Summary
At the surface level, people unfamiliar withThe Last of Uscould be forgiven for thinking that it’s just another zombie survival series. The infected enemies and post-apocalyptic setting make it fit a mold, but the sublime storytelling and intricate character development make the pair of games and DLC expansion stand out from its contemporaries. It’s Naughty Dog’s crowning achievement despite the studio also being at the helm of the likes ofUncharted,Jak and Daxter, andCrash Bandicoot. It’s got a sky-high reputation, and one that future games have to live up to.
What comes next is still somewhat unclear, especially forThe Last of Us' mainline series. A multiplayer game is in the works, but development is reportedly proving difficult, and a third single-player game is yet to be revealed, despite being rumored sinceThe Last of Us 2launched in 2020. That game could go in almost any direction, both narratively and geographically, and deciding to uproot the story to a different location could present endless possibilities with the enemy variety, making a potentialThe Last of Us 3an improvement on the sequel, no matter how tough that may seem.
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The Last of Us Presents a Hostile World
InThe Last of Us 2, the enemies are varied in terms of the narrative, but aren’t particularly diverse in gameplay, rarely requiring different tactics to defeat them. The infected,Washington Liberation Front, and Seraphitesare each massively different and present an equal threat to Ellie and Abby, and much of the game is spent desperately avoiding their gaze, or frantically battling through them to make it out alive, but the combat encounters often fail to make a long-lasting impression as they usually play out the same way.
The Washington Liberation Front and the Seraphites are narratively poles apart, with one being a well-maintained military force whereas the other adopts a more religious perspective.
It keeps toThe Last of UsandNaughty Dog’s strengths, as the limitations of the gameplay mean that the narrative has to be the main thing that holds players' attention. To prevent the franchise from feeling stale the diversity of the battles needs to be widened, and staying in the United States could feel like more of a restriction than it did in previous games.
Relocation Could Reinvigorate The Last of Us' Enemy Variety
The Cordyceps fungus is a fascinating plot device, as it makes the infected act hostile towardsJoel, Ellie, and Abby, but there is still a part of their humanity that remains. This could seem like a simple idea to makeThe Last of Us’story more plausible, but when it comes to enemy AI it could be a game-changer. Should the next game go somewhere new, the culture, architecture, and aesthetic of the land could change the way even a runner could behave.
It could be that some nations have found a way to subdue the effects of the infection, or even that the closer the protagonist goes to the source of the outbreak, the more volatile even basic enemies become.The Last of Ushas art direction that makes every setting feel truly exceptional, and exploring other parts of the world could help Naughty Dog flex its muscles, but more critically it could bring a new challenge to the player by readjusting how the infected and human adversaries act, and react.
The Last of Ustakes Joel and Ellie across a post-apocalyptic America, from Boston to Salt Lake City. Its sequel,The Last of Us 2almost exclusively takes place in Seattle.
The Last of Us Part 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Play the winner of over 300 Game of the Year awards, remastered for the PlayStation®5 console. Relive or play for the first time Ellie and Abby’s story, now with graphical enhancements, new gameplay modes like the roguelike survival experience No Return, full DualSense® wireless controller integration, and more. Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closur
