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The Last Guardian
8 years ago
This journal entry brought to you by DragonTrain Studios.
A little while ago, my buddy KM and I went to our Local GameStop after we had failed to get a Nintendo Switch, due to them being sold out on day one. KM decided to add to his game collection instead and he got some very notable games, such as Duck Tales Remastered, Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, Ratchet All 4 One, and the topic of this journal, The Last Guardian.
Now, I will say right now that I love a game with beautiful artwork, and I can appreciate the details that can be displayed, and I love seeing the world of someone else's imagination come to life right before my eyes. It's one reason why I play video games. It isn't always for an engaging story, or smooth controls. Sometimes I want a game that's absolutely gorgeous as The Last Guardian delivers.
I had played Shadow of the Colossus beforehand, which is from the same team, and while I agree the world was beautiful and desolate, as it was supposed to, I don't see it as a game I'll go back to because it just seemed like a glorified Boss Rush, and there's very little reason to come back.
But I'm not here to go on a tangent, I'm here to present my thoughts on this game.
PRESENTATION
The presentation of The Last Guardian, especially any outdoor sections where there are trees and foliage is absolutely stunning, and there are some days when I'm visiting my buddy that I would just love to turn the game on to one of the beautiful outdoor areas and leave it one. The team made the world so realistic and beautiful that it actually felt like a living, breathing world that you could actually reach out and touch. So that gets 10/10
STORY
You play as an unnamed boy who wakes up next to a large feathered beast, which can be described as a Chimera, as it is a fusion of many different creatures. It's got bird talons, a face like a dog, and wings of an eagle, and the size of a griffon, and goes by the name of Trico. It's a journey of discovery, bonding, and all that. The story did just what it was supposed to do: Keep me engaged until I saw it through to the end. Once I started, I found it very hard to put down, and I don't want to spoil anything else. The story gets an amazing 10/10.
CONTROLS AND CAMERA
This is where the game falls down a little bit. While I get the fact that it's made a bit more realistic on purpose, to make it more of a cinematic platformer, I did have a few hiccups with it, especially when Trico didn't do what I wanted him to do when I wanted him to do it. However, I don't see this as a deal breaker, because you do get used to the controls after a while and Trico will eventually help you progress, since you need him all throughout the game.
The camera's at its worst in tight corridors, where it seems to be blocked constantly by either a wall, your character, or Trico. There are some other means to use the camera to compensate for this, but it's still annoying when it happens.
I give that part a 7/10
OVERALL
I really enjoyed The Last Guardian from start to finish. It was a great game where you run around and slowly figure out what you're supposed to do to move on. Some of the puzzles are kind of cryptic, and others are pretty straight forward. There are also several points in the game where you may be forced to take a leap of faith, especially when Trico won't cooperate otherwise, but you do get infinite lives, and the game is generous with its checkpoints, so that's not a major problem.
So, overall, I give The Last Guardian an excellent 9/10.
This game spent 9 years in development hell, and while I may not have been that interested in it when it first came out, my interest peaked when another buddy suggested I give it a try because of its story. So I'd say it was worth the wait. The camera could have been handled a little bit better, and Trico's AI script could have stood to be altered a little bit to where he'll more likely obey your commands when you need him to rather than going off to do his own thing, but I suppose that's a minor complaint.
Anyway, that's it.
Now, I will say right now that I love a game with beautiful artwork, and I can appreciate the details that can be displayed, and I love seeing the world of someone else's imagination come to life right before my eyes. It's one reason why I play video games. It isn't always for an engaging story, or smooth controls. Sometimes I want a game that's absolutely gorgeous as The Last Guardian delivers.
I had played Shadow of the Colossus beforehand, which is from the same team, and while I agree the world was beautiful and desolate, as it was supposed to, I don't see it as a game I'll go back to because it just seemed like a glorified Boss Rush, and there's very little reason to come back.
But I'm not here to go on a tangent, I'm here to present my thoughts on this game.
PRESENTATION
The presentation of The Last Guardian, especially any outdoor sections where there are trees and foliage is absolutely stunning, and there are some days when I'm visiting my buddy that I would just love to turn the game on to one of the beautiful outdoor areas and leave it one. The team made the world so realistic and beautiful that it actually felt like a living, breathing world that you could actually reach out and touch. So that gets 10/10
STORY
You play as an unnamed boy who wakes up next to a large feathered beast, which can be described as a Chimera, as it is a fusion of many different creatures. It's got bird talons, a face like a dog, and wings of an eagle, and the size of a griffon, and goes by the name of Trico. It's a journey of discovery, bonding, and all that. The story did just what it was supposed to do: Keep me engaged until I saw it through to the end. Once I started, I found it very hard to put down, and I don't want to spoil anything else. The story gets an amazing 10/10.
CONTROLS AND CAMERA
This is where the game falls down a little bit. While I get the fact that it's made a bit more realistic on purpose, to make it more of a cinematic platformer, I did have a few hiccups with it, especially when Trico didn't do what I wanted him to do when I wanted him to do it. However, I don't see this as a deal breaker, because you do get used to the controls after a while and Trico will eventually help you progress, since you need him all throughout the game.
The camera's at its worst in tight corridors, where it seems to be blocked constantly by either a wall, your character, or Trico. There are some other means to use the camera to compensate for this, but it's still annoying when it happens.
I give that part a 7/10
OVERALL
I really enjoyed The Last Guardian from start to finish. It was a great game where you run around and slowly figure out what you're supposed to do to move on. Some of the puzzles are kind of cryptic, and others are pretty straight forward. There are also several points in the game where you may be forced to take a leap of faith, especially when Trico won't cooperate otherwise, but you do get infinite lives, and the game is generous with its checkpoints, so that's not a major problem.
So, overall, I give The Last Guardian an excellent 9/10.
This game spent 9 years in development hell, and while I may not have been that interested in it when it first came out, my interest peaked when another buddy suggested I give it a try because of its story. So I'd say it was worth the wait. The camera could have been handled a little bit better, and Trico's AI script could have stood to be altered a little bit to where he'll more likely obey your commands when you need him to rather than going off to do his own thing, but I suppose that's a minor complaint.
Anyway, that's it.
