The Last Guardian

The Last Guardian was in development for eight whole years. The production team came across many issues such as software faults, to programmers leaving Sony. The game started development in 2007, though the idea is supposedly thought of in 2005, after the reaction of Shadow of Colossus – the company’s previous game. Planned for release in 2011 on the PS3, the release date would be pushed back a further five years and transitioning onto the PS4.

Said to be a combination of ICO and Shadow of Colossus – the game focuses on the developing relationship between a young boy and Trico (an animal that slightly resembles a Griffin). Allegedly, the game was created due to the relationship shown in Shadow of Colossus between Wander and Agro.

To make this emotional tale seem more realistic Trico has been carefully developed into a real animal. Featuring movements and characteristics from studying animal behaviour, to game-play wherein the player has to guide the animal with food, the peculiar creature is utterly convincing. Furthermore, Trico will react to how the player treats and responds to him, which is said to make the character unique to every player and how they choose to interact with him. The further into the game, the more the emotional attachment between and boy and Trico will develop and he will soon be friendly and trusting to the boy. Although the player may wish to make Trico follow him and abide by their own rules developers have admitted that some areas will unlock when allowing Trico to roam free and explore.

The gameplay is a flashback narrative, unlike the developers other games. A young boy awakens after being mysteriously kidnapped and held in a castle, upon his escape, he sets free Trico wherein they will start their emotional journey together. The duo will solve puzzles through their adventure escaping the magnificent castle. An element of the game is to train and teach Trico, who can fire a stream of lightning from his tail. Interestingly, you can monitor the creature’s mood range through his eyes. They range from the passive yellow to aggressive, darker colours.

Music is a defining factor of the game, being used sparingly to emphasise their emotional scenes being presented. Performing the soundtrack is the London Symphony Orchestra with a special edition vinyl records being created for the release.

From the initial promotional footage that we saw to the more modern look at the game, the gameplay itself has not been seen to be changed, however, the look of the game – especially the location and Trico have been greatly detailed and improved upon.

Let us know if you will be playing The Last Guardian and your opinions on the long-awaited game! Did you know you can play this and way, way more amazing games on our custom arcade cabinets?

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