The Last Guardian has been a highly anticipated game ever since it was announced for the PS3. After years of delays, we will finally get a release on Oct. 25. A lengthy demo was prepared for E3, and after playing through it, I’m more concerned than hyped.
The demo starts at what I was told is more or less the beginning of The Last Guardian. You play as a young boy who wakes up trapped in a cave, covered in tattoos and right next to a massive mythological beast. Mondays, am I right?
Playing similarly to its predecessor Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian has you running around as this boy, jumping and grabbing onto ledges, chains and whatever else you can access. Almost all the commands are done with the R1 button, including holding onto ledges, grabbing objects and climbing Trico, the mythical beast from before.
Once you get your bearings, you realize Trico is chained up and wounded. After pulling out some nasty spears and undoing the harness around Trico’s neck, you start gaining the creature’s trust. It’s clear you’ll develop a quick and close bond with Trico, as gameplay heavily involves you two working together to solve puzzles.
Right away, you stumble across a magic shield that can shoot a beam of light out its front. When the light falls on a surface and Trico sees it, Trico’s eyes light up and it shoots lightning from its tail. The first time this happened, it was totally unexpected and (pardon the pun) shocking. The lighting can destroy obstacles in your way, and probably will have other uses later in the game.
The further I got into the lengthy demo, the more I came to realize that the camera controls just weren’t very good. This is especially problematic when you find yourself in tight quarters and Trico is walking behind you. The camera will become entirely blocked by Trico’s large frame, making it tough to see where to go. When you do have control of the camera, it didn’t feel that responsive, or would snap back to the original, unhelpful angle.
Some animations also seemed a little unpolished, and textures weren’t anything too special. Granted, this is just the demo and doesn’t represent the final release of The Last Guardian. That being said, after so much time in development, you would hope it would at least come through in the art and animations.
The demo ended when I had finally escaped the cave with Trico by my side. The voiceover commenting on the action throughout the demo suggested the area I found myself in was some place filled with dangers. With Trico by my side, I felt ready and excited to take on whatever The Last Guardian had for me.
Speaking of the voiceover, oddly enough it sounded like an older man. This seems to suggest The Last Guardian is told through some kind of flashback, with a man recounting the events of his past.
The Last Guardian comes to PS4 on Oct. 25.
So what do you think? Are you excited to finally see a release date for The Last Guardian? Are you concerned the gameplay doesn’t seem as polished as it could be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
