TSA’s Top 100 of 2011 – #2 The Last Guardian

After publicly declaring our undying love for Fumito Ueda and Team ICO on this list, we pretty much showed our hand at what one of our final top three games would be. The only question remaining was would The Last Guardian have captured our hearts enough to take first place.

The answer, obviously from looking at that big “2” branded on the banner above, is no, but it really could not have been any closer. Both The Last Guardian and tomorrow’s list-topper came in at exactly the same aggregate score. Considering the amount of people that voted and the eclectic taste in games across the team, this is either a handy coincidence or a suitable sign of just how tight things were at the top. Hence, in order to crown a winner we had to look to how many maximum scores each title garnered. For the record: The Last Guardian got three while tomorrow’s “winner” received five. Yes, that close.

We toyed with the idea of having joint number ones before we quickly dispelled the notion. The truth is: we wanted one solitary title to summit the pedestal, recognised as our most anticipated game of next year. By definition, The Last Guardian is not that title but, by the gods, do we want it badly.

We could wax lyrical about why The Last Guardian is a fitting runner-up on our list of potential 2011 greats but we’d be merely repeating what we said when we ranked the ICO/Shadow of the Colossus Collection so highly. It wouldn’t be exactly the same, of course, after all, this time we’d be adding such gushing statements as “however, this will be the first Team ICO game designed with the power of the PS3 in mind” and “if Ueda-san continues on his plotted trajectory, besting his previous works with newer, iconic landmarks in gaming, we’re in for something exceptionally special when The Last Guardian finally does land.” We could have said something like that. In fact, we just did.

From its infamous leaked reveal (which I, personally, still have strong feelings about) to its further unveiling at last year’s E3, we’ve known from the very get go two prime aspects of The Last Guardian. Firstly, this is very much a Team ICO game. Sharing elements from ICO and Shadow of the Colossus including the look, feel, and presentation of the previous games, the creature, Trico (Toriko in Japanese), and the unnamed boy’s relationship harks back to the dynamics of Ico and Yorda and Wander and Agro in Shadow of the Colossus. Ueda-san has gone on record and qualified this, saying that, thematically, The Last Guardian is set in the same universe as his previous titles, though any further connection to either ICO and SOTC is currently unknown. Secondly, this game will undoubtedly make you cry.

We’re not going to spend much time describing The Last Guardian in terms of style or gameplay. After all, it’s common knowledge that the core of the title is how the boy interacts with his animal buddy, tossing barrels in places to encourage the beast to move in a certain area and generally cooperating with one another to overcome certain obstacles. Visually it’s breathtaking; Team ICO’s signature use of bloom and washed out tones depicting a fantastical word full of character and wonder. The animation, as always with all of the studio’s titles, is sublime, with some of the best character movement we’ve ever seen in a game found in the trailers alone.

Which leads us to emotional investment. It’s difficult to quantify how much of The Last Guardian’s appeal is rooted in the game’s ability to invoke a sense of care and attachment we may have with an imaginary character. We do it all the time, be it when reading a book and a favourite character is in trouble or even dies. It’s the reason why we get all choked up during certain movies. It’s an art-form, the ability of talented, creative people to illicit an emotional response from an audience. So far, apart from what can be found in Team ICO’s other titles, gaming really hasn’t embraced or willingly put a great deal of attention in the premise or worthiness of trying to forge or instill a specific bond between players and game characters. I never cried when Lara caterwauled to her death for the millionth time. I was rarely despondent upon hearing the inevitable news that the Princess was in another castle.  In fairness, generating an emotional connection between player and character wasn’t a fundamental tenet of gaming during its adolescent years. As the medium matures and flourishes, however, gaming’s remit has naturally expanded to include more poignant and noble aspects.

Thus The Last Guardian isn’t just an incredibly appealing game from a technical and artistic perspectives, it’s also a clear, resounding gesture of gaming’s intention of growing up and of its aspiration to progress; cementing itself as a recognised and meaningful medium. You don’t have to like The Last Guardian based on its gameplay or aesthetics, but you should at least appreciate what impact it will have – and is having – on the industry.

For us, we simply want it so we can get to play with Trico. And if that rat-thing dies in the end, oh man, they’re won’t be a dry eye in the house.

Mindless Japanese language trivia time (because I know you love it). The Japanese prefix denoting “child” or “baby” is “ko”. So, dog is inu in Japanese. Hence, puppy is koinu. Cat? Neko. Kitten? You guessed it, koneko. As the ko prefix (before) can also be used as a suffix (after), and there’s been some debate just what the hell Toriko is taxonomically wise, considering “tori” is the Japanese word for “bird”, Toriko is, literally, “baby bird.” Also, The Last Guardian’s Japanese title, 人喰いの大鷲トリコ  or Hitokui no Ōwashi Toriko, literally translates as “Toriko: The Man-eating Eagle. So, he’s more eagle than rat, cat or whatever. Now you know.