That’s right, you read correctly: The Last Guardian is finally coming to PlayStation 4.
If you’re anything like me, when the gameplay began, chills went down your spine, you were welling up, and your inner fangirl was going “NO PLEASE BE STILL MY BEATING HEART.” When Trico came on-screen, all of the memories of the emotions I experienced in Shadow of the Colossus came back and the excitement that came when I initially saw the game came flooding back.
This is the first time actual gameplay of the highly anticipated game from Team Ico, the creators of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, which are regarded as some of the best games of all time, and is the first time the game has been showcased at an E3 conference since 2009.
The Last Guardian has had a rough ride. Director Fumito Ueda left the project, although it appears that he has returned to the project with a new studio called genDesign. He is still listed as the creative director, and turned up in the audience and took a bow during the reveal. Rumors also flew around yearly, with speculation constantly in fluctuation about whether the game was still in development or not.
The footage shown exhibits the as-of-yet unnamed young protagonist traversing a level which towers above an abyss with his griffin-like creature Trico. The footage has you on the edge throughout, with the platforms precariously wobbling under the weight of Trico, the young boy falling off of a particularly high platform before being saved at the last second by Trico, and Trico grasping for dear life as the hero pushes a beam down for him to grip onto. It’s captivating, beautiful, and I personally cannot wait for the release.
Speaking of, it was announced that The Last Guardian will be released for the PlayStation 4 in 2016. It’s been ten years since the release of Shadow of the Colossus, and a whole generation has passed by. For it to finally be released will be a blessing, and I can only hope that it lives up to the hype.
And I am still sure the ending is going to break my heart. But at this point, I am very much okay with that.
