Discover the magical world of The Last Guardian with Team Ico’s Fumito Ueda.
Following on from the release of a brand new trailer at Tokyo Games Show in September 2010, the revered game director talks to eu.playstation.com about the hotly anticipated The Last Guardian coming exclusively to PlayStation 3.
Are you glad that you're now finally able to pull back the curtain a little bit more on what you and your team have been working on?
I am glad. But more than that, I regret that I kept everybody waiting.
How do you feel about the positive response to what you’ve shown of the game so far?
I'm relieved. At the same time, I feel a certain pressure and I will do my best not to disappoint everybody.
What do you want the audience to feel when watching trailers of The Last Guardian?
I want the audience to feel that the process leading up to the end of the game is fun and, of course, I want them to feel that this is a game that they must have
Can you talk us through the creative process and inspiration for The Last Guardian?
First of all, with respect to the gameplay, we slowed down the pace to focus our efforts on narrative production and the polishing of each level.
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus were well received by many gamers. However, we felt that there were people out there who the games didn't reach, the kind of people who wouldn’t usually play games, and so, to appeal to these people, we set our theme on animals and their habitats.
Were there any particular films, comics or other mediums which influenced the tone and style of The Last Guardian?
Anything that depicted non-verbal communication with strange creatures such as Where the Wild Things Are, My Neighbor Totoro and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.
What can you tell us about how the boy and the creature work together throughout the game to accomplish objectives and reach their goal?
The boy must guide the creature, never being entirely sure whether his intentions are understood, and bearing in mind its surroundings and personality. Under the boy's guidance, the creature will display extraordinary abilities.
Have you done any tests with, or considered, stereoscopic 3D and PlayStation Move for The Last Guardian?
We would like to take that into consideration.
How will The Last Guardian appeal to gamers who already know ICO and Shadow of the Colossus from PlayStation 2 as well as newcomers?
We are always directing our game to new users. That is why we don't use numbers in our titles.
We hope that by doing so, our game will be equally refreshing and surprising to new players as well as the fans who have played our games.
As games become more adept at invoking emotional responses from gamers, what techniques have you employed in The Last Guardian to take players on an incredible journey?
As in the games we have created up until now, all expressions must be believable. We must maintain the connection between the controller and the in-game character as much as possible.
It's important that the presence of the game designer is not felt and that the game makes you feel like you’re at the heart of a true drama with no pre-determined plot.
What are the main emotions you want people to feel when they play the game?
Like the games we've created so far, our wish throughout the production is to hopefully create an illusion so real that players will feel that this fictional world could really exist somewhere.
In addition, I'm hoping that the time people spend playing the game provides significant returns in terms of emotional impact.
Keep an eye on eu.playstation.com and PlayStation Blog at blog.eu.playstation.com for more news on The Last Guardian as it becomes available.
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