< Back                ICO - Walkthrough - Beginning the Game

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Have him head up either set of stairs into the sarcophagus chamber with the fifty-three sarcophagi plus the broken one, that Ico was placed into. There are half a dozen wimpy spirit demons flying around something or someone on a circle inset in the floor up above in the rear center of the chamber. Have him head up there and start swinging away at them. As each spirit demon is dispatched, it returns to a sarcophagus, which then lights up. He has to rid the chamber of all fifty-three of them before he can get to the nasty queen. You can look about the room during the battle to get a feel for how many are left. They will jump away form Ico the second he turns toward them and will continue jumping away as he persues them. However he can catch them after several of their jumps and particularly if he backs them into a wall. One hit is all it takes to send the essence of one back where it belongs. Some of them will take to flying in circles and may or may not be slayable from the floor. If not jump and swing the sword at those to do them in. Once the melee is over, stairs rise behind the circle in the floor granting access to the four Idol Doors above. Head up there to find that it's Yorda but Ico can get no response from her. Continue up and go open the doors with the sword and head on through into the Throne Room.

It's pretty misty in here and hard to make out what's inside the room. You can barely make out a couple of stone statues toward the center in the back of the room and a throne beyond them. Hmm... Could this be where Yorda's mother, the evil queen, is to be found? Examine the statues on the way to the throne and note that they're moveable. Walk up to the throne and onto it if you wish. Turn and look around, but there's apparently nobody home. Ah well, it seemed promising... Have Ico head back toward the door he entered the room through. As he nears it he'll hear the voice of the queen saying that he should wait. Head back toward the throne where the queen is now to be found and a conversation will ensue. It seems that the queen has grown old and weak and intends to have her consciousness transferred into Yorda's body. Unfortunately this will destroy the essence and personality of Yorda, her daughter, in the process. The queen tells Ico that this is what Yorda was conceived for. She also tells him to put down the sword as Yorda would wish him to do so. That statement seems unconvincing. Ico will then attack the queen, but is repulsed by a magical shield of energy, which sends him flying backward and breaking off most of his right horn in the process. The sword drops to the floor right behind him. Head to the sword as soon as possible and pick it up and turn to face her, as a blast of magical energy is being sent toward Ico and only two things will protect him from it:

1. holding the sword
2. hiding behind either of the stone statues

Her magical blasts are unleashed about every five seconds. If one of her attacks touches him without protection, he'll be instantly turned to stone and it's game over! Well, you can restart at the entrance to the Throne Room. He'll need to move the two stone statues about to aid in retrieving the sword, which will go sailing away to a different location in the room each time he takes a swing with it at the queen and it comes in contact with her shield. Ico is protected when pulling or pushing a statue from behind. He's also protected when he's holding the sword, and pushing or pulling from either side. Ico needs to slash her magical shield five times and then make a sixth attack to finish her off. Head for the queen and whack her shield with the sword (you'll know when he's made contact with the shield because the magical shield will shimmer), then immediately retreat behind the right stone statue and ride out her attack in safety. The sword has fallen at the base of the stairs to the right of her throne this time. You can press and hold the 'R1' button, particularly during an attack, while safely behind either of the stone statues, to help locate the sword. Push the right stone statue toward the throne as far as it will go. As soon as her attack dissipates, run to the sword and pick it up and continue up the stairs and hit her shield again. The sword again flies away and Ico has about five seconds to get back down the stairs and behind the left stone statue before she sends her next attack towards him.

This time his sword has fallen on the left side of the floor behind the left stone statue. Pull the left statue back until it's even with the sword. Wait for the end of an attack, then push the left statue toward the sword. Once it's near enough to the sword, wait for the end of an attack, then move to the sword and pick it up. With sword in hand, have Ico move the left statue back towards the center and then toward the front. The sword protects him from the attack, so he can head toward her while an attack is in progress, but you may prefer to wait until the current attack has abated. Run up the stairs and attack again to deal her the third swipe, then quickly regain shelter behind the left statue. The sword can be found this time on the third stair from the top on the stairs to the left. Use the 'R1' button to locate it if necessary. Push the left statue toward the sword. Run and grab the sword when the coast is clear. Pull the left statue back toward the middle of the room, then head for the queen and attack again. Retreat to safety behind the left statue.

The sword sails away again and ends up stuck in the wall on the left side. Push the statue to the left side and then pull it toward the sword. When you feel that it's close enough to the sword, wait for her attack to diminish, then run over and get it. Leave the left statue where it sits, and head back to the queen and slash at her again. The shield has been eliminated, but she can still attack! Immediately retreat behind the right statue. The sword went flying to the back of the room this time. Press and hold the 'R1' button to locate the sword, then pull the statue backwards toward it all the way to the top of the stairs. Ico can reach the sword, but he has to be able to pick it up immediately as the attack will reach him just as he does. Head back to the queen for the coup de grace. As the sword pierces her chest, she tells Ico that Yorda will never escape the castle and the queen evaporates sending a shockwave towards Ico, that knocks him over backward and into the back wall, knocking him unconscious and causing his left horn to break off. Meanwhile back in the previous chamber, Yorda is being reanimated by bolts of energy. Her body becomes completely encased in blue shadows when the energy beams cease.

Her apparent final act is to come to Ico and pick him up and carry him back to the circular elevator, taking it down to the bottom, then out through the Idol Doors and on to the boat he was brought here in. Gently placing his body in the boat, she pushes it off, and says goodbye. The lengthy credits now roll, after which Ico ends up on a sunny beach in the boat. Seems not the most fitting ending for him that you would have chosen!

Have him walk left along the beach until he spots someone washed up on the shore. It's Yorda, who seems to be alive and now human!