Team Ico is known for minimalist storytelling video games. His games are not just entertainment, but show that video games can also be an art form. His titles include ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, and The Last Guardian. They all tell different stories but are set in similar worlds with few NPCs. Team Ico has created memorable, beautiful, and emotional games that deal with wordless relationships and focus on environments made of ruins and nature.

Although there were similarities between Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, one thing that is unique to Team Ico is the way the human protagonist communicates with his animal companions. From Fallout’s Dogmeat to Zelda’s Epona, video games have seen plenty of protagonists with animal companions. But none have perfectly recreated human-animal communication like Shadow of the Colossus or Team Ico in The Last Guardian.

How Agro And Trico’s Relationships To The Player Are Special

The actions of animal companions in video games are either fully controlled by the player or automatic. Dogmeat will automatically attack aggressive enemies, and players can also command him to find items. With Link at the reins, Epona is essentially player-controlled. However, this is not the case for Argo and Trico: they are creatures that can only be suggested by the player, and it is up to the player to meet enough conditions for them to obey.

Agro is a horse that feels more like a living vehicle than an extension of the player’s control. No matter how far the player wants to jump, the horse can tell if the jump is too far or too high. Also, if the player suggests something the horse deems too dangerous, Agro will get scared and stop. However, Agro is a pretty brave horse and can aid Wander in his fight against many of the colossi. Some players may get frustrated when Agro doesn’t turn or jump as instructed, but that’s just the way a horse is, and it shows that Agro is actually smart and capable of making decisions. In fact, Aggro often does not respond immediately to the player’s requests when pressing a button, because the button is a suggestion from Wander, not an extension to control the horse.

Trico is a creature that is more deeply integrated into the plot of The Last Guardian games. Aggro is Wander’s companion and not the focus of the plot, whereas Trico is both. Trico is not just an animal that can be ridden, but must help the player solve puzzles. If players found working with Agro frustrating, they would also have a hard time working with Toriko, because he is always needed. But that was the magic of The Last Guardian. Toriko is a mysterious animal that players will gradually get to know over the course of the game. The boy and Toriko rely on each other, but they must overcome many obstacles to escape the ruins. Like other Team Ico titles, communication is a key theme in The Last Guardian, and this is evident from getting Toriko to solve puzzles, calming him down when he’s scared, and figuring out how to tell if he needs to jump or not.

Team Ico has influenced many video game developers with their games, but no game has yet recreated the same communication between animals and humans. That’s because Team Ico’s choices, while beautiful, realistic and moving, are risky in the industry. While many games aim for simple control of vehicles and companions rather than relying on realism, Team Ico’s commitment to realism sets them apart from the rest.