A free Christmas stocking stuffer from Sony launched for PlayStation VR this week in the form of The Last Guardian VR, a 15 minute sensory overload that replays a small slice of last year’s sensational puzzle platformer in virtual reality. And given the main game is all about scale, it makes the transition to Sony’s futuristic facemask with ease.

There’s not much in the way of gameplay here, to be honest: it’s very much a rollercoaster ride – the kind of thing you could show your grandparents on Christmas Day to give them a taste of what PSVR is all about. You can throw barrels at Trico in order to get him to eat, and there are some switches you need to pull, but that’s about it really.

The joy, then, comes from the giant catbird himself, who is just about as enormous as you can imagine. Watching him tower over you in the opening moments of the experience is a sensational feeling, and when he leans in to nuzzle your body, you can almost feel the warmth of his wet nose against your clothes. It’s unreal.

What made The Last Guardian one of 2016’s greats was the animation of Trico, and it’s uncanny seeing the animal in virtual reality. He really does move like a real beast, shaking his feathers and scratching behind his ear – it’s quite incredible. Riding on his back across a dilapidated bridge, you can feel the pangs of vertigo – and your deep-rooted reliance on the animal to keep you safe.

This author very much believes there’s a case for The Last Guardian being the PS4’s best game; not everyone would agree and that’s fine. If nothing else, though, this PSVR demo serves as a reminder of how special Fumito Ueda’s world is – and how, despite never uttering a single word, Trico is one of PlayStation’s most realised heroes of all time.

Have you given The Last Guardian VR a go? Were you impressed by the PSVR demo? Cuddle your catbird in the comments section below.