The Last Guardian
EVERYBODY’S HEARD ABOUT THE BIRD… AND AFTER A DECADE OF WAITING, IT’S READY TO LEAVE THE NEST. $79 | PS4 | www.playstation.com/en-au/games/the-last-guardian-ps4
LIKE ICO AND Shadow Of The Colossus, Sony’s latest exclusive makes you feel so many strong emotions: fear, joy, elation, sadness. This is a moving game, but was it worth the eternal wait? In so many ways, The Last Guardian is something of a throwback — no multiplayer, sparse menus and few trophies. This is purely a story-driven single-player, third-person action adventure experience.
You play a young boy who meets Trico, a combination of a bird and a cat (and a dog, probably) who is injured, trapped and as lost as you are. The story feels very much like the fable of a lion with a thorn in its foot, only spread out over around nine hours, with a friendship that grows and matures. Most of the time, you’ll be clambering up scenery, solving rudimentary puzzles and riding Trico. It’s a quiet game all round, with only the hero’s commands to Trico, his frequent roaring, skittering feet and general animal noises peppering the atmosphere. The soundtrack is sweeping, grandiose and tender when required, but it’s the appearance and audio design of Trico himself that most impresses.
However, in tight spots, our camera seems to get lost inside a wall. Mid-climb, you’ll suddenly completely lose sight of what you’re doing, forcing you to adjust the camera before sorting yourself out. Worse, it sometimes pans to Trico at the expense of the player character.
After a while, you gain the ability to command Trico. At least, that’s the idea. In practice, it’s a different story. Large parts of the game require you to cling to your friend as he bounces from pillar to ledge. As fantastic as this mode of transport sounds, sitting and waiting for Trico to do things isn’t fun, nor is being absolutely sure you’re pointing him in the right direction.
There’s clearly been so much love and time invested in this game. But the gameplay confusion and the bad camera can make for some extremely frustrating moments. When it hits its stride, you lose yourself in it, which makes it all the more heart-breaking when it stumbles.