Ico

Ico​ (イコ, Iko, pronounced /ˈiːko/) is a 2001 action-adventure video game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took approximately four years to develop. The team employed a "subtracting design" approach to reduce elements of gameplay that interfered with the game's setting and story in order to create a high level of immersion.

The titular protagonist is a young boy born with horns whom his village considers a bad omen. Warriors lock Ico away in an abandoned fortress. During his explorations of the fortress, Ico encounters Yorda, the daughter of the castle's Queen. The Queen plans to use Yorda's body to extend her own lifespan, so Ico seeks to escape the castle with Yorda to prevent this fate from occurring, keeping her safe from the shadow-like creatures that attempt to draw her back. Throughout the game, the player controls Ico as he explores the castle, solves puzzles, and assists the less-agile Yorda across obstacles.

Ico introduced several design and technical elements, including a story told with minimal dialog, bloom lighting and key frame animation, that have influenced subsequent games. Though not a commercial success, it was critically acclaimed for its art and story elements and received several awards, including "Game of the Year" nominations and three Game Developers Choice Awards. Ico is listed on several overall top game lists, and is often considered a form of art, even as a video game. The game was reprinted in Europe in 2006, in conjunction with the release of Shadow of the Colossus, the spiritual successor to Ico.

Source: Wikipedia, "Ico," available under the CC-BY-SA License.

Trivia translated from Japanese Wikipedia:

The 29th of November 2007, a user found that "libarc", a library licensed under GNU GPL (not LGPL), was in the Ico source code. If this would be true, then Sony Computer Entertainment would be guilty of not having made public the source code, as they must do according to the GPL license rules. In December 2007 SCE made the comment that "We were not aware of the GPL infringement suspicion, and are looking into the matter", but in February 2008, Ico was stopped being printed and was officially out of print. Only the existing copies are available, and acquiring a new copy is next to impossible."

Source: Wikipedia, "ICO_(ゲーム)," available under the CC-BY-SA License.