Neil Druckmann, creative director of The Last of Us, revealed which moment from a video game has stayed with him as the most emotionally powerful.
In an interview he recalled Fumito Ueda’s Ico, released for PlayStation 2 in September 2001. Even a quarter-century after its release, Druckmann cites a scene near Ico’s conclusion as his favorite moment in gaming.
“My favorite moment—the one that left me absolutely speechless—is a scene in Ico. The game includes a mechanic where you hold Yorda’s hand and lead her; she feels vulnerable and you protect her. Then, toward the end, a bridge collapses: you’re on one side and she’s on the other. The only choice is to leap toward her, knowing you’ll fall. But at the last instant she grabs your hand. It’s unbelievably moving because she had never done anything like that before.”
According to Druckmann, that scene was a creative touchstone for him. It made him form a genuine attachment to Yorda, and since then he’s tried to recreate that kind of emotional resonance in his own games.
Previously he has called Ico his favorite game of all time.
Source: iXBT.games