November 30, 2023 4 min to read

Unraveling 'The Last Guardian': A Journey of Friendship and Challenges

Exploring the Bond Between Player and Trico in a Masterful Adventure

The last guardian

The original Chinese version of the passage could be accessed here:

游戏设计笔记：《最后的守护者》，一场和Trico的奇妙冒险

“The Last Guardian” is a game crafted by Fumito Ueda’s studio, Team ICO, known for creating just three games including “ICO” and “Shadow of the Colossus.” Each of these games is a masterpiece, offering players an emotional experience that’s distinctly “Ueda-esque.”

In essence, the game revolves around an adventure with a creature named Trico. You solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and ultimately seek escape. As the game progresses, the bond between the player and Trico strengthens, which forms the core experience of the game: building a bond with Trico.

The term “bond” is often mentioned in Japanese games and generally means an emotional connection. This connection can be varied, encompassing friendship, love, or familial ties. In “The Last Guardian,” Trico boasts one of the most realistic animal AIs in gaming history. This allows the emotional experience forged with the player to be more akin to the bond we develop with pets in real life.

In real life, our relationships with pets are complex. We feel satisfaction when they obediently walk or cuddle with us. In contrast, when they misbehave, it brings a sense of helplessness. “The Last Guardian” beautifully captures these rich, real-life pet interactions.

Trico exhibits highly realistic animal AI. This “realism” means Trico might ignore your commands and wander around the game environment or miraculously save you from falling off a cliff. Unlike traditional games where AI companions are ever-ready and lack autonomy, Trico in “The Last Guardian” strives for authenticity. It might take actions without your instruction and respond to your commands in a half-understood manner. This necessitates physical gestures for command communication, adding to the game’s realism.

These designs, seemingly increasing the player’s burden, actually enhance the game’s realism. When you and Trico are in sync, puzzles and interactions flow smoothly. However, when your ideas diverge, Trico can become stubborn and unresponsive, like a goofy pet, ignoring your commands.

Trico’s sometimes obedient, sometimes mischievous nature offers a unique gaming experience. Trico is not just a subservient accessory but a true companion in your adventures.

(The game’s art and scenery are also stunningly beautiful.)

Apart from the emotional connection experienced in real-life pet interactions, “The Last Guardian,” as a unique art form, includes gameplay elements like defeating enemies and solving puzzles together. In the game, the player lacks combat ability, relying on Trico to engage enemies. Due to its size, the player often needs to solve puzzles to enable Trico to confront foes, fostering a sense of comradery in battle.

The size difference between Trico and the protagonist plays a key role in puzzle-solving. Players can’t climb walls, so they must rely on larger Trico to reach higher places. Conversely, Trico’s size prevents it from accessing narrow spaces, requiring the player to help navigate it to the next location.

The game’s puzzles are designed to deepen the bond between player and Trico, offering an emotional experience distinct from real life. We can’t battle enemies or solve puzzles with our pets in reality, but the game makes it possible, providing a fresh emotional journey. It’s akin to having a dog at home that helps scare off an intruder.

On many gaming review platforms, “The Last Guardian” is categorized as an action-puzzle game, a classification based on gameplay. However, if evaluated by its core experience, it could be likened to Pokémon games—both involve adventuring with pets and strengthening emotional bonds, albeit through different means.

“The Last Guardian” hits the sweet spot for academically inclined game designers:

Firstly, the game doesn’t pander to players. It realistically recreates the clumsy walk of a young boy by making joystick movements less responsive, increasing the difficulty of combat and highlighting the boy’s vulnerability, underscoring the need for Trico’s protection.

Secondly, the game lacks an explicit numerical growth system, relying solely on rule design and narrative to engage players. Players feed Trico in-game food to increase intimacy, which is necessary for better command compliance. This intimacy level is subtly indicated through Trico’s actions and demeanor, not explicitly displayed on-screen.

Pokémon, a commercial IP under immense revenue pressure, can’t afford to adopt “The Last Guardian’s” gameplay style, which focuses on unpredictability in pet behavior—a feature often seen as negative in commercial games. Players seek relaxation in games, not frustration.

However, this doesn’t mean Pokémon can’t learn from games with similar core experiences. Pokémon strengthens player-pet bonds through turn-based combat, while “The Last Guardian” does it through real-time battles, like those in “Pokémon Arceus.” A notable failure of “Arceus” is the disconnect between the player and their Pokémon during battles. Integrating Pokémon into these battles, like having a Geodude block an incoming attack, could greatly enhance the real-time combat system.

Additionally, the distinct abilities of the player and Trico in “The Last Guardian” are crucial for puzzle-solving and could be mirrored in Pokémon’s open-world adventures. “Pokémon Arceus” assigns these roles to legendary Pokémon, but a more aggressive design approach could grant each Pokémon unique open-world abilities, further strengthening player-pet bonds.