The Last Guardian

The core of The Last Guardian is undoubtedly the relationship between the boy and the Trico beast. Judging by what I played at E3, the strong foundation of this crucial link is well established in the first 30 minutes.

While trailers up to this point have highlighted the duo's coupled gameplay and emotional bond, this is not the natural order of things. In the game's fictional world, the Trico is a legendary beast of power, alongside the phoenix, griffin, and unicorn. At the start of the game the Trico has been brought to heel, its horns cut, wings broken, and the wounded beast shackled in a dungeon. The boy, who wakes up alongside him also imprisoned for an unknown reason, finds his skin marked with strange tattoos.

When the Trico wakes up he is hostile to the boy, and this introduction to the beast serves to initiate a connection between the two as the boy removes the spear shafts lodged in the animal and feeds it barrels he finds in the environment. It also establishes the true majesty of the Trico; it grows at the boy and howls in pain, its eyes flashing in multicolor anger. It rears up to its full height and thumps the ground with its paws. The Trico is its own beast and not merely an A.I. servant. Its noises, pacing, and idle animations give it an immediately evident character.

The pair work together to make their way out of the dungeon. The boy climbs on the Trico, cajoles it with food, and calls it to access new areas. Later on the boy finds a mirror from a sarcophagus which somehow reacts with the Trico itself to produce a dazzling ray of light. Hopefully as the game progresses the commands between the pair increase and lead to various gameplay situations while still allowing the two to retain their identities.

The Last Guardian accentuates contrasts. Not only between the size of the two central characters but also in the cramped interiors (for the Trico) and ascending towers of the mysterious city the pair find themselves in. Emerging from the darkness of the Den of Beasts into the bright sunlight only emphasizes the strange location and the pair's seeming isolation.

Much has been made of the delays to the title, and while its design and feel so far is from an earlier time (the boy sometimes gets caught on the environment, and I fought the right analog camera at times), The Last Guardian was never going to be a title that tried to capture cutting-edge gameplay of the moment – then or now. In a way, that suits the title's own detached aura.

Although I only played the game's first section, the two characters had already formed a bond with each other, and I with them. Only the unknown lies ahead, but I have no doubt it'll be a memorable journey. From the start the adventure is narrated by the boy as an adult – it's a recollection that is invariably tinged with the melancholy of remembrance. There can only be sadness and loss ahead.

It’s said patience is a virtue...and The Last Guardian has made its fans incredibly virtuous. The game has been in development for nearly a decade, and just when a release date was set at this past E3, a recent delay to December 6 is making gamers wait just a little longer. I recently went hands-on with the game at a Sony event in Japan. Fittingly, I discovered a game experience that also requires patience, but not in a frustrating way. Instead, it’s more serene as you slowly discover how to get around in this strange world with your only ally, a mammoth beast. The Last Guardian isn’t a game you tear through without a second thought, and that’s what makes it special.

If you’re familiar with director Fumito Ueda’s work (Ico, Shadow of the Colossus), you know he has a minimalist approach to the storytelling; it’s up to you to discover what’s at stake. Only small voiceover narration occurs throughout the game, and it’s usually only to give you hints or add a little detail to the situation at hand.

In The Last Guardian, you play as a young boy who wakes up next to a legendary creature named Trico. Trico is half-bird, half-mammal and is a sight to behold. Your eyes can’t help but be drawn to Trico as he moves around an ancient ruin. Trico often provides you clues as to where you should go next by interacting with the environment. In my demo, he starts pawing at a chain hanging from above, which I immediately climb on in hopes I can open the gate in front of me to progress.

The Last Guardian is a good mix of platforming and puzzle solving. I jump on high ledges to find levers or items integral to getting to the next area. I press R1 to call Trico to my side, using him as a way to jump to high points and also as a cushion when I need to get down.

The controls take getting used to; they’re much more responsive and fluid than in Team Ico’s past games, but it’s hard to train your brain to use triangle to jump, and pointing Trico to an area of interest using the camera and holding two buttons at once can be tricky. Positioning the camera is more effort than it should be: quickly becoming the most frustrating part of my demo. It didn’t make me want to stop playing, but it is an element I hope gets improved before release.

Trico is an animal and he acts like one. Sometimes when you call him, he comes straight to you; other times he’s distracted by other things in the environment and you need to keep calling him. Another issue I encountered during the demo was triggering Trico to come my way and help out consistently. You need to be patient, and sometimes it requires multiple requests or certain positioning to get him to come to your aid. Still, every time Trico comes my way, he astonishes me with his presence. Climbing up and staying on his back as he takes me to new places is always exciting.

The best moments come when things get dire. In one portion of my demo, the ground starts crumbling and I have seconds before I fall to my death. I see Trico on the other side of me on a strong structure. The jump looks tricky. Can I make it to him? I get a running start and take a death-defying leap, it looks like I might have misjudged as I barely miss Trico and the platform.

I quickly descend, and just when I think I’m a goner, Trico’s tail comes swinging my way — sweeping me up in the nick of time. These intense moments are a rush. Something about controlling the young boy always makes you feel like you’re in danger or powerless against the obstacles in front of you. Every success feels satisfying because of this, even if Trico comes in to save the day, because you’re still the brains behind the operation.

During my demo, I also notice Trico is fearful of certain things. Some stained glass windows have creepy eyes painted on them, and Trico won’t move forward if he sees them. I find rubble on the ground and hurl it to smash them. These eyes appear again not too far away, but this time they’re tied down on big structures. Throwing an object won’t reach them or be enough to take them down. I must push mining carts off ledges to bring them down, using Trico to help me as the platforms break before me.

This world is dangerous yet beautiful. Solutions are around every corner. Most of them involve Trico to some degree, but often he’s helping you as much as you’re helping him. For instance, at one point I push a huge barrel off a ledge as a way to prop open a gate so Trico can get through.

I feel a sense of accomplishment when I figure out ways to get through every plight, and Trico is there at every turn. As you fly through the air on his back, it’s just like echoes of Atreyu riding Falcor in The Neverending Story. I can already tell this is the start of something special, and can’t wait to see what’s in store when I can play the entire game.

The Last Guardian is a slow-paced, puzzle adventure game where you play as a brave hero who works with his new animal companion to escape certain death. Created by Japan Studio, this artistic experience tells an emotional story of friendship with a foreboding sense of danger and mysticism. Trapped in a crumbling castle and with limited resources, you must use your platforming skills and reasoning to weave through the many destroyed rooms as you seek an exit. Although there are a few issues with the game, The Last Guardian is definitely one of the most moving adventure games of all time.

Main Game Features

• Explore a dangerous castle full of traps
• Third-person adventure gameplay
• Use your animal companion to solve puzzles

Story

The Last Guardian follows an unnamed young hero who wakes up in a magnificent but destroyed castle with no memory of how he ended up there. Soon after awakening, the boy encounters Trico, a gigantic bird-like creature who has been imprisoned within the castle walls. After gaining Trico's trust, the boy and the creature embark on a magical adventure full of peril, where only teamwork will see them through safely. In order to escape, the pair must use their intelligence and athleticism to overcome ghostly apparitions, deadly pitfalls, and more.

Although The Last Guardian doesn't contain much in the way of dialogue, the environment is rich with story for those players willing to look for it. The narrative is told through a series of flashbacks, slowly granting information as you progress through the game. Without any extra characters or locations to explore, The Last Guardian can feel barren and lonely, much like Shadow of the Colossus. However, the foreboding atmosphere and focus on the relationship between the hero and Trico is more than enough to get you invested in the story.

Gameplay

Much like the story, the gameplay in The Last Guardian does a lot with minimal tools, mostly consisting of platforming and puzzle sections. The hero's abilities are severely limited, as he can only push and pull certain objects in the environment, interact with switches and levers, and climb over specific obstacles. Luckily, thanks to Trico's immense size and power, many obstructions can be swatted away and cleared. Despite his overwhelming stature, Trico is still a wild animal and is scared by many things, which the hero must take into consideration when moving forward.

The Last Guardian is a simple game that requires precision and forethought, much like the developer's previous game, ICO. The hero can command Trico to investigate certain areas or let him explore on his own, but this isn't always as easy as it sounds. Trico has a mind of his own and will sometimes refuse to listen to commands or complete them slowly, which can be frustrating. Overall, The Last Guardian feels more like a puzzle game with platforming sections than a traditional adventure game, but players who want to test their critical thinking and reaction time will definitely enjoy it.

Conclusion

The Last Guardian has fantastic graphics and one of the best animal companions in gaming history, making it a thoroughly amusing experience. The narrative is thought-provoking and requires a bit of inference, but fans of games with lots of environmental storytelling will appreciate what's here.

Pros

• Great visuals and music
• Heartfelt story
• Smart puzzles

Cons

• Commanding Trico can be frustrating
• Camera control is tough
• Occasional frame rate issues