For true fans of The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, it is inexcusable to not play the spiritual successor, The Last Guardian.
Now, there are no more excuses not to get this game because Sony just dropped the price of the game — a permanent $20-cut.
The Last Guardian is a PlayStation 4-exclusive title that was launched last Dec. 6, 2016 for a retail price of $59.99. Its new SRP of $39.99 is the first drop since the game's release.
One can purchase the physical copy of the game from Amazon, Gamestop, or Best Buy, as well as from any local video game store.
A Boy And A Beast Named Trico
The Last Guardian is a puzzle, platformer, and action-adventure game featuring a young unnamed boy who meets and becomes friends with a giant half-bird, half-mammal creature named Trico.
The game is a predecessor to the games Ico (2001) and Shadow of the Colossus (2005) — all played from a third-person perspective. It involves Trico and the boy traversing terrains, unlocking puzzles, opening doorways, and exploring new areas.
The boy (controlled by the player) must work together with Trico (controlled by AI). He can climb structures, carry objects like barrels, operate mechanisms, and cross ledges. He can also ride and hop onto Trico.
The challenge lies in the fact that Trico, being an independent creature itself, sometimes acts on its own; the trick is to master the interactions between the two.
Team Ico And The Long Wait
The game has been in development since 2009 and planned to be released by 2011. Team Ico, the studio who also developed Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, planned the game as a combination of the previous two. The story was still central to the game, making the relationship between the boy and Trico its emotional centerpiece.
The game, however, suffered several delays. The development was burdened by the departure of principal designer Fumito Ueda from Sony in 2011. He originally envisioned the game to create a bond with players. His artistic style involves a lot of feathered light blooms and desaturated colors. The dev was also hampered by technical issues arising from limitations of the PlayStation 3, its original platform, to realize Ueda's vision.
Finally, in E3 2013, the game was reintroduced with a working gameplay. The game was not released until the year 2016. The long wait was worth it, however, as the game was met with positive reviews for its story and graphics.
