Available for PS4 with PS4 Pro and HDR support
2016
has been many things – mostly negative. One silver lining along the
dark cloud has been that this year's finally delivered some of the most
anticipated games of all time. But the results have been mixed. We’ve
seen No Man’s Sky fail to meet its own hype, whereas Final Fantasy 15
has received both critical and fan-driven acclaim. Now, it’s The Last
Guardian’s turn, and what we get is something that lies between the two
in terms of delivering on expectation. Japan Studio has created a
delightful and engaging story, but tells it in a clumsy fashion.
For
those not on board this particular hype train, The Last Guardian tells
the story of a young boy and his ginormous bird-dog-rat companion,
Trico. The story begins with both waking up in a cave, not knowing how
exactly they got there. What's immediately obvious, however, is that
Trico isn’t very friendly.
Bound in chains, Trico is initially
aggressive towards the tattoo-covered boy – his name's unknown
throughout the tale – but after the boy finds nourishment for the
creature in some glowing barrels, Trico softens its stance. This is a
good thing, because both boy and beast will rely on each other
throughout their thoroughly engaging journey.
Gameplay-wise
The Last Guardian functions very much like a medley of the developer’s
previous efforts. You, as the boy, can climb Trico much like mounting
monsters in Shadow of the Colossus, while the sense of teamwork and
non-verbal communication is reminiscent of Ico. As the boy you must
climb, crawl and jump around this world, finding levers to pull to open
doors and guide both of you through the labyrinth. The 15-year-old
formula has had some tweaks, though not as much as you might expect, and
this often leads to The Last Guardian’s greatest flaws.
The
majority of gameplay relies on communication between the boy and Trico.
Neither share a common language, and therefore must gesture towards one
another in the hope that the message gets across. It won’t be long
before you’re given the ability to direct Trico using all the actions
the boy can do – basic stuff like move here, jump up there, push that,
but all essential for progression – and sometimes the inability for the
giant creature to do what you want will lead to immense frustration.
There
were many times in the game where I screamed and pleaded for it to do
the thing needed for me to proceed, but instead Trico would simply stare
with curiosity and then turn in the opposite direction. The thing is,
thematically this makes sense: Trico’s learning as much as you are,
albeit at a slower pace, so of course it may not understand what’s going
on. Mechanically, however, it can be a mess. (Editor's note: Brett's in for a proper shock when his baby's born, eh?)
The
frustration lies in knowing the answer to the puzzle, but the game not
allowing you to solve it, either through a bug or simple poor design.
For example, in one room Trico was required to proceed through a
particular doorway which was partially obstructed. I commanded it to go
through after clearing the way, only for Trico to get right up to the
door and then run away, as if there were some invisible barrier blocking
its path. 30 minutes past with dozens of failed attempts, but after
rebooting the game Trico did the thing I’d been attempting all along at
the first try.
It doesn’t help that the controls are as fiddly as
they were on the PS2, either. Moving the boy through this world is janky
and cumbersome, with the platforming mechanics punishing a lack of
pinpoint accuracy. The camera can also be jarring. When caught in a
corner or on a piece of scenery, the screen completely fades to black
before showing you a different perspective of what you were looking at,
totally disorientating you.
The failing of the core mechanics led
me to constantly question every conundrum, spoiling the experience.
Rather than enjoy the relationship between Trico and the boy as they
solved puzzles through their improving bond and developing their own
language, I was instead wondering if a gameplay glitch or failed command
was hindering progression. There were very few times I didn’t know how
to solve the puzzle, but more than a few times where the game failed to
let me execute the solution. This inconsistency is even more
disappointing because, when it works, The Last Guardian is stunning.
Watching
Trico and the boy slowly build trust is a true joy. The game takes its
time to build the relationship and is all the stronger for it. I wasn’t
told to buy into these characters, but instead gradually became more and
more engaged by this believable bond – almost like a Disney movie where
I care for the non-human character more, which is always weird. As the
player I feel this connection growing stronger through each moment of
peril.
At
the beginning of the game I simply only cared that Trico got the boy
from A to B. The moments where Trico “nearly” falls from one of the
Aztec-esque towers didn’t leave me concerned. However, by the halfway
point, I gasped every time Trico was in even a hint of danger during the
amazing set-pieces. I petted Trico often, even though there’s no
tangible benefit from doing so. The Last Guardian does an amazing job of
making you care.
Also, Trico’s features soften over the course of
the game, making it more and more adorable with every passing hour. In
the beginning, Trico’s eyes can flash harsh white and purple – you later
discover this is corresponding to different things within the game, for
example Trico either wanting food or being in ‘attack’ mode. Eventually
you get to see Trico for what it is: a scared creature becoming
incredibly attached to the child it's saved, and who's saved it, in a
strange land.
As the story peeled its layers back, it only hooked
me more. It’s a great tale expertly told. It’s not the deepest, but it's
captivating, and its ability to tell so much by saying so little
engrossed me even more. It’s just a shame I had to fumble through
inconsistent mechanics to see the narrative through.
Verdict
Yes,
The Last Guardian’s controls are incredibly archaic and at times can be
entirely broken, but two days after finishing it, the story has stuck
with me. Studio Japan has continued to show how it can do so much while
saying so little. The environment, characters and everything about the
narrative captivated me. In spite of the controls I still thoroughly
enjoyed the game overall. The story is a simple one, but powerful
nonetheless.
Endure the gameplay and enjoy the story – it’s more than worth it.
0 التعليقات :
Post a Comment