Ico focuses on a simple, universal story of friendship and escape, with virtually no emphasis on modern identity politics or box-checking. Characters are defined by their actions and the story context, not by any forced representation. It's hard to find any ideological tampering with the narrative here, it's refreshingly pure compared to recent trends.

Ico doesn't take any swings at religion, family, masculinity, or tradition. It simply crafts a mysterious world where the stakes are personal and relatable. There’s no revisionism or subversion of cultural norms to be found; if anything, it seems entirely disconnected from modern ideological skirmishes.

There's no evidence of ideological monoculture. The game is almost entirely devoid of dialogue, let alone lectures or one-sided depictions. Players are left to interpret the story and motives themselves, without being hit over the head by social messaging or agenda.