These are wonderful times for players with a few years of experience on the back: in these days not one, but two titles almost lost in oblivion have finally arrived in stores, to the point that The Last Guardian literally pales in front of the delay of the companion in this "adventure. ", Final Fantasy XV. Beyond the vicissitudes related to the development and the exit of Fumito Ueda from Sony to create his genDESIGN studio, thus participating in the project as an external professional, many things have changed in the gaming world in these seven years since the announcement. The iconic Japanese developer, however, has remained true to his beliefs: although informed and updated, he is not interested in the latest trends that have invaded this particular sphere of entertainment, having the deep conviction that a video game should excite and tell a good story. Despite the important time jump compared to his previous creations, The Last Guardian is closely linked to that way of understanding video games and, perhaps surprisingly, this idea has not aged particularly, and indeed has been enriched in terms of gameplay for adapt to some of today's dictates that are now due. We are here to express our opinion, minimizing spoilers even at the risk of giving you a less in-depth review than usual.
The time has finally come, we have played The Last Guardian in its definitive version
The mysteries of life
The first thing to do, as a sad custom by now, is to download the day-one patch. Just over 1 GB, which even seem few given the latest trends, aimed at solving bugs and supporting PlayStation 4 Pro and HDR; the overall size on the disc is about 14 GB, testifying to the nature of the title which has its roots on PlayStation 3. Technical data aside, we approached the game with rigorous respect and as big fans of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus , but also with an awareness and further experiences gained over time, thanks to titles that in the meantime have redefined the adventure genre such as The Last of Us and others on different systems. The Last Guardian focuses in its entirety on the story - in the form of flashbacks - of a boy from a remote village who knows where, who knows why he finds himself in a valley from which it is apparently impossible to escape. Waking up in the company of a creature with mythological features, as evidenced by the initial sequence that shows some of those that really existed in the collective imagination.
A relationship destined to evolve over time, because the vicissitudes of the two protagonists will lead them to a deep connection, until they become the backbone of the production and affect the gameplay dynamics. The setting is made up of imposing structures that are lost visibly, heights that cause dizziness just to stick your head out, obstacles that require ingenuity to overcome. The collaboration between the two is therefore fundamental, because the boy can move easily in narrow spaces or climb buildings when there are only small holds, on the back of the creature he can jump between very distant points or defend himself from the animated dangers that populate the setting. In the opening bars, Trico's trust must be gained by removing some spears stuck in his body and feeding him, then perhaps using elements of the scenario to indicate the actions to be performed. The creature will not always respond promptly, and only after several hours of play will there be a greater harmony, which will allow through some gestures (executable with R1 plus one of the four front buttons of the DualShock 4) to tame its behaviors. Or at least try, because maybe there will be a mirror with the features of an eye to prevent him from continuing, something else that distracts his attention: in The Last Guardian the boy is controlled all the time, while his partner enjoys his own intelligence. artificial and an instinct typical of animals. But what is Trico, ultimately? We have analyzed and retraced its behaviors throughout the course of the game: in our opinion it is mainly a feline, a grown cat that scratches itself with its paws, which has typical expressions of an adorable cat, which before taking a jump evaluates with its eyes the distance and positions with the butt. But it also obviously has the features of a bird and the typical behaviors of a dog, able to interpret the gestures of its companion, become attached to it and follow it even in times of difficulty. Each player will draw their own considerations by experiencing the interaction with this creature in first person: just know that the name Trico is among the most accredited candidates for the next feline who will live in the house of the writer. Another "passive" protagonist is this sort of fluid that is found inside the small barrels that serve as food for Trico, but which also flows from some amphorae and seems to give life to armor stubborn to kidnap the boy and block the way for two in any way. In terms of level design, the adventure follows a similar progression, and the first hours are beautiful but without jolts: you learn how to interact with Trico and use him to overcome otherwise impossible distances or heights, you face environmental puzzles during which you have to activate levers or procuring food - very classic - you learn the first narrative information. Always and especially in the early hours we move in limited spaces, and the camera reveals some problems both when it acts on its own, and when you try to manage it with the right analog, becoming schizophrenic near a ceiling or a close wall, even more so if on Trico's back. You try to move an elephant in a room, but this does not mean that it could have been done better.
PlayStation 4 Trophies
The Last Guardian offers 24 trophies, of which 7 are gold. Completing it for the first time brings a fairly low percentage of completion as a "gift", less than 30%: to get all the trophies, activities that represent spoilers are required and that is why we do not tell you, together with, for example, the need to complete the adventure in less than 30, 15 and 5 hours, feed all the barrels to Trico, put the creature's head in all the holes (!). You will probably need to finish the adventure at least a second time to get the coveted platinum.
Loneliness and companionship
Paradoxically, following the bridge sequence shown during E3 in Los Angeles which occurs after about 4-5 hours of play, the situation improves from every point of view: the camera is less tantrum, the platform phases acquire complexity and airiness. , the puzzles become ingenious - using for example the water, the physical power of Trico, the interconnection of gears and towers with each other - the story begins to pick up pace and there are events that involve other antagonists. Giving rise to stormy and highly emotional sequences, during which our actions can affect those of others. Among the best sections we have those in which the boy moves on wires suspended in the void, with the need to reach those mirrors just mentioned by climbing numerous structures; it is also necessary to puzzle a little more to understand how to continue. The control system is extremely similar to that of ICO, which proposes among other things the triangle for the jump and not the usual X to which we are now accustomed. In The Last Guardian we have elements from both chapters, but the greatest similarities are with the original one, also in terms of level design. The presence of Trico, which can be "scaled" in a similar way to the giants of Shadow of the Colossus, serves to make the gameplay dynamic like never before; clinging to the creature, however, is automatic on the occasion of large jumps or escapes, without the need to leave a special button pressed. Rather the relationship between the two recalls that of Wander and Agro, but in the case of The Last Guardian it is much more pronounced, important in terms of gameplay and fundamental pillar of the narrative component. On a couple of occasions we have tinged eyes from what we have seen on screen, and it was exciting to notice small details such as Trico's worry, her rolling around in the water, becoming more and more attached to creating a connection that predictably explodes. in the last bars of the adventure. Unlike the other two works by Ueda, finally, the story is told in a simple, direct, methodically progressive way, to the point of being less surprising if we want. In any case, there are different interpretations once the credits are over, which make you rethink some actions performed in first person during the previous hours of play. We completed The Last Guardian in just over 12 hours (timed!), a duration that is absolutely adequate for the type of experience it offers; starting over it is possible to unlock alternative costumes for the boy, linked to the number of barrels given to Trico, leaving the rest of the replayability to the desire to relive some passages of the adventure.
The menus offer a reduced choice, with few options related to the camera and the audio: we found the constant suggestions of the commands that appear in the first hours in an arbitrary way a bit annoying, we would have appreciated an option to deactivate them as soon as became familiar with the control system. We have not forgotten the graphic sector, which in its artistic vein perfectly manages to convey that sense of grandeur and solitude of the settings, as well as giving memorable glimpses of the outdoors. There are several elements that betray the nature at the turn of generations of the product, especially as regards the effects used, few, or the interaction with water and textures, often monothematic and not comparable with those of the latest generation games. There are also touches of class such as the wind interacting with Trico's feathers, the animations of both the latter and the boy, the enormous polygonal mass of the creature. and the structures of the valley, really able to convey the grandeur of the whole. In a strictly technical sense The Last Guardian therefore suffers from ups and downs, but the strengths listed and the artistic level return an overall impact for large satisfying strokes. We played the entire title on PlayStation 4 Pro with a 4K panel capable of interpreting the HDR signal, which the game automatically supports without the possibility of turning it off. In this configuration we found a soft image quality without aliasing (we do not know which rendering technique was used), together with perfect fluidity at 30 frames per second in most cases: in some external sections a motion is used rather pronounced blur, which depending on your sensitivity can be more or less annoying. HDR does a great job in outdoor scenes when blinded by the sun, indoors thanks to a great contrast between the lit and unlit areas. Surely there is an improvement over the game on the "smooth" version of the console, which pays above all in terms of frame rate - far from being as smooth as on the Pro version - but luckily it shares all the remaining advantages that we have listed a few lines above. . As for the music sector, the excellent soundtrack created by master Takeshi Furukawa and played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra accompanies the protagonists in a timid way when required, more incisive in moments of greater emotional tension, resulting in a fine workmanship also from the point of view. from a purely technical point of view. If we really want to delve into virtuosity and comparison, the soundtrack of Shadow of the Colossus, composed by Kow Otani, enjoyed a variety and superior arrangements, with some truly unforgettable pieces. Even that of The Last Guardian defends itself, but it is more monotonous and lacks that unforgettable song that defines the whole production. Inside the Collector's there is a code that allows you to download a special application to listen to the soundtrack directly on the PlayStation 4, with the option to export all the songs (nineteen) in Stereo MP3 format on a USB stick.
Comment
Resources4Gaming.com8.6
Readers (250)8.0
Your voteThe Last Guardian offers more substance than you think by analyzing the two previous works of Fumito Ueda, thanks to gameplay oriented to the platform / puzzle solid, varied and at times ingenious, which sins of laziness in the first part but improves exponentially going forward. From the graphic point of view, the criticalities deriving from a development started on PlayStation 3 are undoubted, but the artistic sector and various elements such as the creation of Trico, return a graphic impact far from being trivial, indeed. The evocative moments are the prerogative of the sense of loneliness and grandeur that permeates the game setting, the emotional chords are touched by the relationship between the two protagonists, even by the keys to reading a story that in its main narrative thread is clear, direct. , beautiful to live, without sensational peaks. The only real "weight" that The Last Guardian carries with it since its announcement back in 2009 is derived from the genre to which it belongs, no longer beaten as it once was and who knows what followed by the greatest videogame criticism, especially by important comparison meters arrived meantime. It matters little, however: even without that title of masterpiece to which it could have aspired, it is a game that Fumito Ueda fans and adventure lovers should play from start to finish.
PRO
- Solid and ingenious gameplay, also quite varied
- The relationship between Trico and the boy gives several exciting and interesting moments to play
- Artistically delightful, Trico's making is excellent. Impossible not to get attached
- Some graphics betray the development started on PlayStation 3
- On the "smooth" PlayStation 4 the frame rate is uncertain
- The first part of the adventure is quite classic, and the camera struggles in small spaces
