How The Last Guardian and a Boy Were Revived at E3 2015

Sony's E3 2015 press conference kicked off with a bang, with new gameplay footage from PlayStation-exclusive The Last Guardian opening the event.

The trailer featured the familiar boy we've seen in previous trailers, who worked together with a large pet-like creature to overcome hazardous obstructions to survive. Set in the ruins of a temple-like locale in the mountains, the player pushed large physical obstructions to make their way through the level. But it wasn't just moving physical objects around to get to the finish line; the protagonist made incredibly risky jumps from up high, with slow-motion augmenting the apprehension I felt at watching him sail through the air.

Leaping through the air from a platform would be otherwise suicidal, if it weren't for the large creature accompanying the player. A particular highlight featured the player character sailing slowly through the air after a particularly high jump, and the creature reacted by making a reach to save the player by catching him with its mouth. It missed, but its tail swung forward to allow the player to grab on and climb to safety. It was equal parts unexpected and adorable, with the boy climbing the creature's back as it moved seemingly autonomously. When the two were separated by obstacles, the creature would whine like an adorably sad puppy.

The protagonist seemed to order the otherwise autonomous creature around by calling out commands. As would be typical of ruins, it wasn't long before the level begun to fall apart, turning the game into a race to safety. The duo made it through by working together, and by then I felt like I had more of an insight into the bond between the two--something I cannot wait to see more of.

Gallery