Since its announcement at E3 in 2009, The Last Guardian has suffered numerous setbacks and delays which have caused many of us to wonder if the game was still in development. With recent news circulating that the game may still have life in it, here are five reasons why you should still be excited for The Last Guardian.
5) Team Ico heads up development
Team Ico is the same developer that brought us Shadow of the Colossus and Ico; two critically acclaimed games that received praise for their cool art style and unique concepts. Both games received the greatest hits treatment on the PS2 and both were re-released in high definition on the PS3 back in 2011. With Team Ico involved we can expect something very special.
4) A one of a kind story
Where else will you find a game about a young boy who befriends a giant half-bird, half-dog like creature? I do expect that the story will focus on the bond between the boy and his strange beast comrade, which could make for one of the most immersive, fantasy-fuelled storylines of recent years.
3) It will continue the conversation: are videogames considered art?
The Last Guardian will have a unique art style. Just like Team Ico’s games before it, The Last Guardian has a fantasy-meets-realism art direction that very few developers can pull off. If Shadow of the Colossus is anything to go by, we can expect vast open areas filled with mountains, caves and lush forests. Combine that with a heart-woven story and a cast of colorful characters and we could have something really special coming our way.
2) Extra time, means extra care
Given that The Last Guardian has been in development since 2007 and still has a way to go before we are actually playing it, we’re looking at close to a decade of polish and attention. We can only hope that Team Ico has used this extended development time to its advantage. With many games fighting to meet their deadlines and then developers releasing patches post-launch to fix glitches, bugs and anything else that plagues a games shorter development cycle, Team Ico has definitely had time to impress with what we hope will be a near flawless I.P.
1) Getting the next-gen treatment
When the Last Guardian trailer was shown back in 2009, many were intrigued by its graphics. That trailer, along with a few other screenshots were all that was needed to create anticipation for a game we knew very little about. Now, with recent news stating that the game may be a PS4 exclusive, that buzz of anticipation has struck once more. With the power of PS4, the restrictions Team Ico had with the PS3 hardware could now be lifted and all ideas could be truly realized with this next-gen hardware.
Has the Last Guardian had too many setbacks in order to keep people interested or does the recent news of its pending release get you excited?
Let us know in the comments below.