Almost a decade. That's how long people have been waiting to get their hands on The Last Guardian , and I left the game untouched sitting atop my PS4 for three days. I'm sure you want to know both why and how, but I have not satisfying answer for either question.

Expansive; imaginative set pieces; Emotional; original story; Breathtaking imagery

Graphical bugs and sporadic framerate; Controlling Trico is ineffective and unnecessary; Tags

Playing The Last Guardian reminds me a lot of playing Half-Life games: The actual moment-to-moment of working my way through the game involves an enormous amount of frustration and annoyance... but when I look back at it, all I see are the happy memories of the experience.

Fumito Ueda's PlayStation 4 title has been a decade in the making. From the game's exquisite animation to its emotional intelligence, it has been worth the wait

The Last Guardian was every bit worth the wait. The Last Guardian is a tale of young boy taken from his village and whisked away to walled ancient ruins, impervious to anything but the giant winged Trico – a part avian, part mammalian creature.

Realistic relationship; I want a Trico as a pet; please; Stunning world; Amazing design; Artistically inspiring; It's really here

Solutions can take a long time to discover; Trico doesn't always do what you need him to

Calling The Last Guardian "a product of its time" may seem like a misnomer, but, considering the game's troubled development, it isn't surprising that the long-awaited followup to Shadow of the Colossus feels a bit dated now that it's finally here in 2016.

The relationship at its core is wonderful; Lovely score; The cooperative nature of its gameplay is really interesting

...until it becomes a constant hassle thanks to a disobedient AI character; Character movement is flimsy and clunky; Camera is unbearable at times

You encounter these issues a fair bit over the course of the journey, and they make you want to headbutt your TV, but they're invariably followed by something brilliant or beautiful, or both.

Trico is a brilliant; believable beast; Gentle pace interspersed with intensely dramatic moments; Beautiful; watercolour-like presentation and fantastic sound

Trico won't always do what he's supposed to; Often irritating camera; Sluggish; inaccurate controls

In The Last Guardian players form an incredible bond with Trico, tested in an adventure worthy of Fumito Ueda's vision. The challenge of not just the puzzle-platforming obstacles, but of understanding this otherworldly creature, creates a connection more genuine than any players are likely to have...

The Last Guardian is a game about nature, with natural puzzles and a natural pace and starring a simulation of a natural animal. It often makes you feel small and pointless in the way that only nature can, by taking control out of your hands and being content to let you dawdle while it sits back and...

Nothing quite like The Last Guardian exists today. It feels like something from the past – an idealistic representation of the word “Game”, and yet it is also incredibly refreshing because of how unique it feels.

Beauty, the Beast, and Boredom