AN UNPOLISHED MASTERPIECE

With the abundance of remasters and first person shooters, 2016 kept me yearning for something that was fresh and unique. The Last Guardian, despite its weak marketing and repeated postponements, felt like what I was looking for. Originally planned as a PS3 exclusive in 2007, the game's development was on a bumpy ride for almost 10 years until it finally released last December for the PS4.

The Last Guardian tells the beautiful story of an unnamed young boy and a giant creature named Trico. The game starts out with the boy being mysteriously kidnapped and waking up in a castle beside Trico, who initially has an aversion towards the boy. Gradually, through offering food and comfort, the boy manages to tame the beast. Together, they embark on a journey to escape the castle.

The beast Trico is a fictional creature which is, as the name translates from Japanese, a combination of a bird and a cat. Trico helps the protagonist by protecting him from enemies, helping him solve puzzles and navigating throughout the map. Trico acts pretty much like a real-life animal. So much so that you can feel it purring when you are petting it - an excellent use of the DS4's speaker and feedback feature. It does not follow orders instantaneously and frequently needs food and petting. This mechanic has received a lot of criticism but I personally think most of it is unwarranted. The challenge of convincing Trico to follow your orders is what makes the game feel alive, since it almost feels like owning a pet. 

The Last Guardian is not even nearly as photo-realistic as most other current-gen titles. Instead, the game opts for its own distinct art style which is very aesthetically pleasing. The level design in the game is absolutely brilliant. The puzzles kept me scratching my head and when I could finally solve them, I would be amazed by how clever yet simple the solutions were. The soundtrack is bound to give you goosebumps, especially during the cinematics. Another positive about The Last Guardian, something I miss in most games, is how closely the checkpoints are placed. 

Despite having so many positives to it, The Last Guardian can prove to be a painful experience at times, which can be attributed mostly to the lack of polish in the game. The problematic camera angles, accompanied by the complicated controls, make certain parkour sections of the game very difficult to complete and it often results in the player repeatedly dying. The game has its fair share of game-breaking bugs and glitches, forcing players to restart the game from the last checkpoint. The most serious issue with the game has to be its framerate. On the launch PS4, the game fails to go beyond 20 frames per second, which completely ruins the gameplay experience. 

The Last Guardian is not a game for everyone. Unless, you have enough patience and time in your hands to sit through all the troublesome parts, you are not going to enjoy it. However, if you can endure the difficulties, the ending will more than pay off. 

Nony Khondaker is an introvert with immense passion for tech and music. Feel free to send your constructive feedback at nonykhondaker@live.com or follow him on twitter.com/NonyKhondaker