Coming after a year from its initial release, Sony is releasing a virtual reality experience for The Last Guardian on December 12.
Developed by the SIE Japan Studio, the demo will be a “short experience” and is “standalone” according to Executive Producer Yasutaka Asakura. No The Last Guardian needed, just the PS VR and Playstation Camera in addition to the DualShock 4. Following Shaun Layden’s announcement at the PlayStation Presents presentation, attendees of Playstation Experience had the opportunity to try out the PSVR demo in advance of the release this Tuesday.
I had the opportunity to check out the demo on the last day and it fulfills the sense of wonder and scale when I first saw the E3 2015 gameplay demonstration. The experience is presented through the first-person lens of the boy, calling his kindred beast Trico. From there, the intertwining relationship unfurls as you guide the immense bird-dog-cat, feeding it barrels of nourishment. There’s no free roam in movement, most likely to reduce the feeling of nausea and motion sickness. Instead, tilting your head to visible icons in order to move incrementally.
At first, the seemingly straight forward puzzle solving and movement left me unimpressed. However as I progressed and interacted with the ruined environment, I appreciated the sense of scale the PSVR demo brought. A notable example of this was jumping on Trico’s back as he lunged forth, moving from ledge and crevasse with the feeling of a roller coaster along the way. I could not help but look around with amazement at Fumito Ueda’s designs. There’s a real sense of kinship that I felt with Trico as we guided each other through the harrowing abyss. I hope those who get the chance to try out The Last Guardian VR get that warm, good feeling as well.
