Wanda and Colossus

Everything we know about the next game from team ICO.

Late last night, Sony Computer Entertainment unveiled to the world first details on the next game from the talented bunch that brought us Ico. Titled Wanda to Kyozou (Wanda and Colossus), the company initially revealed little about the title, promising more details to follow at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show.

The Tokyo Game Show doesn't kick off until September 24, but SCE got around to spilling details on Wanda to Kyozou a bit earlier than that. At a press conference held today in Tokyo, the company unveiled the basics of the title, from its concept to more specific gameplay elements. On hand at the press conference were director, game designer and art director Fumito Ueda and producer Kenji Kaido, both of whom had the same roles on Ico.

Wanda to Kyozou, which is indeed the game once referred to as NICO, centers on the basic idea of "fighting a giant enemy," as Kaido explains. This basic idea apparently came from Ueda around January of 2002.

The story of Wanda to Kyozou centers on a young main character in an ancient land. The story begins with the young hero placing the lifeless body of a young girl who's lost her soul onto his horse. The trio continues to travel for many nights. Upon clearing a great wall, they come to a giant bridge and, crossing the bridge, they come to a large shrine.

Heading down a flight of stairs into the shrine, the main character sees before him a great field that seems to have no bounds. He places the girl's body on the shrine's altar and hears, along with the surrounding thunder, a voice from above revealing the way to revive the girl. He learns that he must defeat the giant beasts who reside in the land. Once they've been defeated, the girl will awaken.

While not an official sequel to ICO, it has similarities.

As with Ico, the world across which the hero will adventure is a lonely one. There is no one in the world but he and his horse. The two have one thing tying them together, though -- thoughts of the girl. The main character has a special place in his heart for the girl, although the relationship isn't clear from the start of the game.

So what exactly are those giant creatures that the main character has to defeat? One can translate their Japanese name, "Kyozou," as "Colossus," which is the source for our hasty English translation of the game's Japanese title. The Colossus creatures are living creatures who were sealed away in the ancient land. They take many forms, examples being humanoid and bird. Their abilities change depending on form, with some creatures being smart and others being fast. Players will have to change their strategy in order to deal with the creature at hand.

The Colossus creatures come to life once the player has touched them. By pushing the R1 button, the player can cling to the giant. The player must climb the creature in order to find a weak point and attack it using the attack button.

One example, shown in a video demonstration of the game, has the main character facing off against a sword-bearing colossus. The creature thrusts its sword down into the ground, giving the main character a chance to climb up the sword, make his way to the creature's head and strike. This isn't as simple as it sounds, as once the character has latched onto the creature, the ride becomes a bit bumpy.