10 Video Game Companions So Strong You're Just Getting In The Way

3. Trico - The Last Guardian

Mass Effect 2 Jack
SIE Japan Studio

Now, it would be disingenuous to claim that The Last Guardian is anything but a game about the virtues of teamwork, but all the same, there's no denying players are basically left on babysitting duty throughout.

If the baby was an adorably clumsy half-bird, half-mammal creature, that is.

Players control an unnamed boy who must team up with said creature, Trico, in order to escape an expansive set of ruins.

As the player, your role is limited to nudging Trico forward - that is, feeding him, petting him, and pulling levers he can't operate, while as a gigantic creature orders of magnitude larger than you, Trico can quickly traverse the environment, battle enemies, and take a huge amount of damage.

Basically, it's the Trico Show with some mild assists from the boy. The game itself even seems to have fun pointing this out, given that The Last Guardian's seemingly intentionally finicky AI can make it tough to command Trico at all, just like a real animal.

The point here? Trico is a beast of nature, not a pet, and with a single poorly placed foot he could squash you like a bug.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.