From the opening moments of The Last Guardian, developer Japan Studio and legendary game director Fumito Ueda need you to understand one simple thing: this game is about empathy. Before you are given the opportunity to learn anything about its gorgeous, ruined world, you must heal the broken creature you find in your cell. Taking in its cropped horns and the spears jammed into its back, you know something is wrong. This creature, Trico … it is feral, it is feared. And yet, you must care for it. You know that, immediately. Anyone who has ever had a troubled pet will know how it feels to pursue compassion through fear, demonstrate love despite frustration.
“I believe the reason Ueda-san’s games are so successful in establishing a bond, whether it be with a girl in Ico, or a horse in Shadow of the Colossus, is because he lets those moments play out without music,” says composer Takeshi Furukawa, who penned the score for The Last Guardian. It’s odd to hear a composer praise the space in between the notes, but it makes sense when you listen to the game, because for the most part, the score is notably absent. It says more with silence than it does with anything else.
