After The Last Guardian’s conspicuous absence at this year’s E3, many believed that the eagerly awaited game, stuck in development hell since 2007, may never materialize at all. A recent rumor that the game's development had been cancelled was refuted by Sony, but after seven years of false starts and disappointments, fans are growing impatient. Apparently, members of Team Ico are equally tired of waiting for the sequel to Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, as two former artists on the project have joined indie studio Friend&Foe to help create their own spiritual successor in Vane.

Little is known about Vane, but a set of images and GIFs on Friend&Foe’s site reveal a desert environment with an atmospheric look that effectively conveys a sense desolation and isolation. The team describes Vane as “an open-world adventure game based on mystery and exploration” that features puzzle-solving and other features yet to be revealed. The protagonist is described as “A child with an odd ability stuck in a strange land,” conjuring images of Ico, while the setting is called, “A dangerous natural environment inhabited by a strange civilization,” recalling the world of Shadow of the Colossus.

Vane is being developed for PC first, but Friend&Foe suggests that other platforms may be announced. A firm release date of “When It’s Done” has been set.

Interestingly, the other project on which Friend&Foe is working on is called Dangerous Men, and based on its description, it couldn’t be more different from Vane. A buddy-cop game set in the 1980s, Dangerous Men will task heroes Dan and Don with “Literally jump(ing) from explosion to explosion to clear the city of the Punk Gang menace” in a “city-wide explosionfest.” While we're certainly looking forward to something that resembles Ico and SotC, Dangerous Men's description reminds us of Far Cry 3: Blood-Dragon, and sounds like it could be just as fun as Vane, though in a very different way.

Friend&Foe
Friend&Foe
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Friend&Foe
Friend&Foe
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Friend&Foe
Friend&Foe
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Friend&Foe
Friend&Foe
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