toolset.
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Ico’s Subtractive Design Philosophy And Modern Game Design
The gameplay’s deliberate simplicity was described by the team as “subtracting design”. Thisdesign philosophy drove Team Icoto cut out any elements of gameplay that interfered or conflicted in any way with the game’s story or setting. In a now archived interview with 1UP.com, Fumito Ueda and Kenji Kaido described how the team completely removed plans for enemy variety. The game was originally intended to have enemies with unique strengths and weaknesses but were eventually refined down to a single enemy type.
EvenIco’s beloved environmental designwas originally meant to be far more intricate. Team Ico planned to have a castle, surrounding environments, and settlements nearby that the player could explore. When the game released though, the world design had been cut down to only showcase the surreal and towering castle from which the player must escape. All of this was compounded by the decision to hire staff for the team from outside the game’s industry to ensure the staff could think without the preconceptions and mental limitations of seasoned developers.
What resulted from this design philosophy was a game that creates almost surreal level of mechanical and emotional depth with seemingly very simple systems. Developers likePhil Fish, creator of indie darlingFez, claimed to have adopted a similar approach to Team Ico when stripping away unnecessary features fromFez. Protagonist Ico’s interactions with his companion Yorda, protecting her, guiding her around by holding her hand (simulating grip by requiring players to hold R1), and the bond that forms between them throughout the story have shaped much of modern companion AI design.
Ico’s Approach To Escort Mission Design Brought Players The Last Of Us
Escort missions are notorious in the game industry, butgames likeResident Evil 4have served as breaking points for escort mission design. Modern games likeThe Last of UsandBioShock Infinitemade a specific point in their promotional material that players would not need to worry about guarding or protecting their companion, and that they could only benefit players in gameplay. Yet despiteThe Last of Usdeveloper Naughty Dog explicitly citingIcoas an influence,Icoitself is essentially one large escort mission.
The game centers around the player protecting, guiding, and exploring the world with their companion Yorda, who is frequently attacked by enemies, cannot easily navigate terrain without the player forming a path, and whose primary mechanical purpose is to open specific doors for the character. Despite seeming to be everything that its successors would try to avoid,Icostill managed to build a meaningful connection between the player and their in-game companion.
Many of the games thatIcoinfluenced focus on far broader and more complex interconnected systems. When Naughty Dog citesIcoas adesign influence onThe Last of Us, what that actually means is thatIco’s design were adapted to create a similar emotional experience in line with modern AAA expectations.Ico’s influences permeate so much of modern design that it can be difficult to find games that can’t be traced back to its innovations in some way. With any luck,Icowill receive the same treatment asShadow of the Colossusand be remade so that the brilliance of its design can continue to influence the next generation of developers.
