The Last Guardian Lives

Once again, Team Ico’s The Last Guardian was noticeable by its absence at E3; indeed, very little has been announced about the title since its official reveal at E3 2009. From the glimses of footage we’ve seen it’s possible to piece together mechanics similar to that of its predecessor, Shadow of the Colossus – but the ratio of puzzle-solving to giant-mouse-bird-beast interaction is still unclear. After all this time, many had speculated that the project had simply died; afterall, Team Ico’s critical darling status can only get them so far in today’s industry.

Thankfully, PlayStation’s head of software development, Scott Rohde, confirmed to Gamespot that the project is still very much alive.

“I will not give you a detailed update, but I will say one thing and it goes back to innovation and to gamers and to quality. That title is going to ship when it’s absolutely ready.”

Much of Rohde’s responses focussed on the necessity of shipping a polished and completed game and whilst this is positive, as far as a possible release dates, platform and gameplay details are concerned, we are none the wiser.

It’s certainly good news to hear the game is still in development, but it’s disconcerting, three years on, to not know any of the title’s fundamentals.