After almost a decade of development, "The Last Guardian" is ready to be introduced to the new gaming audience. Its newest cinematic trailer showcases stunning graphics with a captivating story between man and beast to boot.
The trailer starts inside seemingly ancient ruins with a young boy running away from soldiers who may be threatening his very safety. He then arrives at the end of a weak, narrow bridge where Trico, a furry griffon-like creature, is waiting for him. In the nick of time, the boy jumps to escape while Trico saves him, making friendship central to the story.
In an interview documented on the PlayStation blog, creative director Fumito Ueda shared his insights about the development of the game, its characters, and the overall outcome.
During the said talk, Ueda admitted that the greatest inspiration of the story is his childhood. "Trico is a hybrid of sorts, a mixture of a cat, a dog, a bird, and the like. It might represent a motif. When I was younger, I grew up in a home that had a bunch of animals. My experiences with them are great memories that I still have. In creating Trico, I didn't really have to do any specific research because it's a creature that obviously doesn't exist. But it's really all based on my childhood memories, the way I interacted with the animals, the way they reacted to me," Ueda said.
He explained that his greatest achievement was creating a creature that didn't exist in the real world. Being a product of imagination, it was a team effort in creating its features and behavior. If at the end of the game and the players feel Trico exists, then that is ultimately the fulfillment of what Ueda wants to happen.
In a separate interview with Engadget, he said he couldn't believe that it was finally done, and it has not sunk into him yet. What remains to be seen now is how the players will receive the game, and if they will see what Ueda sees in Trico, which is a box full of memories.
The theme of the story revolves around a bond that does not rely on words but on actions and feelings. This, coupled with unique storytelling and compelling gameplay, "The Last Guardian" may be on its way to becoming a legend.
"The Last Guardian" will be released on Dec. 6, 2016.
