The Last Guardian is the latest exclusive game to release on the PS4. This game is basically a story about a boy and his companion, which is a massive kind of bird/cat creature called Trico. Trico is kind of a buddy for the boy and helps him to escape the castle he mysteriously woke up in, in the beginning of the game. It’s a nice story about friendship, trust and exploration.
This is a really nice game and it’s a game that I believe if you were going out to go and purchase it that you better have a good amount of time to play and also a decent amount of patience. You see for basically the whole game it’s just you playing as a kid and trying to get Trico to escort you around and also out of the castle you’re trapped in and that can be frustrating at times, but also nice if you have the time to appreciate it all.
There’s quite a lot of in game puzzles to solve which I would liken to that of some puzzles in the Uncharted or even the Tomb Raider series, you know those kind of non action moments where you gotta move stuff around or shine light somewhere in order to get through a section of the level, that’s basically most of this game. You’ll be solving a lot of different small puzzles and challenges as you move the boy around different levels in the game and also at the same time try to get Trico to come with you as well. I don’t mind it, but I feel lately that I haven’t got much time to play games and sometimes I felt stuck and for a short gaming session, which is usually only about an hour at a time for me in the past weeks, if I didn’t get past that many challenges or failed to figure out where to go, I felt that the experience The Last Guardian offered me was slightly more frustrating than I would have liked. Sure I love Trico, the story is delightful, but I just don’t have much time for this stuff. I want to mention this as I feel there are many out there who could be the same and I can see many not finishing this game or it ending up in their pile of shame for years as they move on to other less frustrating and time consuming experiences.
On the other hand though, I love the game. It provides a charming and relaxing experience about a boy and his pet. For some reason it kept reminding me of The Neverending Story dog while playing it and I like that about it. It does have its emotional moments and people will become attached to Trico over time and by the time most reach the end game, I can see many possibly even shedding a tear. It’s a nice game and a good step away from all the constant killing and slaughter that’s out there in other games.
The animation is quite nice, although it isn’t particularly to my personal liking. I do still appreciate it for what it is, colours such as all the greens really do stand out when you encounter plant life, but as you’re inside a castle there is quite a lot of grey in the world. Trico’s grey as well so there’s that as well, but as a creature he is well designed and there’s nice details on his feathers.
Overall The Last Guardian is a really nice game, it’s got a delightful story about a kid and this creature. It’s a game about trust, friendship and exploration. It will also give many players a very emotional gameplay experience. But it may not be for everyone, there’s a lot of puzzles to solve and moving Trico around certain levels can be frustrating which may be too much for players who don’t have too much time to spend with the game and just want to get through the stages and the story. But other than that, it’s a wonderful story and it’s got some nice art and Trico is beautifully designed.
