Review: The Last Guardian (PS4)

The Last Guardian opens with you as a small human boy with strange markings on his skin. You are in a woozy state and find yourself on a large open patch in a dark cave. What’s more, there is a titanic legendary creature, wounded and hungry lying next to you panting. What do you do? Your actions will be the beginning of a long fulfilling friendship between beast and boy.

When the light hits the creature, you can see its form: its glowing eyes, its protruding horns, large rat-like ears and cat-like tail. The beast will follow behind you as you explore the area. When enemies appear, “Trico” will come to the rescue with his spark-tail and you can calm his spirits by petting him. Soon enough, Trico will learn to respond to your commands and you will be able to climb your new pet to new heights.

As you continue on your adventure, releasing traps, jumping over doors and having close calls on cliffs, your bond strengthens. I found commanding Trico to be sometimes frustrating because like most wild animals, it does not always respond to your actions. Sometimes, he will look out into the distance or sniff around, but for the most part your job is to lure the beast towards the next area. Later on in the game, you will find that you will need to take leaps of faith and put your full trust in your partner.

I enjoyed the movie scenes and the easy flow of controls when jumping onto ledges or onto Trico’s fur. The slow-mo is great when you are just an inch away from grabbing a tail to avoid disaster. In certain levels however, the rooms are too small for Trico, and I found my screen full of black feathers or glitching out with trying to move the beast around to a better view. When both characters are outside however, the landscape is breathtaking and it really feels like you are immersed in an epic movie of two heroes growing their bond. All around, it is not terrible for a cinema-type game that you can finish in a couple days.

I would rate this game a 6.5 out of 10.

Reviewed on Playstation 4.

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