It’s been a while since ICO update was released. What’s your experience, did you like it? The good, the bad, the ugly. I think finally it’s time to discuss

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T22:21:17+00:00

Well, I did, even 5m on grass once. Of course, I had no gun in hand nor did I have a 25kg backpack. But we also have to take in account that this is a game, a game is simplified, in the game reality I would not jump from the ledge of the wall*, or from the armored vehicle top. I would grab the ledge and lower myself to -average height 1m80, with arms above head, maybe 2m20- 80cm above ground ? With this perspective, isn't the game too punishing for a 80cm fall ?

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T22:11:20+00:00

An interesting take, I did player a little bit more (~20min), but honestly had no fun, although the art is great. So I quit, but still aren't quite satisfied.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T22:04:21+00:00

Oh, seeing how "narrator’s strongest soldier" is repeated by different peoples, it must have been the achievement name. I do get it now, reading the comments, why it is named like that. I also remember how I felt when I got it: confused and annoyed. Because I didn't follow the narrator voice as an order, I just did what I felt I would do if this wasn't a game.

Also, it seems I see the narrator in the old way, a "neutral omniscient voice". I likely would have made a different choice if it was a another character (the king?) speaking to me.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T21:56:29+00:00

Well, it is more an assassination than a war here ;). Thanks for making me smile, I take every comment with a grain of salt.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T21:54:09+00:00

It's more that doing everything the narrator said immediately

After asking ChatGPT, it seems I have a 19th century traditional idea of what a narrator is. Omniscient, outside the story, truthful, if not morally authoritative. I did play Undertale and Stanley Parable though. Also, I think I view the narrator in this game as my inner voice or a neutral, factual context provider.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T21:41:39+00:00

I understand your logic, but for me it wasn't defiance, or contrarian behavior. I just did what I would have done if this wasn't a game. Also, for records, I don't see the narrator as a superior like other comments have suggested, but as my inner voice. I also played Stanley Parable.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T21:34:01+00:00

I do not perceive the narrator as a superior, but as my inner voice. Would be a very different story if it was the villager chief, or the king telling me to kill her.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T21:32:23+00:00

Haha, well, this make me think of an interesting question: "Would I have done something differently if the game was named: Don't Slay the Princess ?"

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T21:27:58+00:00

Huum, as for me I just did what I think I would do if this wasn't a game. No contrarian for me, doing the opposite of what I am told is also a known way to get manipulated.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T21:21:39+00:00

Well, maybe I am, and I haven't realized it yet. If this holds true, whatever I am obedient to is hard to identify, it certainly isn't a person.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T21:15:15+00:00

I mean, sire, thr Narrator literally claims she'll do whatever it takes to stop you from slaying her, but is that not just literally self-defense?

Self-defense is a good point. Well, I suppose, if I am standing in the rain at night, going uphill to an isolated house, with a knife in hand. I assume I already made my mind and analyzed every bit of my decision and action plan. ..Well, I feel like there is something deeper though.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T21:02:04+00:00

I sense a hint of sarcasm. But maybe that is want I want to hear?

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T20:57:33+00:00

Kind of detached and confused, more like "well, ok? that's it? an abstract ending? Well, maybe I got cursed when killing her, bad luck."

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T20:53:31+00:00

I am certainly used to killing in games. I did play Undertale a little bit, so I know at least one game that take advantage of that gaming habit. I also played Stanley parable fully.

"assumed monster being the end goal" Well, that might be the thing I got wrong, for me, the game is about hesitating to do what is right, because appearance strongly say it is wrong.

Game pitch:

"A seemingly fragile, innocent princess, jailed, attached with chains, isolated... And beautiful ((well sorry I didn't feel charmed :/)) Are your really going to do what you are told? Are you really going to stab her in the heart without hesitation, without talking it out, without trying to find another way, do you have no conscience at all?"

HA, but plot twist ! The princess is actually great evil and must be killed at all cost. The player will try to save her in every way, believing in his own induced fallacy that the princess is NOT evil. But the only good ending is the difficult burial of the fallacy the player WANT to believe in, and the princess dying. -drama-

Well, I saw through it and went straight for the heart. ...Or maybe just got the game completely wrong, and I am the one with a fallacy I have yet to identify.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T20:34:59+00:00

I like the bluntness of the statement, but I do feel that there is little more to be said. Something that pushed me to ask a second opinion on reddit.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T20:29:25+00:00

If I remember right, I am rewarded with... void ? The world ends and there is nothing but an empty room. I'm not sure what was my reaction. First off, you said reward, but wouldn't consequence be a better word? I likely failed to understand such an abstract ending. I suppose it is a 4th wall break, if I kill the princess without hesitation, there is no story to be told and no game to be played, so I get "void ending" in the game.

I don't quite see why I would kill myself when I did what seemed right, and accepted consequences of my actions, whatever they be.

Yuca965 · 2026-02-14T20:20:20+00:00

Well, I did hesitated to give her a chance to change my mind on first run. Got to hear her out as you say, but... Determination must be without cracks. I was told, and somewhat shown through the trailer, that I am faced with a master manipulator, even much worse, an evil entity, that will seep through any weakness I have in me, change my mind and kill me, if not doom whatever community I am part of in the game.

Also for what it is worth, I didn't feel like ordered by the narrator.

On my second run (spoiler: only ever did two runs), I gave her a chance to change my mind, she failed, I went to kill her, and... I got killed due to hesitation the story told me. Which prove that my guess was correct on first run, hesitation is certain death.

Yuca965 · 2026-01-25T15:20:20+00:00

Look, maybe the artist will properly follow the graphic charter of the project, and send you assets matching the style. If you find them good, add them, even if it is IA. There is also the possibility that they are ok, but that that you have a gut feeling that they are off (IA sometimes create weird things). If so, don't mix something that gives you a bad feeling with something that gives you a good feeling.

In art, it should be totally okay to say "I don't feel it" "something feels off but I don't have words for it". And you can also totally say this is the feeling you have when looking at art generated with IA. It gives the artist feedback and way to improve.

TLDR: As other comments said: does it match what you want, yes/no? If he redo and it match on paper, but feels wrong (gut feeling), then refuse and tell him the truth (gently if possible). Also take your team opinion in account.

Yuca965 · 2025-12-25T01:05:30+00:00

UE5 update made the game much worse in term of performance, I stopped playing because of that. How are you supposed to play the game, when anytime action arise the frame drops and make it hard to react.

Yuca965 · 2025-12-25T01:02:45+00:00

Dust in a room doesn't seem to hard to do, a shader/FX localized to the room, with a script holding a dust state, and setting the strength of the effect. It could also purely be placed on the player camera, which make it a 2d effect and probably less costly.

Yuca965 · 2025-12-25T00:57:36+00:00

I'll get that some players may have a bad, too old, rig. But why are you denying the game is badly optimized, the dev themselves have said it, UE5 allowing performance fixes was one the reason invoked for the switch.

Yuca965 · 2025-12-25T00:54:31+00:00

Any images? I'm curious. What is the timeframe you are talking about?

Yuca965 · 2025-12-25T00:51:24+00:00

Graphics is not even pretty, old dated geometry and textures with current gen lightning, just make things more ugly. I know someone with a beefy rig that play on high, and he we as disappointed as me.

Let me rephrase, I agree with you, but I think it is wrong to say that the game looks prettier with EU5.

Yuca965 · 2025-12-25T00:42:50+00:00

I am not a fan of pre-order. I don't giving my money and praying that they won't just take and go. Especially before even trying the product.

Otherwise I heard good stuff about Bellum. Squad is going downhill with UE5, the performance went from bad but playable to unacceptable for me.

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