The Last Guardian

[enviousdominous]

Finally, someone made a game that's perfect for me.

The typical devices of a video game that doubles as an interactive novel are that the main character rises, falls, rises again and all the while opposes forces that are obviously evil to an irreprehensible degree.

The Last Guardian defies the typical trends by allowing you to enjoy being a mentor and friend unto a curious and at times adorable mythical beast named Trico. You play as a child who seems to share a strong kinship with the colossal creature. Everywhere you go, Trico wants to be near you. Certain areas are designed so that Trico's own sense of playful wonder give you hints indicating how you could possibly progress to the next stage.

From what I've played so far, it's a run-of-the-mill puzzle solving game where the interactions between the main character and his pet are what make the game captivating.

In one memorable scene you walk through a small archway into a new area, and Trico attempts to follow you by putting his head through the opening but is unable to fit the rest of his massive frame. Trico then whines about not being able to follow you, but you can ease his whining by holding down the circle button near him which allows you to pet him and speak a synthetic language to say what sounds like "it's okay". You can comfort Trico at anytime, but this scene was especially heart warming.

The game is getting decent reviews, there are apparently lots of complaints about the wonky camera angles. For me, the game is everything I've ever wanted in a video game and I highly encourage anyone with a soul to try it out.

 

[enviousdominous]

I finished The Last Guardian earlier, and believe me when I say that I loved every minute of game-play.

No ending spoilers, but something I'd like to say about the ending:

Spoiler

This game made me cry. Not choked up while wiping away a few tears crying, full on needing a moment to myself bawling. This is significant because I have never shed a tear on behalf of a video game. I thought that Aeris' death in FF7 was indeed sad and a very rare emotional appeal from a video game, but it couldn't make me sad enough to outright cry.

What made me cry was the ending, which I promise I will not elaborate on in any other form. Just know that while I have a soft spot for stories about animals, I don't cry easy.

This isn't your typical game. This game has been thrashed by a video game journalist I respect named Jim Sterling in what he claims is an "honest" review. Albeit; Jim typically pulls no punches and is only influenced by his genuine perspective. His YouTube review can be viewed here. In a nutshell, Jim wants this game to be more clear in regard to interactions with Trico and he feels that the game's many puzzles should have been more polished. I don't disagree with his feelings, but he makes unfair comments like the Trico AI being "abysmal" that I think are just him being an impatient gamer, which brings me to my next point.

This game requires A LOT of patience. Trico wasn't designed with an AI that simply obeys your commands, he has to agree that your command makes sense. One thing a lot of frustrated gamers seem to be missing is that you can give specific commands to Trico, as the game doesn't explicitly instruct on how to do so. Knowing how to give Trico specific commands to jump or stay doesn't make the game a cakewalk though, Trico only does what Trico wants to do.

To persuade Trico to let the game progress, you have to be aware of a few things.

First; it's very easy to mistake the generic greeting that you give to Trico with a command that you thought you had given him. You have to push R1 and Triangle to tell Trico to jump/perch, but sometimes the game only registers that R1 was pushed which basically just has you say hello to Trico. The way to tell is if the child waves his arm over his head, seeing the child do that has resulted in Trico seeing the light nearly everytime.

Second; make certain that Trico is aware of the obstacle you're telling him to surpass. If he puts eyes on a cliff or a tower, chances are he intends to jump on it and is just waiting for you to encourage him.

Third; if all else fails, just observe Trico from a distance. The game's narrator will chime in with hints if enough time has gone by, and sometimes Trico has to fully satisfy his curiosity before he'll get back to focusing on getting to the next area. Sometimes Trico will walk into an area and just immediately figure out where he needs to go next, which is great when you just want to progress but isn't so great when Trico accidentally ditches you and you have to call him back.

Some areas will have obvious solutions, with insanely difficult steps to achieving that solution. One area comes to mind:

Spoiler

You have to pull an extremely heavy bronze cylinder up a ramp and then push it off the ramp onto its flat side so it can stand upright, you're then tasked to push this object very slowly toward a giant gate that Trico will occasionally open for brief moments as he playfully manipulates the opening mechanism. Moving the cylinder doesn't happen until there's been a two second delay with the child grunting and putting all of his weight into pushing it, and the window to push it under the gate only lasts for less than a second. For whatever reason; if you just continually push the cylinder toward the gate in hopes that it'll slide under during the brief window of opportunity, the gate won't lift.

This is a game that teaches you to develop an affinity with your companion, and very quickly I found myself emotionally frantic when Trico would be caught in dire situations. Trico and the child show true courage and selflessness when they risk their lives for each other, and the game does a very good job of rewarding your efforts in the build-up to the end.

Mark my words; the greatest video game I've ever played.

 

[SSJPhenom]

I plan on getting this game as a gift for Christmas from my father. I'm happy the read that you liked it a lot, but most reviews I've read have been mixed. Most saying that it's a beautiful game and the relationship between your character and Trico is amazing and that Trico himself is a treat, but they say the story is lacking and that its short with virtually no replay value.

What say you to that?

 

[enviousdominous]

Most saying that it's a beautiful game and the relationship between your character and Trico is amazing and that Trico himself is a treat, but they say the story is lacking and that its short with virtually no replay value.

What say you to that?

I think that the game gives the best of itself on the first play-through, and that some remember the experience as so intensely frustrating that they choose not to put themselves through that again. I love a good mental challenge so my first play through was an absolute joy, and I'm replaying it because I just think it's fun to work together with an adorable AI. What makes the game especially endearing to me is that I don't like the common trope of "Knights vs Dragons" in fantasy gaming, this game has you interacting with a beast that you develop a rapport with because you both genuinely mean no harm to each other.

I've converted a few friends who swore that this game has the worst control scheme by showing them a very simple fix; some players are improperly giving commands to Trico and puzzles are only solved because Trico got bored and decided to do what needed to be done to access the next area. Albeit; making the game easier to rush through doesn't inspire some of us to play the game again, but at least I got them to admit that their main gripe with the game was due to player error.

One common misconception I've seen is that when you're directed to hold down R1 and press a direction to guide Trico to where you want him, people were just pressing and letting go of R1. While they thought the game was being a buggy mess, they were really constantly shouting "Hi Trico!" when they intended for him to obey a complex command.

One thing that really irritates me about the hate that this game is getting is that a lot of it is coming from people who never even played the game. I find myself having to validate the game to people who don't even get into artistic games for personal reasons.

Another group of people I see bashing the game are hardcore fanatics of Shadow of the Colossus. Where they were hunting big game in SotC, they're bonding with an adorable beast in The Last Guardian. Fumito Ueda never claimed that he was making a direct sequel to Shadow of the Colossus.

This isn't a game for the average video game player, in that the video game industry is facing a glut of games that only serve to attack your senses with every possible male aesthetic in existence. I would say that this is a game for someone who can find joy in solving a complex math equation or putting together a 5000 piece puzzle.

 

[enviousdominous]

As far as the story goes; there really isn't much of one a story first, but by the end everything will have happened for a reason. This can be seen as a good thing or a bad thing.

Obviously it can be seen as a bad thing because the game requires you to stay engaged based on a desire to work with your companion to overcome obstacles. The motivation for doing that is simply that you're a confused kid who wants to return home, and your companion isn't anymore aware of his surroundings than you are.

I see it as a good thing because the reasons for everything that's occurring does become apparent after you've progressed far enough, and I like that I was getting those moments few and far between so the game doesn't appear to try to constantly justify itself. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that the seemingly bland events of the game end up being very meaningful.

 

[SSJPhenom]

I finally got the game for Christmas just as I had though. This game is beautiful. The characters jump out, the environments are phenomenal, and the colors really bring this game life.

Trico is pure entertainment himself. I like to just sit and watch what he does while we're not doing something. I also like to watch how he responds to commands, food, being pet, and enemies. The relationship between the boy and Trico is outstanding to watch.

The story to this game is a beautiful one. I'm not finished with it, but I do genuinely care for the characters and am excited to see the story progress. Having said that, though, I find the game rather boring. The game is literally going from one area to another, figure out some puzzle on how to get to the next area. Trico does the bulk of the fighting, so there's no fun in that. All one really gets to do as the boy is run, jump, climb, push, pull, sneak, and figure out puzzles. Which is fine if you like that sort of thing, which I love puzzles in games like Resident Evil and the like, but they also have a lot of action as well for the main character and that's what this game is missing.

If I had to give it a score it'd be 7/10. I just can't take an entire game of puzzles and platforming. I need to bash or slice something or shoot something. I'm certain that this game would make an excellent movie. They wouldn't need to change a thing to make it a good movie. I bet it'd win Oscars and everything too.

 

[enviousdominous]

All one really gets to do as the boy is run, jump, climb, push, pull, sneak, and figure out puzzles. Which is fine if you like that sort of thing, which I love puzzles in games like Resident Evil and the like, but they also have a lot of action as well for the main character and that's what this game is missing.

If I had to give it a score it'd be 7/10. I just can't take an entire game of puzzles and platforming. I need to bash or slice something or shoot something. I'm certain that this game would make an excellent movie. They wouldn't need to change a thing to make it a good movie. I bet it'd win Oscars and everything too.

I think you'll bump the score up a point or two after completing it.

It's true that the boy doesn't have much potential beyond having a strong rapport with Trico, but you can use his limited abilities to cause chaos with the empty armor husks (who I'll admit aren't very versatile either). You can run and push them while they're standing next to a ledge to knock them off, causing them to do a comical "whoa whoa whoa!" motion before plummeting. You can also grab the head of a downed husk and pull it until it comes off.