The little details that make The Last Guardian an adventure to savour on PS4

We know you’ve been waiting a long time – but if you think the path towards The Last Guardian‘s launch was extensive for you, spare a thought for its Creative Director Fumito Ueda.

“There were times where even I thought that maybe this game will never come out,” admits Ueda-san, when we sat down with him last month. “But there’s a huge sense of relief that it’s done and I’m happy that gamers will be able to play it. At the same time, I’m still waiting for the actual feeling that it’s really done to sink in.”

Having played a fair bit of The Last Guardian, I can tell you it’s an experience that – appropriately – demands you take your time with it. With everyone’s eagerness at fever pitch, there’ll undoubtedly be temptation to gobble up its adventuring delights quicker than a hungry Trico chows through tiny crates of food. But, like a good fantasy novel, you’ll find a richer experience in enjoying the care put into its every detail.

With that in mind, here are a few of the little things we want to celebrate in a world that you’ll be entering very soon…

1) He’s the most adorable giant pet you’ll ever see

It’s impossible to not admire the sheer amount of attention which has gone into Trico’s appearance. The texture of his fur-like feathers that drift and flail in the wind, the way they fold when the boy grabs hold of them and the delicate watercolour style are especially striking.

Subtle details really help emphasise Trico’s intimidating size in contrast to the boy’s diminutive stature. Grass gets crushed underfoot as Trico walks, and his sometimes less than majestic leaps are often accompanied with screen shake effects to dramatically convey a sense of weight.

It’s these things which are easily taken for granted, but a large amount of work and research was done to make Trico truly feel part of the environment.

“There are loads of calculations that made Trico move in the game, and that was one of the hardest parts of development,” says Ueda-san. “Some of the levels were already made before all of the work on Trico was solidified, so trying to finish work on his movement and fit that into an area which was already created was extra difficult.”

2) The little things of a big creature

The development team brilliantly contrasts Trico’s daunting presence with his kind and compassionate nature, which endears you to the fluffy cat-bird-dog. You can stroke Trico to the point where he starts to settle on the ground and close his eyes, with a purring vibration of the Dualshock 4 wireless controller confirming his content.

But like any intelligent animal companion, Trico gets distracted and doesn’t always do what you’d like him to do on first asking. If you’re a cat or dog owner you’ll know exactly the hilarity that occurs from this sort of scenario, so persistence is the key.

“One of the things we put a lot of research into was aiming to make Trico’s movements as natural as possible,” says Ueda-san. “We used procedural animation so everything was controlled by a programme we developed.

“For example, Trico would see an object on the ground that he wouldn’t want to step on, so he’d avoid it, or his AI would decide to turn away in a particular direction.

“There are lots of obvious small gestures and movements Trico performs that are nice to look at, like when he plays in water or when he stretches like a cat. But personally I really want players to notice when Trico decides to turn his head and look at various things. It’s a very under exaggerated movement but it’s something the team and I worked really hard on to achieve in bringing him to life.”

3) About a boy

Just because Trico is the star of the show, don’t think that our controllable protagonist – the nameless boy of the story – has been left out of the detail stakes. There are plenty of little touches which bring you closer to him as the player-character, immersing you in his perilous journey.

From the start of the game the tattooed boy has been mysteriously left at the bottom of a dark cavern with no clear way out. Exploring the area leaves his clothes dirty, which becomes more noticeable over time. And while the boy dashes and stumbles his way through the uneven terrain, long (non-fatal) falls result in him hobbling and limping for a short period of time.

That said, some of his best animations come from his interactions with Trico. From the boy’s gentle caressing of the giant creature, to the cupping of his hands for a longer and louder shout when calling to a faraway Trico, you really do feel every small moment.

4) Help is always at hand – and claw

Another clever device which endears you to the boy is the use of narration, something we’ve touched on before. Linger in an area long enough and the boy’s voiceover (as an adult) offers clues to what you should do next.

This subtle help system also extends to Trico’s behaviour as well. Sometimes he will lead you to where you should be going, or offer a hint by doing something repeatedly. It’s a wonderful unspoken technique that not only assists, but accentuates the growing bond between you.

At the same time, don’t be afraid to jump ahead of Trico when you feel you know the way. Despite his size, he’ll often follow as best he can. And if he’s not with you, then you know he may be the one in need of your aid…

5) Nature over nurture

The Last Guardian is rife with little niceties that you can only appreciate by stopping for a bit and taking it all in. Lizards scuttle around temples, birds drift off into the distance and there are colourful butterflies fluttering everywhere.

In fact, when quizzed about the butterflies in particular – often symbols of the spirit and rebirth – Ueda-san was intriguingly coy.

“I’m very visually oriented, so having so many butterflies in the game is part of an image I had in my mind to make certain scenes a bit more striking,” he explains. “But there are various other reasons that they are there. I won’t say why – it’s better not to over explain things in a game and keep things open to interpretation and the player’s imagination…”

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