Summary
Bluepoint Gameshas been Sony’s go-to studio for remakes and remasters of classic games, especially in recent years. In the span of a few short years,Bluepoint Gameswas able to push out remakes ofShadow of the ColossusandDemon’s Soulsfor PlayStation, firmly establishing itself as a great studio for game re-creations. This success clearly caught Sony’s eye, as the publisher purchased Bluepoint in September 2021, officially turning it into a first-party studio.
While there’s been radio silence since this purchase,Bluepoint Games has seemingly been moving away from remakesas it plans for the next game to be an original project. Still, Sony would be wise to maximize the developer’s pedigree with remakes and remasters, and perhaps now is as good a time as ever to hand Bluepoint the reigns for anIcoremake. After all, if anyone could make a great remake of this cult-classic game, it has to be Bluepoint Games.
Bluepoint Is The Perfect Team For An Ico Remake
Bluepoint Has Clear Experience With Team Ico’s Lineup
Right off the top, Bluepoint Games clearly has an affinity forformer developer Team Ico’s duology of games. Even before the team began creating proper remakes, Bluepoint put outThe Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collectionon the PlayStation 3 in 2011. The developer has already worked withinIco’s lineage before, so moving toward a full remake should be a natural transition.
What’s more, Bluepoint Games would later move on to developa full remake ofShadow of the Colossusin 2018.Shadow of the Colossusmay not be similar toIcoin terms of gameplay, but as a spiritual successor toIco, it exists within the same thematic ilk as Team Ico’s debut title. Thus, with Bluepoint having strong experience with these two titles, it may be time to put that experience toward a full remake ofIco.
Ico Deserves a Second Chance On PlayStation 5
All things considered,Icoalso deserves another chance at life. Under the radar, this 2001 PlayStation 2 title has become a massive favorite of game creators across the board, eveninfluencing legendary developers like Eiji Aonuma and Hideo Kojima. It was one of the first games to really push gaming as an art form, and its minimalistic approach can still be felt to this day in numerous modern games.
Even so,Icowas not a massive financial success for Sony. Being a game intentionally designed to throw away every shred of conventionality, it was going to be a hard sell back in 2001. Over 20 years later, however, themarket for more artistic games has grown rapidly, and given that it already has a built-in cult following, a remake ofIcowould certainly not be out of place in today’s gaming landscape.
It was one of the first games to really push gaming as an art form, and its minimalistic approach can still be felt to this day in numerous modern games.
Shadow of the Colossus Was Massively Successful For Bluepoint Games
Bluepoint’sShadow of the Colossusremake proves that today’s landscape is much more welcoming to more unconventional, artful gaming experiences. While the original PlayStation 2 version already sold well, the PlayStation 4 remake topped its original release’s first-week sales by 73%. Games that push the medium as an art form have grown exponentially in the time since Team Ico made these original titles, and a remake could give its debut game the audience it didn’t originally have.
Of course, it may be a long time before we get such a remake, given thatBluepoint is busy with its next original project. It’s important that they stay focused on this original game, as in a market loaded with remakes, remasters, and other such re-releases, it’s important to keep creating new titles as well. Still, if Bluepoint Games gets the chance to go back to the well with a remake, it would be great to seeIcoget another chance to dance.
Ico
WHERE TO PLAY
Ico weaves the tale of a young boy trying to escape his imprisonment in a large, vacant castle. Along the way, he discovers another captive–a beautiful princess named Yorda. Players control Ico with the goal of escaping the castle with the princess safely in hand. Although it looks like an adventure game and has some rudimentary action sequences, Ico is mostly about solving puzzles. Players will run, jump, and climb their way through the gargantuan castle as well as figure out which objects and environments are interactive. Yorda is very much a damsel in distress, and isn’t nearly as capable as Ico. A great deal of the puzzles require the player to create a safe path for Yorda, who isn’t physically able to get to the places Ico can. The puzzles are quite brilliant, although a few are so tough that players will feel like ditching the princess.
