iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

"Once we were alerted to enough fans growing frustrated, we did identify and fix the problem. However, in the end a decision was made to not devalue the achievement of people who had managed to get the trophy under those difficult conditions, and so a patch with our fix was never released."

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Framerate is everything: why upgrading to 60fps can break your favorite games

They also never patched the biggest error with their SotC PS3 remaster. And for an incredibly dumb reason that sounds more like a strange excuse. www.gamesradar.com/framerate-is...

gamesradar.com

Upgrading Dark Souls 2 caused an unexpected gameplay glitch which enhanced games on PS4 Pro and Xbox Scorpio can learn from

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I don't condemn the studio for making these strange choices and/or mistakes. But it does bother me, in a small, persistent way, that these more detailed interactions and expressions exist on the PS2 version, but everyone will now miss them for the more detailed graphics of the PS4 version.

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There's a very subtle, but important, motion animation that's meant to play during the ending cutscene. It seems to have been removed for unclear reasons. It was probably overlooked. And I'm sure there are many other minor differences that I've forgotten.

In the case of the sword IK rig, I believe the only reason it doesn't happen in the remake is because a debug switch for it was left off, rather than on. They also added some trees and shrubs to areas where there weren't any. And so one bird's locked flight path gets interrupted by a branch now.

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Wander Facial Animations - Original and Remake

However, SotC PS4 is actually running on the same framework as the PS3 Remaster, which was running on the framework of the original PS2 code. This makes it really strange when you notice mechanical details that are missing, even between PS3 and PS4. youtu.be/Sg_NpUmzMaI youtu.be/Glt4ZPvBx40

youtu.be

YouTube video by Jaikhay

Darcy Dee @darcydee.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

There are plenty more alterations. But I often think about the little things. The things that no casual fan will ever notice or encounter, but confuses the people who pay careful attention to the original. Usually, such small differences are understandable in a remake that's built from scratch.

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Day 4 - Favorite main theme/motif Castle in the Mist from Ico!! youtu.be/6N7wEzSRPWQ?...

youtu.be

Castle in The Mist

YouTube video by Yourizaa

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✦~A fellow Phantom Thief~✦ @ayeeninspace.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

New Art! Oc Art of my Trico Oc "The Red Terror". I did yesterday along with a background because I don't fo them enough. ★ ---------------- #thelastguardian #trico #tlg #tricooc #oc #nikop5r #art #digitalart

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Mystic_Ode @icoshrine.neocities.org · 04/10/2026

More of the photos he took were shared in this X thread: x.com/PixelHunted/... I, of course, have the PS3 manual available to look at on my site, but I couldn't keep it at highest resolution for storage reasons: icoshrine.neocities.org/gallery/manu...

x.com

David C. James (@PixelHunted) on X

Finally got round to playing the limited edition PS3 copy of #ICO I picked up in Japan. The instruction booklet has some amazing art in it! #TeamICO #retrogaming @fumito_ueda 1/4

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Mystic_Ode @icoshrine.neocities.org · 04/10/2026

All the illustrations were reprinted for ICO's PS3 remaster. Globally, the remaster was always packaged as a collection with Shadow of the Colossus, but in Japan, you could buy ICO's remaster in isolation, and it had the same manual contents. Pictures originally taken by @pixelhunted.bsky.social

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MegaApple @megaapple18.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

How are these ICO Concept are SO GOOD?! @gend

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MegaApple @megaapple18.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

They nailed the melancholic, "far away magical land" vibe from the start. I want whatever Team ICO was on in 1999-2001.

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Mystic_Ode @icoshrine.neocities.org · 20/07/2026

When people talk about The Legend of Zelda's influence on Fumito Ueda, and vice versa, I find it strange they never mention the most obvious visual parallel. [1/2]

An 8-bit depiction of Princess Zelda, as she appears in Zelda II. Spellbound into eternal rest, lying with her back upon an altar, her hands clasped together.

A screenshot of Shadow of the Colossus. Wander looks to Mono lying with her back on the altar, her hands set to rest atop each other on her abdomen. Her body without a soul, she too is eternally resting.

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Mystic_Ode @icoshrine.neocities.org · 20/07/2026

[2/2] Though Shadow's graphical quality allows it to be more grand, even the structures surrounding them have similarities.

Shrine of Worship, Shadow of the Colossus.

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Mystic_Ode @icoshrine.neocities.org · 20/07/2026

The only time I have found Ueda to directly mention the Zelda franchise is in an interview with Entertainment Station Japan (translated partially into English by Source Gaming). He specifically mentions the series in discussion of his Famicom Disk System, a system which only had Zelda 1 and 2.

sourcegaming.info

Fumito Ueda Interview with Entertainment Station (Part 1)

This is a translation of part one of an in-depth, three-part interview with Fumito Ueda, published last month by Entertainment Station Japan. In this part he mainly discusses his earlier years, fro…

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Kadu 🌻 @kadump4.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

DIA 03: MINIATURA Tudo parece uma miniatura ao lado de um colosso!! 🗡️ #inktober #inktober2026

Desenho do personagem Wander em cima de um colosso, do jogo Shadow Of The Colossus.

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CEO of Kobolds @boldarts.vore.meme · 03/10/2026

Wtf I love them....

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Mystic_Ode @icoshrine.neocities.org · 03/10/2026

Do you think if someone prompted you with questions, and you had to type out all your responses, you could rewrite/edit those responses into a script?

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I think what 12c's "ICO Bridge 2" note implies is an early attempt at the Pipe stage, where you traverse the lower end of the same area. After all, ICO Bridge seems to be named as such for connecting the イ and コ portions of the castle. (Again, I'll find images showing this in a few hours from now.)

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Mystic_Ode @icoshrine.neocities.org · 01/10/2026

For the sake of others reading this, we're referring to a stage layout shown on Page 25 of Weekly Famitsu's December 16th, 2021 issue, which celebrated ICO's 20th Anniversary.

A concept paper with a spiraling array of rectangles, each with a stage name or designation. They're connected by arrows, some of which are crossed out.

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If you're able to help, even just by spreading this around, please do.

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This illustration I did shows the part I mean. The post also has Zackmann's response in the reply. bsky.app/profile/icos...

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Ugh, Bluesky did not do this image any favors.

I'm thinking it could've been a member of the team inspired by or attempting to recreate this work?

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I believe Zackmann also mentioned some other designers on the team could have been creating temporary language/numerals. In particular, he doesn't recall creating this texture, which ended up atop the barrels. Though part of it is similar to the 2 numeral he once placed on the capsules.

The texture for the top of a barrel in ICO.

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Sekei @sekeikometto.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Hmm, I'm reminded of something...

Image displaying a removed prop from ICO's PS1 era. The clock face has a set of fictional numerals, representing 1-12.

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Shadow of the Colossus is such a great game holei shit

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Mystic_Ode @icoshrine.neocities.org · 06/08/2026

The kinds of conversations I have with @asapphickitsune.bsky.social

An edit of xkcd comic #2501.
A stick figure with a ponytail says to another stick figure without hair,
"Cut content is second nature to us Team ICO researchers, so it's easy to forget that the average person probably only knows ICO's unused dialogue and SOTC's PS3 data sheets."

The other stick figure speaks.
"And Ukaiya, of course."

"Of course," reasserts the ponytailed figure.

The caption below them reads:
"Even when they're trying to compensate for it, experts in anything wildly overestimate the average person's familiarity with their field."

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For the sake of others reading this, we're referring to a stage layout shown on Page 25 of Weekly Famitsu's December 16th, 2021 issue, which celebrated ICO's 20th Anniversary.

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I don't know if they made Pipe back in the PS1 era under a different stage label, but it is a possibility when we consider when that concept art (with such direct specifications) was made. If it was 12c, it might make sense to change its designation once 12a and b were cut.

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Of course, it really seems to me that the 17 and higher number stages were developed after the transition to PS2. After all, the stages that would become 13b and 13c were still being iterated on (and greatly re-contextualized) in January of 2000, about 4 months after the agreement to upgrade to PS2.

PS1 era (judging by Ico's design and the poly count) concept art for a pipe stage, with the header specifically labeling it as イ棟ステージ (イ building stage). In the final game, the Pipe stage is 17b, the lower half of 17a: Old Bridge.

ICO concept art. Ico can be seen in his PS1 design, with backwards facing horns. The stage details a large pipe, the cover for which is noted to be comprised of 10 polygons. The page header reads: イ棟ステージ (I Building stage).

Our only concept detailing the specifics of Drawbridge.

ICO concept art, a stage connecting 4a and 7a stages, as well as providing a means to reach 2a, 3a, and 10a.

Proof that ICO Bridge (イコ橋) was the Old Bridge. Proof that Old Bridge connects the sections of the castle labeled イ and コ. Thus, why it was called I-Ko Bridge.

Ico concept art. Dated March 21st, 2000. It focuses on the stage layout for the second act, after Ico and Yorda are separated. Looking between the areas labeled 1 and 2, you can see a long bridge connecting the two buildings. This is labeled as イコ橋 or "ICO Bridge" and is located exactly where the Old Bridge stage is found in the final release.

ICO concept art. Not dated. It's bird's-eye-view of the castle in the mist, still very much in progress. The margins contain a smaller representation with labels for each general area, rather than stage designations.

A close up of the prior image's margins. We can see labels for イ棟 (I Building) and コ棟 (Ko Building). These are the areas on either end of the Old Bridge.

Yeah, and it's worth pointing out that I have no concept of anything surrounding 12c and 12b. 6b -> 1a -> 5a -> 5b -> 12c -> 12b 6b is cut, 1a is cut, 5a is cut, and 5b is likely very different now from how it was at the time. We lack frame of reference for most everything in that section.

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Mind you, those concepts aren't labeled with dates, and can't be placed in a specific era of development. But I feel like we need some sign of it connecting elsewhere before we speculate on it having a different stage number early on.

I need to gather some images for this but we know ICO Bridge was actually the Old Bridge. Your association with it and Stage 12c probably comes from that one room layout chart which has a note beside 12c that reads "ICO Bridge 2". Our only concepts for Drawbridge show it connecting to 4 & 7.

Visually, yes. But functionally it's just a hat that's torn at the back. There will be a more confusing instance of this in the future, however, and that I cannot explain to you.