The Last Guardian

despite the trivial flaws, its still one of the best gaming experiences of all time. another masterpiece from fueda

I haven't yet played Ico, but after playing both Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian I'm becoming quite obsessed with Ueda and his team's ability to tell stories that are directly rooted in their gameplay mechanics. As I played, I became so affectionate toward my friend Trico that I would do anything to help them and see our mission through.

Honestly, I think it's a pretty boring take to be wrapped up in this game's "flaws." Sure, criticism is important and this game does have a few awkward elements with controls, and tutorial moments, but I... just... those things were so far in the back of my mind compared to everything else it delivers. It's just unlike anything else and I would so much rather play a unique and beautiful thing with flaws than another run-of-the-mill AAA game that feels like pretty much the same game with a different skin.

I saw someone say something like "the people who seem to enjoy this game the most are people who play it like a pet simulator experience rather than a video game experience" and I really recommend taking the former approach if you can. That's not to make the argument that this "isn't a game, but an experience". Just that I do think it requires a slightly different approach as a player of games.

I'm so lucky to be living in a time with Ueda's team making games. Please check this one out if you can.

Although The Last Guardian is definitely plagued by unfortunate frame rate issues and some mechanically clunky bits (in line with previous efforts from Fumito Ueda), overall I would still consider the conclusion to the legendary Team Ico trilogy pretty damn underrated and probably even a minor masterpiece. For one thing, I'm just immensely impressed with Trico, the level of verisimilitude here is worlds beyond any AI companion I've seen in any video game. While I can certainly understand other people's frustrations with Trico's occasional unresponsiveness, I was surprised by how much patience I had with Trico. It genuinely felt like I was gradually bonding with a scared animal that needed me as much as I needed it, making it difficult for me to get upset at Trico for not always obeying my commands at once. And, of course, the breathtakingly gorgeous, fully realized and brilliantly interconnected setting is a true marvel to behold and stands testament to a team that has mastered the art of virtual architecture. I don't have much more to say; I suppose I could keep on gushing about how much I want to have those Ueda aesthetics injected directly into my veins, but I'd rather leave you with a nice little video essay by Jacob Geller, confidently titled The Most Beautiful Moment of the Generation (though it goes without saying that I strongly encourage you to finish the game yourself before watching that video).

The most frustrating puzzle-adventure game I experienced in the last two generations. Which is such a pity as the art direction and main concept are actually good. You are a little boy who needs to cooperate with a giant bird-like dog to solve environmental puzzles and make your way home. The beast is one of the most live-like creatures we got in a game so far, with constantly unpredictable motion patterns and unreliable reactions to spice things up. Taming it is initially hard, but your affinity will improve with each puzzle until you even feel emotionally attached to it. The environments are a little one-note but always tastefully designed, sometimes with fabulous light effects.

The problem is that the controls, camera and AI are beyond ridiculous. The frustration never comes from a lack of skills on the player's part: it's just the game to be poorly programmed. Even when you already know what to do, you end up wasting minutes triggering the wrong actions from Trico multiple times, struggling to throw a stupid barrel through a hole, wrestling with camera controls, or even ragdolling like crazy to climb up a wall. It's realistic that Trico does not react instantly and has its stubborn times, that the boy keeps tripping every now and then, but there were so many times they just worked in ways so mysterious that they can easily lead you away from the solution of a puzzle. Not to mention that the scripted camera movements that are supposed to show you hints are often in the way to make things even worse. I can't believe that after 9 years of development and 4 years of patches the game is still unplayable.

Réalisation / Directing - 4/5
Esthétique, créativité - 5/5
Scénario / story - 4/5
graphismes - 3/5
musique - 3/5
gameplay, AI - 1,5/5
maniabilité / controls - 0/5

Same main flaw that Shodow of the Colossus has, the semi locked camera is making it all a very, very frustrating experience, the controls of the boy and the AI of Trico make it even worse.