Having to wait for something that you have no control over, because its down to AI, is not fun. This is the first game, ever to my knowledge, where the phrase "I should be able to do X, but the game doesn't feel like it", is actually true. Having your central gameplay mechanic be temperamental because the designers thought it was a good idea, is not fun. But this is also a game and gameplay-story segregation is probably a good thing for me here, because sitting on the right solution to something with no indication, is not fun. The idea that a companion wont listen is refreshing for a narrative. You can have the right solution to a puzzle, and it wont listen, so how do you know its right? I honestly think the game should give a little more indication as to what Treecko can do (Yes I'm calling it that). So you see the god forsaken bird thing not listening as a good thing? That it makes you feel accomplished by completing a puzzle? Some will be unable to look past the mechanical shortcomings, but they'll be missing out on one of the most meaningful and truly original experiences in years. The Last Guardian is a modern masterpiece, and a worthy addition to Team ICO's already flawless track record. The world, intricately detailed as it is, feels like a third character here the lore is never expanded, and yet it exudes every inch of meticulously detailed architecture. It's all complemented, of course, by an understated musical score which emphasises wind instruments and gives the whole affair a necessary air of whimsy. The lighting, so ethereal, is exceptional, and the sense of scale as Trico bounds across collapsing buildings is out of this world. There are no menus or user interfaces here the game itself is the reward, and it's refreshingly old-school in that regard.īut it looks incredible.
These may span a glimpse of a gorgeous, natural vista – or a moment with Trico, as he washes clean his feathers by rolling gleefully in a shallow pool. These prizes expand beyond a blossoming bromance, though: The Last Guardian does away with XP drip feeding and unlocks, opting instead to reward you with memorable moments. And it's through this effort that you'll get your just rewards. The game gives you the tools to manage the beast as though it's a living thing: you need to pet it to calm its nerves feed it to maintain its strength. But this only makes it more satisfying when you clamber upon its feathered back, and it carries out your instructions without thought. It can, unquestionably, be irritating when you feel like you've solved a puzzle, only for the animal to not follow out your commands. Each headscratcher is more imaginative than the last. The game gleefully leaves you unaided, so it's down to you and your understanding of the animal in order to solve conundrums that range from creating makeshift catapults to manipulating the flow of water. There are some staggering, sky-high platforming sequences over the course of the campaign, and these are interspersed with puzzles that will require you to manipulate Trico in order to achieve your goals. But while the performance problems do grate, acknowledgement must go to the sheer ambition on display here the game world folds in on itself, teasing areas that you're yet to encounter, and reminding you of districts that you've long since conquered.
GUARDIAN OF LORE SWITCH REVIEW PRO
It's hard to imagine how this was ever envisioned for the PlayStation 3, then – especially when even the supercharged PS4 Pro struggles to match Japan Studio's seemingly limitless vision. Meanwhile, the feisty phoenix – who goes by the name Trico or Toriko depending upon who you listen to – can be contrary, ignoring instructions akin to a real animal. The robed protagonist – diminutive in scale but boasting a big heart – is gangly and awkward to manoeuvre strange controller mapping and a heavy physics system means that he can be difficult to position. But these obvious associations aside, this PlayStation 4 exclusive is very much its own beast.Īnd there are occasions where that can frustrate. The game borrows liberally from its forebears: the bloomy, ostentatious architecture of ICO's castle provides the backdrop for all of the buccaneering that you'll be getting up to the concept of enormous computer controlled creatures from Shadow of the Colossus forms the foundation of a friendship that you'll struggle to forget. It's not perfect, but sometimes it's the imperfections that help us to fall in love. And yet, it's hard not to be enamoured by this touching tale of companionship.
This bewilderingly brilliant yarn about a boy and a bird sticks so rigidly to a singular ideal that it's almost detrimental at times. Fumito Ueda's fantasy adventure may have taken the best part of a decade to deploy, but Team ICO's creative vision was never to blame. The Last Guardian doesn't much care for convention.
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