Among the many familiar developers featuring in 2023's Xbox Games Showcase was Don't Nod, who shared a trailer for its newest game Jusant, and right away audiences were picking up on some major Team Ico vibes that fans should keep an eye on. Don't Nod is often most associated with its player-driven storylines best exemplified by the Life is Strange series, but Jusant seems to be attempting something different. Based on its style and environments, as well as the protagonist and their otherworldly animal companion, it seems Jusant could be taking the mantle from The Last Guardian.
In fact, Jusant has already found itself likened to other games such as similarities to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom due to their shared exploration and climbing gameplay, so its comparisons to Team Ico's games aren't surprising. However, since Team Ico is effectively no more following The Last Guardian's release, there has been a void left to fill with mysterious stories, buried history, and fantastical worlds the developer was best known for. With its trailer providing just a glimpse into what Jusant could offer players, it's possible that Don't Nod is giving Team Ico fans a viable alternative.
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From the cinematography and panoramic landscapes that Jusant's reveal trailer showcased, there's a strong sense that the design and scale of its environments have influences from Team Ico's later games, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian. For Shadow of the Colossus specifically, there are many different parallels between it and Jusant. Obvious similarities can be seen with the two games' shared focus on exploration and climbing just like Tears of the Kingdom, but Jusant also seems to be aiming for the bar set by Shadow of the Colossus with the vast sense of size with its own towering cliffs, building-like structures, and more.
As for The Last Guardian, not only are the climbing mechanics once again shared between the two games, but Jusant appears to take further influence from creating an empty and enigmatic world. Jusant's trailer doesn't show any other characters beyond the protagonist and their companion, so every opportunity taken to present the seemingly abandoned and derelict settlements built along its cliffs drives home how quiet and alone the game feels. Similar to how Team Ico's games explore themes of isolation and loneliness, Don't Nod has already hit the nail on the head and mastered Jusant's ethereal yet disquieting atmosphere.
Though The Last Guardian is the better comparison to make with Jusant when it comes to its character dynamics, Team Ico has previously explored cooperative gameplay with its first game Ico. But while Ico's visuals are more similar to Jusant than its gameplay, Ico has served as a major inspiration to many game developers over the years, and it's possible that Don't Nod is now joining this list. However, as part of Jusant's narrative-driven approach and best fitting a single-player experience, both the protagonist and their companion will be controlled as one using both to solve puzzles and navigate the world.
Ico also had its influences on The Last Guardian, which seemed to blend together Team Ico's previous games into one unified experience. As a result, the full influence of Team Ico is now behind games like Jusant. In particular, if Jusant's world is as lonesome as its trailer suggests, then the relationship between the climber and the hitchhiking odd creature will undoubtedly be a core part of its story. So just as The Last Guardian told a story of an unlikely friendship forged through cooperation and compassion despite the darkness they both faced, then so too could Jusant embrace that same Team Ico ethos of mutual companionship.
Jusant is set to be released in Fall 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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