Few video games have been as anticipated as The Last Guardian, and while it’s unlikely to fulfill the masses that love Call Of Duty or Madden every year, The Last Guardian has been seen by many as a beacon of originality. Created by Team ICO and distributed by Sony Computer Entertainment, The Last Guardian has been in development for 8 staggering years.
Since its initial public debut at E3 2009, The Last Guardian has changed platforms from Playstation 3 to Playstation 4. Not only that but the iPad did not exist when it was originally announced and neither did the Playstation Vita. Historically it is hard to imagine just how much has changed in the years since the public got their first glimpse at the title, but what a magnificent glimpse it was.
Team ICO has been known for their extravagant development times. ICO missed the Playstation launch and launched instead on the Playstation 2 and it was years before Shadow of the Colossus was released on the Playstation 2. Other than their unusually lengthy development, they also share the distinction of being two gaming masterpieces. Few titles have gotten the acclaim and revolutionized gaming as much as ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. The titles made players feel for the protagonists in a more significant fashion than many games had attempted up to that point. Most games are satisfied with giving players a task and setting them on a journey, but Team ICO added new levels of emotion onto simple scenarios.
Thus, it’s not hard to understand the excitement behind The Last Guardian. The trailer from 2009 and the new trailer from 2015 involve a young boy and his giant bird/dog hybrid creature. Combining elements from both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, the boy must navigate puzzles and an adventure with his giant creature. The graphics seem to mirror the age it was developed, now understandably looking like a game ported from the Playstation 3 era. Hopefully, the final game speaks volumes for how little cutting edge graphics matter when telling a compelling story with solid gameplay.
Of course the biggest story about The Last Guardian is just how long it disappeared from the public view. It took seven years for the game to reappear at gamings’ biggest stage, but it also means that with such a long hiatus behind it, it is certainly time to talk about the game once again, and no one was happier than the executives at Sony to do it. When talking to Polygon, [Shuhei] Yoshida explained that the team poured years of effort into getting the game working on [the PS4]. The Playstation 3 just couldn’t handle the experience well enough and it has always been historically difficult programing for the Playstation 3 in general. With the power of the Playstation 4 they could finally achieve the vision they had originally imagined.
Now the biggest problem for The Last Guardian is finally releasing the game for the masses. Sony wouldn’t have chosen this time to reintroduce the game had they not felt confident it will be released soon. Of course their definition of soon is 2016. Whatever has plagued the development of The Last Guardian it should be the stuff of video game legend once the game releases. Will it have been worth the wait? All signs are currently pointing yes.