Fumito Ueda has penned a heartfelt message to The Last Guardian players, which Sony has bundled with the game's media kit.

The media kit, delivered by publisher Sony to Eurogamer yesterday but under embargo until this morning, includes a note from The Last Guardian designer and director Ueda about the game that began development a whopping nine years ago. (There's a feather in the media kit, too!)

The message, republished below, references the development turmoil that saw The Last Guardian move from a PlayStation 3 game onto PS4.

Fumito Ueda's message included in The Last Guardian media kit - complete with sketch.

But it ends with a word of advice: as you play, admire the scenery, and watch out for the ending.

Dear Adventurers It's been a long time coming, but I take great pleasure (and relief!) in knowing that The Last Guardian is in your hands. When we first began work on The Last Guardian, I intended it to take from and build on our experience working in ICO and Shadow of the Colossus, making it something akin to a greatest hits album. Unfortunately, as you know, we ran into a few twists and turns along the way, and the title took longer than anyone expected. Still, just as ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are truly unique games, so too is The Last Guardian an experience unlike any other. As you play, take the time to stop and enjoy the scenery as you follow these unlikely companions on their journey. And you definitely won't want to miss the ending! The development team and I hope you all have a wonderful time with The Last Guardian. Nothing would make us happier. Fumito Ueda.

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First leaked in a trailer shortly before its official unveiling at E3 2009, The Last Guardian has had one of the most storied and troubled developments of any game in recent history.

In 2011 executive producer Yoshifusa Hayama left the project and Ueda himself departed from Sony, though he said he'd remain committed to the project on a freelance basis.

The game went on hiatus and word of its progress went dark for so long that it became a running joke to ask Sony executives about its status at trade shows E3 and Gamescom.

The Last Guardian eventually resurfaced at E3 2015, now as a PS4 game. Eventually it saw one last final delay, but it's since gone gold and is now firmly on track for its 9th December release.

Earlier in November, Martin interviewed Fumito Ueda, who said "never in my wildest imagination did I think The Last Guardian would take this long". It's well worth a read.