Home Gaming Here’s what critics think of The Last Guardian

Here’s what critics think of The Last Guardian

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The Last Guardian (4)

What a strange time we’ve had in gaming recently. Last week, after a decade or so of waiting, fans finally got their hands on the long-awaited Final Fantasy XV. Now, we’re getting something that’s been brewing for nearly as long.

I am of course talking about The Last Guardian. It was first announced for the PlayStation 3 way back in 2009, where it captured the heart of many gamers. It was slated for release in 2011, but as I’m sure you’ve gathered, that just never happened.

The Last Guardian resurfaced last year thankfully, at the E3 conference (well done on staying strong, Umar). Now, as hard as it may be to believe, it’s out in the wild, and you can actually go out and play it!

Is it any good though? Did that lengthy, jumbled development cycle take its toll on the game? Let’s see what the critics think:

IGN – 7/10

The divide between the highs and lows of The Last Guardian is staggering. For every wonderful moment of absolute beauty and emotional attachment to its lifelike companion, there’s an equal and opposite baffling moment that ruins the mood with frustrating controls and camera angles. But I found myself willing to put up with all of these hiccups if it meant experiencing any of its multitude of incredibly beautiful moments.

Kotaku – no score

Eschewing the spare storytelling of previous Team Ico games, The Last Guardian’s plot unfolds in a series of easily digestible cutscenes. It’s a dark fairy tale that probably isn’t quite what anyone expected, but ultimately serves to make the friendship at the core of the game even more remarkable. The Last Guardian is about two lost souls becoming one, and the strength and joy found in that conjunction.

The Last Guardian (5)

Polygon – 7.5/10

In its best moments, The Last Guardian pulls off feats that could only be done on modern hardware; at its weakest, it’s not just “like a PlayStation 2 game,” but like a particularly rough, unpolished PlayStation 2 game, one that recalls the legacy of its forebears, but can’t quite recreate it.

The Last Guardian (6)

Game Informer – 8/10

Ultimately The Last Guardian isn’t about pulling switches or leaping over gaps. It’s about your smile when you see Trico doing something silly, your compassion when you watch it struggle, and your relief when the creature shows up at just the right time. That’s what you get here that you can’t find anywhere else, and it is enough to make The Last Guardian worth playing.

The Last Guardian (1)

Destructoid – 8.5/10

Like Team Ico’s past work, talking about The Last Guardian too much inherently drifts into spoiler territory, but we have years to unpack this. For now, I’m confident in saying that although it isn’t their best work, there really aren’t too many directors out there like Fumito Ueda, and I hope for our sake, he continues making game

VideoGamer – 9/10

For some The Last Guardian’s iffy controls, awkward camera, and glitches might be hard to overcome. Others won’t care as they experience one of the most incredible relationships in video game history.

The Last Guardian (2)

GameSpot – 9/10

When the book closes on their story, it’s hard not to open it up again and begin anew. The trials you overcome endear you to both characters, but the emotions Trico elicits make you want to give it another chance–to be the patient, effective partner it truly deserves.

The Last Guardian (7)

Lazygamer – 8/10

Despite its lingering flaws and often frustrating pacing, The Last Guardian rises above expectation to deliver an engrossing adventure. Team Ico have brought together everything they’ve learnt over their past two games to present a heartfelt tale wrapped in an often-bewildering platformer – even if it took nearly a decade to make it here.

The Last Guardian (3)

Unfortunately, The Last Guardian isn’t a perfect title. It suffers from wonky controls (something I experienced already a while back during my time with the game at E3 earlier this year), glitches, and other annoying niggles. However, according to most critics, if you overlook all those flaws, you can expect to find a wonderful, heartfelt tale.

This news I’m sure, will have many fans breathing easy. Relax everybody, The Last Guardian isn’t a big flop. As it turns out, it’s actually rather good!

Last Updated: December 6, 2016

23 Comments

  1. Ottokie

    December 6, 2016 at 08:26

    It’s pretty that’s for sure. But most likely still not going to pick it up with such annoying controls and camera.

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      December 6, 2016 at 08:53

      Reading through all those summaries it sounds like people were looking awfully hard for reasons to score it higher than they really wanted to.

      Reply

      • Ottokie

        December 6, 2016 at 08:55

        Looks that way to me as well. IGN is probably the closest to talking the truth about the game.

        Reply

      • Captain JJ

        December 6, 2016 at 08:59

        Yea, it kind of feels that way.

        Reply

      • RinceThis

        December 6, 2016 at 13:51

        Agreed. Fanboys UNITE!

        Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    December 6, 2016 at 08:32

    Are you sure you’ve been waiting a decade for FFXV? Why not make it two decades, that way you can pretend more FF games weren’t released in the intervening years. ;P

    Reply

  3. Andre Fourie

    December 6, 2016 at 08:51

    Well, even though that chicken/cat/chihuahua is cute, this is not my thing.

    Reply

  4. Admiral Chief Argonian

    December 6, 2016 at 09:01

    #StayStrongUmar

    Reply

  5. Original Heretic

    December 6, 2016 at 09:26

    Hopefully they can bring a patch it to fix those control issues. That seems to be the biggest negative about the game from what I’ve read so far.

    Reply

  6. DragonSpirit009

    December 6, 2016 at 09:47

    I really don’t mind much about controls and stuff. I really just want to experience the emotions of the game!

    Reply

    • Pieter Kruger

      December 6, 2016 at 10:23

      Go outside, live life, it’s full of emotional stuff….. ?

      Reply

      • DragonSpirit009

        December 6, 2016 at 10:39

        I need the good emotional stuff… not the bad ones XD

        Reply

  7. Yondaime

    December 6, 2016 at 11:10

    Ah the game with the chicken dog bird thing…..Pass

    Reply

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