[Script Info]
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[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.48,0:00:13.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hi, this is Mark Brown with Game Maker's Toolkit,\Na series on video game design.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.37,0:00:17.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are many games that designers describe\Nas inspirational.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.76,0:00:33.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But few modern games can claim to be quite\Nas influential as the quietly beautiful,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.96,0:00:36.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cult classic, Ico.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.34,0:00:41.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In interviews, game makers have said that\NIco was instrumental in the development of
Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.64,0:00:46.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Papo & Yo, Brothers, Journey, and the upcoming\NRime.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.98,0:00:53.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But also less obvious titles, like The Last\Nof Us, Prince of Persia, and even Halo 4.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.26,0:00:59.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki said\N"that game awoke me to the possibilities of
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.19,0:01:00.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the medium".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.28,0:01:04.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what is it about this unassuming game that\Nmakes it so influential among our favourite
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.99,0:01:05.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,game designers?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.90,0:01:12.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why does it resonate so loudly, when the game\Nitself is so quiet and restrained?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.32,0:01:19.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You see, the game is about a boy and a girl.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.80,0:01:24.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You control the boy, Ico, and help the girl,\NYorda, escape a castle.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.94,0:01:29.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Along the way you'll solve some puzzles, and\Nfight shadowy monsters by whacking them with
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.53,0:01:33.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a stick or a sword. And that is... about it.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.60,0:01:36.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even playing it today it feels distinctly\Nminimalist.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.83,0:01:41.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this sort of bare bones design was practically\Nunheard of back on the PlayStation 2.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.54,0:01:45.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There was no Limbo or Proteus back then.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.35,0:01:50.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this jarring lack of features and mechanics\Nwas, of course, deliberate, as Ico designer
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.88,0:01:58.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Fumito Ueda was using a game creation philosophy\Nthat he would later call "design by subtraction".
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.36,0:02:02.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Early on in development, when the game was\Nbeing made for PlayStation 1, Ico had a complex
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.96,0:02:08.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,combat system, a wide array of characters,\Nand lots of areas like a village, a dense
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.03,0:02:09.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,forest, and a deserted island.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.78,0:02:11.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All of that was removed.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.42,0:02:15.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not for financial or technical reasons, but\Nin an effort to find the core of the game
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.97,0:02:20.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then ruthlessly prune everything that\Ndidn't fully support it.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.60,0:02:25.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The core of Ico, of course, is the bond between\NIco and Yorda.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.11,0:02:28.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Themes of companionship, and looking out for\Nsomeone in need.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.47,0:02:32.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a game where you have to hold a button\Ndown, to emphasise the feeling of holding
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.67,0:02:34.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,someone's hand.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:34.23,0:02:40.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So everything that is left in the game is\Nthere to support that core theme.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.20,0:02:44.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Take the puzzles: practically every puzzle\Nin the game is only half completed when you
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.43,0:02:46.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reach somewhere new yourself.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.52,0:02:50.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The other half is about making a safe path\Nfor Yorda to follow.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.55,0:02:52.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in the combat, Ico can't die.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.84,0:02:56.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,His only fail state - other than toppling\Noff the side of a cliff - is to let Yorda
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.54,0:02:59.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,get taken away by these shadowy enemies.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.35,0:03:02.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your safety isn't important, but Yorda's is.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.32,0:03:07.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Similarly, because this story isn't Ico's,\Nhe doesn't level up, or have fancy combos,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.37,0:03:09.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,parries, or finishing moves during the fights.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.97,0:03:14.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He just swings his stick about in vein hopes\Nof defending his charge.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.66,0:03:19.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yorda is needed to open doors to new areas which we've seen in many games with tagalong characters.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.77,0:03:24.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But she's also needed to save the game, as\Nthe two characters must flop back on these
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.19,0:03:26.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stone benches to store your progress.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.48,0:03:31.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So it sure would suck, and make you feel vulnerable\Nand alone, if Yorda wasn't there for a large
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.89,0:03:34.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stretch of the game, right?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.17,0:03:38.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Also, Ueda wanted to focus on the aspects\Nof the game that sold the reality of this
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.43,0:03:41.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,connection and the world these characters\Ninhabit.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.74,0:03:47.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So Team Ico focused its time on building an\Nintricately designed castle that was interconnected
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.05,0:03:48.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and felt like a real space.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.60,0:03:53.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it focused on believable and expressive\Nanimation - inspired by Ueda's favourite Amiga
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.83,0:03:57.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,games like Another World, Flashback, and the\Noriginal Prince of Persia.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.87,0:04:02.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Yes. Prince of Persia inspired Ico. And Ico\Ninspired Prince of Persia.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.11,0:04:03.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Video games are weird).
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.87,0:04:08.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Plus, the team simply removed elements that\Nbroke the immersive feel, and might have reminded
Dialogue: 0,0:04:08.61,0:04:11.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you that Yorda was simply a video game character.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.16,0:04:16.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There's no health bar, no map screen or inventory\Nscreen, no static characters with dialogue
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.42,0:04:19.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that loops unrealistically, and often no background\Nmusic.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.58,0:04:29.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All told, you're left with a rare game that\Nis distinctly about something.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.38,0:04:32.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And with nothing extraneous to dilute that\Nmessage.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.26,0:04:35.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think that's why it resonates.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.38,0:04:43.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is not to suggest that all games become\Nas minimalist and streamlined as this one,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.60,0:04:44.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of course.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.48,0:04:49.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The combat in Ico, in my opinion, is a little\Ntoo simple and gets very repetitive.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.69,0:04:53.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even Ueda himself admits that he might have\Ngone a little too far in design by subtraction,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:53.54,0:04:58.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and his follow up, Shadow of the Colossus,\Nhas more elements and mechanics, as well as
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.38,0:04:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,health bars and music.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.99,0:05:05.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's also an action game without traditional\Nenemies because what use are they, when the
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.37,0:05:10.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,core of the game is better supported in the\Nfights with these titanic bosses.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.67,0:05:15.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's more to say that in a time of kitchen\Nsink design, where every game seemingly needs
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.30,0:05:20.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to have two dozen guns, a crafting system,\Nmicromanagement, and hundreds of side missions,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.64,0:05:25.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's worth thinking more about removing the\Nstuff that takes away from the idea or mechanic
Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.46,0:05:27.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the heart of the game.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.04,0:05:30.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Does Assassin's Creed really need tower defence\Nsections?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:30.18,0:05:34.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Did Tony Hawk's Pro Skater really benefit\Nfrom the addition of skitchin'?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.19,0:05:37.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,An example of this in practice, is Fez.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.91,0:05:42.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Creator Phil Fish told Gamasutra that his\Nquirky indie game once had hearts and Zelda-like
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.82,0:05:47.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,heart containers, and puzzles about redistributing\Nweight - but he decided to remove them, and
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.98,0:05:52.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,other ideas, because they didn't prop up the\Ncentral mechanic of rotating the world, and
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.75,0:05:56.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the central theme of seeing things from a\Ndifferent perspective.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.07,0:06:00.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ueda's approach to design, says Fish, "gave\Nme the strength to butcher my own game, and
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.73,0:06:04.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,every time I did the game got better for it,\Ntighter, more streamlined".
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.86,0:06:09.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To other developers Fish says "take a hard,\Ncritical look at your game and ask yourself
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.38,0:06:15.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what is necessary, what really has anything\Nto do with what you're trying to accomplish".
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.86,0:06:19.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because it's easy to add features that you\Nthink are cool, or will increase the game's
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.33,0:06:21.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,length, or give you another bullet point on\Nyour Steam description.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.75,0:06:26.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But is it just diluting the core message of\Nyour game, and hurting your ability to have
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.14,0:06:30.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your game be about something. To say something. To resonate.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.47,0:06:39.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks for watching!
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.31,0:06:43.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you enjoyed the episode, please give the\Nvideo a like on YouTube, leave a comment,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.18,0:06:45.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or consider pitching in via Patreon.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.25,0:06:47.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Your support truly makes this show possible.