YMMV / The Last Guardian

• Awesome Art: While game is no slouch in the graphical department, special note must be given to Trico's animation. Trico has some of the most life like animation of any video game character ever, with even the most subtle of movements feeling incredibly realistic. All of this was done without Motion Capture; in fact, the devs specifically avoided using motion capture because it didn't feel real enough. A large factor in the games infamously long development cycle was making Trico feel like a living, breathing animal.
• Awesome Music:
  • The soundtrack is absolutely stunning. Special mention goes to "Finale II: Escape", "End Titles" and "Epilogue".
  • "Finale I: Apex" playing at the climax battle sounds like it came straight out of an epic war movie.
• Broken Base: Trico will sometimes not respond to the player's commands. Is this realistic animal behavior and a compelling example of an AI companion who's more than just an extension of your will, or the game bugging out and an exercise in frustration as progress is frequently thwarted when it takes several minutes for Trico to do whatever clear, simple action he needs for you to keep moving? As a result, whether you'll enjoy the game depends on how patient you will be for a realistic/unresponsive animal AI.
• Catharsis Factor:
  • After spending the entire game being hounded by them, it is immensely satisfyingly to be able to directly command Trico to blow up possessed armors with his lightning powers via using the mirror. Doubly so when you get to blow up one of the antenna rooms that keep turning Trico against you.
  • After the boy and Trico spend the entire game going through hell trying to escape the nest, the devs knew the sequence where Trico is able to fly them out at long last needed to be immensely satisfying, and boy did they deliver. Despite being battered and bruised from nearly being ripped apart by his own kind, Trico manages to regain his ability to fly, with the two are finally able to make it to the top of the wall around the nest after it seemed impossible for most of the game. After a brief moment to make sure the boy is okay, Trico takes to the sky as the morning sun shines in the sky. All while an absolutely bombastic soundtrack is playing in the background.
• Contested Sequel: While The Last Guardian is generally regarded as a great game in its own right, there are debates on whether or not it's a worthy follow up to the previous Team ICO game, Shadow of the Colossus. There are those who like how the game acts as an antithesis to Shadow, where instead of slaying Colossi, you're effectively working with one throughout the game, and like how the game returns to the teams roots and takes more ques from ICO. Others, however, would have liked a more direct follow up to Shadow, with more giant bosses to fight.
• Fanfic Fuel: The post-credit scene revealing that Trico is still alive and sensing the now-adult boy's shield naturally resulted in fanworks to have the two reunite.
• Franchise Original Sin: The most notable criticism of the game is how finicky and messy the controls can be. Many players find platforming and climbing extremely frustrating due to the way the game's physics and hit detection works. On top of that is how unresponsive Trico himself can be towards commands. The team's previous two games, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, had very similar physics and controls, but they were less of an issue due to the more controlled nature of the gameplay, not involving a companion colossus.
• Narm Charm: The boy's running-in-place animation is kinda silly, but also really adorable.
• Polished Port: The update you can do for the game to make it run on the PlayStation 5 fixes the games many framerate issues. On original hardware, the game barely runs with frequent chugging frame drops, and while the Pro helps keep a consistent frame rate, there are still areas where the game can dip. The PS5 update for the game, however, manages to keep a consistent framerate throughout with no frame drops in even the more graphically intense areas of the game.
• Scrappy Mechanic: The tutorial messages, which take up entirely too much of the screen to explain how to perform actions you've been doing for the entire game. These appear during every single puzzle, and can't be turned off. It completely clashes with the rest of the game's minimalist aesthetic and as a result feels like the developers were forced to include it by last-minute Executive Meddling.
• Signature Scene: The first wooden bridge collapse sequence, with Trico narrowly managing to save the boy from falling to his death by using his tail and proceeding to race off the collapsing bridge, just barely managing to stay one step ahead of it the entire time. This sequence largely solidified the companionship between the boy and Trico for many, and shows just how much they have to go to in order to escape the ruins.
• Ugly Cute: Trico is one freakish-lookin' beast. But damn if listening to those puppy-like grunts don't make him adorable. Of course some just think he looks cute, which can lead to some Narm when he is called a ferocious beast or supposed to be threatening but instead looks like an overgrown puppy.
• Unintentional Uncanny Valley: Trico is rendered much more realistically than the other characters seen in the game. As a result, a few people have mentioned it makes him look rather off next to the main protagonist, who's rendered in a semi-cel-shaded style.
• Visual Effects of Awesome:
  • The E3 Trailer shows exactly why the game has been in development so long. It looks gorgeous. Trico's feather detail in particular is noteworthy as it ornately moves and flexes with his body, giving it a very fluid and natural motion.
  • Tokyo Game Show 2015 didn't have a playable demo of the game, so they made up for it by having a huge, virtual Trico that responded to fans' movements!
• The Woobie: Poor Trico goes through a lot. Presumably born into a life of brainwashed slavery, their escape attempt with their first friend results in getting stabbed with dozens of spears and swords, buried under rubble, smashed into walls, falling several stories onto rocks, getting mauled by another Trico, getting mauled by a gang of Tricos, having it's tail ripped off, and losing it's first friend because of ignorant villagers.

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