The Last Guardian
| The Last Guardian | |||
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| Original title | 人 喰 い の 大 鷲 ト リ コ | ||
| transcription | Hitokui no Ōwashi Toriko | ||
| Studio | YOU Japan Studio genDESIGN |
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| Publisher | Sony Interactive Entertainment | ||
| Senior Developer | Fumito Ueda | ||
| composer | Takeshi Furukawa | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
  December 6, 2016 December 7, 2016 |
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| platform | PlayStation 4 | ||
| genre | Action adventure | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| medium | Blu-ray disc | ||
| Age rating |
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The Last Guardian (OT: Japanese 人 喰 い の 大 鷲 ト リ コ , Hitokui no Ōwashi Toriko , German for "The man-eating large eagle Toriko") is a genre computer game developed by the Japanese developer studio gen DESIGN and SIE Japan Studio exclusively for the PlayStation 4 Action adventure . The publisher is Sony Interactive Entertainment . The game was released in early December 2016. The lead developer and designer is Fumito Ueda , who has already played a key role in games such as Ico and Shadow of the Colossus .
action
The Last Guardian story is told in the form of a flashback, in which an old man recounts his adventures with a large, feathered creature named Trico. Trico measures seven meters, is reminiscent of the mythical hybrid creature Griffin and combines physical features of different animals, such as the wings of a bird and the head of a cat.
At the beginning of the story, the perspective changes to a boy who has been kidnapped for reasons that are not yet clear and who wakes up in a cave. There are tattoos on his body of mysterious signs that have not been there before. Here he meets Trico for the first time and removes a spear from a wound of the chained and injured animal. A good deed which, as in the tradition of Androclus and the lion, after initial mutual distrust, leads to a deep friendship between humans and animals in the course of the game.
The boy frees Trico from his dungeon and together the two try to escape from a vast area of ruins. You'll have to avoid deadly traps and fight enemy soldiers. The tasks can only be solved if the nameless boy and Trico combine their individual skills.
Gameplay
The Last Guardian is controlled from a third-person perspective and combines action-adventure and puzzle elements. The player controls only the unarmed boy and can run, jump, climb and give orders to Trico. The controls and the gameplay are comparable to the already published games Ico and Shadow of the Colossus by the lead developer Fumito Ueda . In addition, the player must use the terrain in order to be able to sneak past guards undetected.
Trico's skills are required to solve the puzzles. The animal is able to carry the boy on its back, make great jumps over abysses, and can also shoot lightning bolts from its tail . These can be steered by the boy in a desired direction using a mirror sign. In this way, environmental puzzles can be solved, in which, for example, remote switches have to be operated or enemies are incapacitated.
An important aspect is the relationship between Trico and the boy. The animal does not act as a willing helper, but follows its instincts and has its own distinctive emotional life. Recognizable by the color of his eyes, for example yellow for caution or purple for anger and disgust, Trico goes through different emotions. It may be that he does not react immediately to commands, but has to be called several times or simply follows his own path. In these cases, a higher level of trust is required before an action is carried out as requested. The boy achieves this by removing arrows and spears from Trico's body after an attack and supplying it with sufficient food. In this way, the player manages to gain better control over the course of the game and also to understand the nature of the animal. For example, it is also necessary to let Trico run free so that his curiosity leads to access to a new area.
development
The Last Guardian was officially announced for the first time at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009, but at that time it had already been under development for the software studio Team Ico for two years . The game should be released in 2011 exclusively for the PlayStation 3 .
However, there were considerable delays while working on the project, among other things because the lead developer Fumito Ueda had left Sony in the meantime and founded a new studio with gen DESIGN. The work was then continued with the focus on the technical possibilities of the PlayStation 4 and with the help of SIE Japan Studio. Before the game was finally announced during the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015, many representatives of the trade press thought The Last Guardian was in development hell and no longer believed it would be published.
reception
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Initial comments from the trade press, which were already able to test an advanced version of the game, mostly spoke of a captivating gaming experience. The lively figure of the companion Trico, the imaginative atmosphere and the soundtrack by Takeshi Furukawa , which was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, were particularly emphasized .
The reviews of the game's release were mostly positive. At Metacritic , The Last Guardian has a rating of 83/100, based on 90 reviews in the trade press. In particular, the emotional moments between the characters and the graphic design received a lot of praise. However, the technical implementation was criticized. So there are problems with the controls and the camera. The graphic quality is also not up to date.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Shūhei Yoshida : An Update on The Last Guardian. In: PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment , September 12, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Matthias Huber: The loveliest pet in Playstation history. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . Süddeutscher Verlag , August 18, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Alice Wilczynski: E3 Preview: The Last Guardian. In: 4Players . Computec Media Group , June 22, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Roland Fauster: Fumito Ueda from Team Ico talks about The Last Guardian and the Ico Collection. In: PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment , September 24, 2010, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Josh Hawkins: The Last Guardian - Part One - Free Trico. In: Great Games. Random House , December 5, 2016, accessed on December 12, 2016 (English): "Use the Mirror to cause Trico to shoot lightning from his tail and destroy the barrier."
- ↑ Roland Fauster: The Last Guardian Trailer will be released for PS3 in late 2011 - Check out the new trailer. In: PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment , September 16, 2010, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Robin Schweiger: The Last Guardian: Progress is slow. In: GIGA . Ströer Media , February 10, 2012, accessed on December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ a b The Last Guardian for PlayStation 4 Reviews. In: Metacritic . CBS Interactive , accessed December 22, 2016 .
- ↑ The Last Guardian for PlayStation 4. In: GameRankings . CBS Interactive , accessed December 22, 2016 .
- ↑ Marty Sliva: The Last Guardian Review. In: IGN . Ziff Davis , December 5, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ^ A b Philip Kollar: The Last Guardian review. In: polygon. Vox Media, December 5, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Tobias Veltin: The Last Guardian in the test - a love-hate relationship with a happy ending. In: GamePro . Webedia, December 5, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ^ Peter Brown: The Last Guardian Review. Love is patient. In: GameSpot . CBS Interactive , December 5, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Thomas Szedlak: The Last Guardian Test: Update with evaluation - an emotional roller coaster ride. In: PC Games . Computec Media Group , December 6, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Simon Parkin: The Last Guardian review - a joyous meditation on companionship. In: The Guardian . Guardian News & Media Ltd., December 5, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ^ A b Matt Peckham: Review: After Years in Development, The Last Guardian Is a Thing of Wonder. In: Time . Time Inc. , December 5, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ↑ Rae Grimm: The Last Guardian - The beginning of a difficult friendship. In: GamePro . Webedia, July 3, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ^ Benjamin Schmädig: The Last Guardian: Soundtrack played by the London Symphony Orchestra as a double album on vinyl. In: 4Players . Computec Media Group , October 28, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .
- ^ Andrew Webster: The Last Guardian review: can heart make up for technical problems? In: The Verge . Vox Media, December 5, 2016, accessed December 6, 2016 .