The Last Guardian Director’s Next Game Gets First High-Res Screenshot

The Last Guardian director Fumito Ueda’s next project at genDesign has received a new high-resolution screenshot, which was originally teased via a greetings card in 2021.

Jinji Horagai and Fumito Ueda established genDesign back in 2011 upon leaving Sony. However, they remained under contract to finish work on The Last Guardian. Since its release in 2016, they have been working on a brand-new game. As part of a publishing deal that Epic Games and genDesign announced last year, genDesign’s new project is being funded by Epic Games.

Closer inspection of the artwork shows the protagonist wearing a robe and leaning against giant what appears to be a mechanical structure that gives sci-fi vibes. The setting appears to be dystopian, but if there are indeed such elements, this would be Ueda’s first sci-fi project. The prospects of that alone could lead to some very exciting gameplay prospects from the makers of Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian.

genDesign’s previous title, The Last Guardian, much like its predecessors Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, is a third-person game that combines action-adventure and puzzle elements. The player takes control of an unknown boy who must work with a creature that is part bird, half mammal to solve puzzles and explore different regions. Trico is the name of the creature, which may be translated as “prisoner,” “baby bird,” or a combination.

The boy is able to climb on objects, carry things like barrels, and use levers to control devices. Trico’s size and agility enable it to access locations that the child cannot get on his own and fend off guards who try to seize the boy. On the other hand, some barriers, such gates or glass eyes that terrify Trico, hinder it from moving forward and must be removed by the boy. The boy has to find barrels to feed Trico when it becomes hungry, pet it to soothe it following a battle, and take out any spears that enemies may have thrown at it.