The Last Guardian Ending Explained: How to Get the True Ending

After spending quite a few hours traversing the ruins of The Last Guardian’s story, many fans have found themselves baffled by the ending of the game. What does it all mean? Does Trico die? Was the boy crazy? Will there be a sequel? In this article we’ll tackle all your biggest questions, and even teach you how to get the true ending of The Last Guardian to make sure you aren’t missing anything.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead. Like… Massive spoilers. If you haven’t beaten The Last Guardian, or do not wish for the game to be spoiled for you, please do not scroll past the cute picture of Trico below.

Okay. We warned you. If you’ve scrolled this far, then you’re willing to dive into the meat of the game’s ending and find out exactly what just happened. Let’s dive in.

After you beat the game, and destroy the Master of the Valley, Trico limps into the area and picks up the boy in his mouth. As pieces of the blue tower begin to crumble, the other beasts falling from the air and off the side, Trico sets his sights for the boys home village, and then with a running leap, jumps into the air. After a few moments of falling, Trico catches the wind under his wings and managed to make it out of the valley, just barely. The duo has shared an impossible journey, but now it’s time to return the boy to his rightful place among his people.

This is how the game ends, with Trico arriving in the village once more, less gracefully than his first visit we might add, and villagers crowding around him, spears in hand. It seems like the end for our griffin-like companion, as he vomits up the boy, and watches as he is carried away. The villagers don’t understand what’s going on though, and to be honest, neither do we, but Trico isn’t safe in the village, so there’s nothing left to do but send him away. It is with a parting goodbye screech that Trico turns and runs towards the edge of the village, flying off into the night sky, new spears sticking from his back as he fades into the night sky. What does it all mean? Does Trico die as he flies off, alone and abandoned by his only friend?

How to Get the True Ending

Well, before we answer that question… let’s make sure you’ve actually seen the true ending of the game. You see, when that scene plays out, and the game fades to credits, it isn’t actually over just yet. Instead, you’ll want to either sit through or skip the credits. Once they are done, however, you’ll be greeted by a familiar scene. The mirror-shield that you used to guide Trico’s tail lightning will be half buried in the dirt, as it was in the opening moments of the game. A shadow falls over the item, and several children gather around it, oohing and aahing. Someone taller moves into view, giving us our first glimpse of the boy with the tattoos as a grown man, the man who has been narrating The Last Guardian’s tale up until this point.

He reaches down, taking the mirror in his hands, and raises it into the air. The magical power within it is activated once more, and it takes off, flying through the clouds, away from the village, and back to the lair where the boy and Trico first awakened. Something rumbles in the darkness, and then eyes appear, the shining, mesmerized eyes of the boy’s fateful companion. Alongside those eyes another pair appears, shining dimmer as they look out at the camera. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the sound of a much smaller Trico, whimpering happily alongside the grunts of the two larger creatures. It appears, based on these sounds, that a new Trico has been born. This is how the game ends, with the creatures having once more heard the call of the mirror.

It’s a beautiful ending to the game, and it really helps to tie together the questions that might have ranged from the ‘first ending’. But, this new ending still leaves some questions to be asked.

Asking the Important Questions

What is the second set of eyes in Trico’s den? Is it his mate? Was that a baby Trico we heard? We believe this is the other beast that Trico faces off against several times throughout the game’s story. There appears to be some sort of connection between these two Tricos, as all throughout the game the second one seems to be upset with the original Trico. This very same creature seems to be the only other Trico to survive the destruction of the Master of the Valley, as we actually see it clinging to a tower, watching as the boy is carried away towards his home. The two creatures communicate for a moment, but aside from that no other clues are really given to this relationship.

So, just what does the ending mean for Trico and the boy? Well, that’s not a question we can answer. It’s something we’ll have to keep wondering about until the game’s creator, Fumito Ueda, says differently. Whether we’ll see an official answer to this question remains to be seen. After all, The Last Guardian just released at the time of this writing, so we could very well start to see some developer-made comments about the ending in the coming days or weeks.

You can return to our The Last Guardian walkthrough for more in-depth features about the game, including full walkthroughs of each section.