you Need to listen to the heart or the reason? The Last Guardian, the highly anticipated video game exclusively for the PlayStation 4, puts to the test our critical thinking skills, speaking differently to the one than to the other. That is, by showing equal measures points of strength and weakness, to the point that at the completion of the titles of the queue is the question of whether to consider it a masterpiece sullied by smears, or a production mediocre blessed by the flashes of class. The truth, however, is not in the middle.
A game of Fumito Ueda
Tens of years ago, when they were far from being a mass phenomenon, the games were works authorial. Populous was Peter Molyneux, Elite by David Braben, Wing Commander, Chris Roberts, and Attack of the Mutant Camels could only be Jeff Minter. Today things have changed, and you acclaim the Battlefield of SAYS or the Mass Effect of BioWare, not knowing who is behind it. But there are some exceptions, names that still stand out in the firmament, video game as Hideo Kojima, David Cage, Jenova Chen, and why not, Kazunori Yamauchi. Ueda Fumito, a talented game designer japanese, it is less known to the general public because, so far, has signed only two titles, Ico (2001) and Shadow of the Colossus (2005); because they have been big successes and critics, a little less public; and, finally, because twelve years have passed from his latest creation, ten of which were spent precisely on The Last Guardian.
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The Last Guardian: images
beauty and the beast
Yet, if at the distance of so much time and so many referrals (the game was expected even for the PlayStation 3!), fans are now eagerly awaiting The Last Guardian, there is a reason. That we can identify in the incredible inventiveness of Ueda, able to propose locations to dream and to draw plots minimalist but from the great emotional impact. Also this time the protagonist is not only against all but part of a couple, through the collaboration, will survive the threats that await it. In Ico the other half was the beautiful and mysterious Yorda, Shadow of the Colossus was the horse, Agro (although the latter played a less important role), and today is The Last Guardian Trico, a giant creature a little cat and a little eagle, with which the protagonist wakes up mysteriously in a cave. Between the two will be born a sincere friendship, that will result in an agreement is always a strong need to escape from the guards who chase them and to start a vertiginou s ascent that will take them to climb the peaks of a mysterious city.
reason
Unfortunately, however, not everything works as it should, mainly because of Trico. Ueda said to have wanted to simulate the animal nature, but is the concrete suspicion that it has not been able to develop an artificial intelligence adapted to the situations from the game. Trico, in fact, should be officially taught, but in reality should be born when it decides to ignore the humanity of our actions, or not understand them completely. It is also true that defends us from the guards that we want to capture, and that, with his incredible agility, makes us reach inaccessible points of the map. But his responsiveness to our orders is questionable, and also received the order issued, Trico will take too much time before executing it. The result is that the real enemy of The Last Guardian are not only the guards that try to capture us, but an artificial intelligence so fallacious that when you can’t solve a puzzle you will be caught by doubt hamlet-like dilemma between: it is our fault or the game? Several times we discovered that it was the latter and although in the end the situation will improve, the problem at the level of game design remains evident.
The heart
When the game works as it should and Trico does what he is told, The Last Guardian is a video game the most exciting in recent years. To be clear, borrows heavily from the previous work of Fumito Ueda, but because we are talking about spent lost in the past, for a good part of the audience the mechanics of The Last Guardian will look new. And then the relationship between the two protagonists, each one indispensable to the other, it will become increasingly strong with the passing of time through caresses and nods of understanding. And with the addition of an unexpected emotional impact, thanks to poetry, to imagination and to the dream-like atmosphere that permeates the game. Technically, The Last Guardian is certainly not a miracle, indeed, on the PlayStation 4 runs anything but smoothly, but the animation of Trico are so treated to make it look alive. And the mysterious and evocative settings, underlined by a soundtrack full of pathos, make the work of Ueda an experience that will remain etched in the memory of those who have the patience and the perseverance to bring it to an end.
The heart before the reason
a Hard time to give a univocal assessment of a product which shows two souls so different. The obvious optimization problems (the smoothness, the less it improves on the PS4 Pro) and the above-mentioned shortcomings of artificial intelligence and undermine the experience in its foundation. That was not enough, The Last Guardian is unnecessarily cryptic, often leaving the player a prey to his doubts and highlighting a support system too rudimentary. The indolence of Trico, also, leads me to think that with a better artificial intelligence, the game would have lasted a couple of hours less. A Trophy requires you to complete the adventure in less than five hours, and we do our best wishes to those who want to try out. On the other hand, it is impossible not to be lighten by the beautiful art direction, from the breathtaking scenery, from the surreal atmospheres and an emotional that can touch our strings. The Last Guardian, despite ten years of development, fails, therefore, to be the new masterpiece that had been expected by Fumito Ueda. But despite the form prevails over the substance, him we prefer to listen to the heart, and not the reason.
December 5, 2016 (change the 5 December 2016 | 18:43)
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