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Team ICO fans have been waiting for years to hear solid news about Team ICO's project, The Last Guardian. The game's development has gone through all kinds of ups and downs, and though rumors have emerged that the game would indeed finally be released, no real proof existed.

Sony gave its E3 presentation today, where fans waited with baited breath to know if The Last Guardian would even get a mention. Thankfully, Sony opted to waste no time, and opened with new gameplay and release date information for The Last Guardian.

The audience of the Sony E3 2015 presentation audibly brimmed with excitement as Sony launched into a trailer for The Last Guardian. The clip, seen above, consists of gameplay footage in which the playable character and his giant bird/cat/dog creature, Trico, are exploring an abandoned, partially-collapsed series of castle-like ruins. The child speaks only a few words to Trico, beckoning it to come towards him, leap, or go to assigned areas. Trico, however, is not simply a generic AI companion that follows every command without complaint. He reacts to the requests, purring like a cat when he's pleased, whimpering like a dog when he's afraid, or anxiously flexing his ears when frightened.

The gameplay also shows the importance of trust between these two characters, as both the boy and Trico frequently struggle to stay on solid ground as the old architecture crumbles beneath them. The boy takes several leaps of faith towards Trico (which visibly concerns Trico), but he's always caught, either in his mouth or with his tail. Simultaneously, it's up to the boy to help Trico to make it to a solid platform where his massive weight won't leave him plummeting to his death, which looks to involve some puzzle mechanics.

While this gameplay video didn't give any sort of information regarding the plot of the game, it did reveal one important detail: The Last Guardian is now set to release in 2016. Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Worldwide Studios, seemed very pleased to announce the game, which lends some credence that it won't simply get pushed back again.

Having an officially-announced release year is probably a relief to some fans who were afraid that The Last Guardian was cancelled. However, it's important to point out that The Last Guardian was originally announced at E3 six years ago, and has been pushed back ever since. While it's doubtful that Sony and Team ICO would bring back this much attention to The Last Guardian before it's truly ready, some fans may remain hesitant until the game is actually delivered.

The developers of The Last Guardian have their work cut out for them- they not only have to deliver the game within the time frame they've set for themselves, but deliver an experience that will live up to hopeful fans' six years worth of imaginings. Thankfully, this brief glimpse of gameplay does make it look like fans will be pleased with the final experience.

The Last Guardian is set to be released in 2016, exclusively for PlayStation 4.