In 2009, a trailer leaked online just before E3 which was supposedly the next work from the team behind Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. It featured a strange, cat dragon creature that captured the attention of the internet. Days later, the trailer would officially be released as The Last Guardian… and then little else was heard about the game.
It wasn’t until the Tokyo Game Show in 2010 that more would be shown and the game was expected for a 2011 release date alongside the announcement of a 3D capable and high res collection of Team Ico’s previous two titles.
Now, it has come out that changes in the production cycle of the game have caused the delays as well as the upcoming departure of director Fumito Ueda, the man acknowledged as the heart and head of Team Ico. Though Ueda has promised to see the game through to completion, be it by his own choice or contractual agreements with Sony, the delays have people worried over the title’s future.
In The Last Guardian, players will control a small boy who must work with and care for the large creature, referred to as Trico, and guide the creature what to do based on its animal instincts in order to complete puzzles. Examples given include throwing a barrel to attract Trico’s attention or coercing the creature to sit instead of barreling past the player. Players must also feed Trico and remove arrows from the creature’s body.
After the up and down development cycle, it is still one of the most anticipated games from the PlayStation’s most hardcore of fans. Knowing the quality and scale that Team Ico can work under, players are still anxiously awaiting the title’s impending release, even if it does mark the end of Team Ico as we currently know it.
The Last Guardian should be released at some time over the next year for the PlayStation 3. Stick to the Flickcast for more on The Last Guardian as information becomes available and check out a collection of screens and video below that has been released thus far.
