The Last Guardian Collector’s Edition

The Last Guardian Collector’s Edition
Platform: PlayStation 4
Year: 2016
Region: PAL

The Last Guardian has had a long and difficult development period. In production since 2007, the game was first announced during the Tokyo Game Show in 2009. Originally a PlayStation 3 game, the game proved too much for that system to handle, and kept getting delayed. Game director Fumito Ueda left Sony during this period, but came back to the project as a contractor. In 2014, IGN reported the game was officially cancelled, but this statement was quickly shot down by Sony. During Sony’s E3 2015 press conference, the game was reintroduced, and confirmed to release in 2016. After one final delay, the game is finally out as of December 6th 2016 (December 7th in Europe).

Three different versions were released: a regular edition, a Steelbook Edition and a Collector’s Edition.

The Collector’s Edition comes in a large box in off white, with the logo in the center.

Inside is another box resembling a wooden crate. Opening the lid reveals the first set of items.

First of all, let’s have a look at the steelbook. It comes in a paper sleeve with an artwork of the boy running towards Trico. The steelbook itself features the same art, but on here it spans across both sides, with the soldiers chasing after the boy on the back.

Inside is, of course, the game disc, but also a code that lets you download a PlayStation 4 theme.

You also get a small hardcover art book. It looks different from the usual art book included with collector’s editions, its cover resembling something like a children’s picture book. It contains two chapters, one with concept artworks, the other with storyboards.

Also included is a code to download the digital soundtrack to your PlayStation 4. Unfortunately no physical version. And then there’s a sheet with stickers, varying from logo’s to characters to objects.

After removing this layer of plastic, the statue is revealed. It comes in two parts: Trico and the boy, who you are supposed to place on top of the creature’s head.

The statue is quite impressive due to its size. It shows a cute scene of Trico sleeping in a curled up position while the boy stands on its head. It embodies the game’s themes of friendship and trust.

In terms of build quality, it’s about as good as what you would expect from a statue of this price. The ground Trico is laying on looks a bit cheap and plasticky. It’s just too shiny and could have used some more roughness. Fortunately the creature itself does look great. It’s nicely detailed with all its feathers, and it even has some ‘real’ whiskers. Most of all it just looks endearing.

In conclusion, a nice collector’s edition all things considered. You get a nice amount of extras for a reasonable price, with the only downside being the lack of a physical soundtrack cd. But the main attraction is of course the statue, and it succeeds in delivering a satisfying product.