A bit late on this one. As a huge fan of his work, I can confidently say that The Last Guardian has scratched the itch of playing a Fumito Ueda game that ICO didn't. While ICO was an important landmark in gaming, it definitely felt like a downgrade from Shadow of The Colossus (which I played first), but The Last Guardian brought back that magical feeling that I was missing so much.

The game follows the journey of a young boy and his unlikely companion, a giant hybrid of a bird and a mammal named Trico ("Terekr"?), centering around their bond as they work together to overcome obstacles throughout their adventure. The gameplay mechanics emphasize the importance of communication and trust, as the player must build a relationship with Trico in order to progress. And this is one of the most impressive aspects of the game, effectively capturing the nuances of companionship and friendship, from the initial hesitancy and mistrust to the eventual deep bond that develops between the two. The gameplay involves a mix of exploration, platforming, and puzzle elements, all while the player builds a bond with Trico by interacting with him. As the game progresses, you learn more about the history of the world they're in as they navigate the ruins of an ancient civilization, fighting off hostile enemies and searching for a way to escape this mysterious place.

For anyone looking to recreate the awe of playing the original SoTC on the PS2, this game does a fantastic job of immersing you in its beautifully crafted environments. Ueda's game artistry is still unmatched, featuring the similar aesthetic and inspired architecture that any SoTC fan loves, with an attention to detail in lightning and atmosphere. I just can't express enough how stunning it looks. Also, I have to mention the soundtrack. While Kow Otani is certainly missed, Takeshi Furukawa is a fine replecement, successfully capturing the scale, wonder, and mystery of the game's world.

Now, it wouldn't be an Ueda game without its usual jankiness. I personally didn't have much trouble with the controls, but the camera angles and the unresponsiveness of Trico did frustrate me at times. Sometimes he would take a really long time to execute a command, ignore it or plain do the opposite. You would point forward, he would go backwards. You would issue him to jump, and he would whine even though it's clear he should be able to. I did find this issue is accentuated if you are on his head though, so consider not commanding him from there. And while before I mentioned how great the game looks, the graphics on the base PS4 are maybe a little too good, because it really struggles to keep up. The fps was really inconsistent throughout and there were many slowdowns. Specially during the best moments of the game, so it did hurt the experience a little. I doubt most people are still stuck with the base PS4, so this is probably a non-issue.

Overall, The Last Guardian is a beautiful unique game, and a great example of a triple A game that is inventive and pushes the boundaries of what is possible in gaming. It might be flawed, but it's a nice change from the usual Ubisoft clones that triple A devs are so keen to these days.

★★★½ – Great ✅