As the latest IP from Naughty Dog, the upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was revealed at The Game Awards 2024 with a bold trailer showcasing a dive into the science fiction genre. This announcement left details relatively vague around its actual gameplay scenario, but it still made the title’s emphasis on homages to iconic sci-fi inspirations clear. There are several sources that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet has likely drawn from, but the spirit of the 1988 anime film Akira has been displayed as a primary influence so far.
Seeing a scene of a moody bounty hunter in a cluttered spaceship with elements of noir cinematography can be an unmistakable reminder of the vibe of Cowboy Bebop, and that series may have played a role in inspiring Naughty Dog as well. Considering the visual flair that defines Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet‘s trailer overall, however, it seems that Akira may be even more of a key reference point that the studio is looking toward. The game’s space setting presents an immediate contrast to this inspiration, but the meaning behind these visual choices could shed some light on the direction of its story.
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Intergalactic Already Shares a Few Fun Similarities With The Last of Us
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Shot-for-Shot Parallels to Famous Akira Imagery Form the Basis of Intergalatic: The Heretic Prophet’s Announcement Trailer
Jordan A. Mun’s Design Appears Inspired by Akira’s Kaneda
As soon as the protagonist of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is shown to don a cropped red jacket with a prominent collar, Jordan clearly seems meant to evoke the silhouette made iconic by Shotaro Kaneda in Akira. Not only is its general shape practically the same, but she always bears a conspicuous graphic on the back of the jacket. While Kaneda’s symbol represents his place in the Neo-Tokyo motorcycle gang known as The Capsules, however, the logo resembling a knight chess piece on Jordan’s clothing may hint at membership in a collective of her own.
The trailer implies that she may have been a member of a bounty hunter group known as the Five Aces, but if their dynamic turned out anything like that of Kaneda and his friends following Tetsuo’s rampage in Akira, there may be a story just as tragic waiting to play out.
Shots of a Retro-Futuristic CD Jukebox
As she prepares to head towards Sempiria, Jordan uses her ship’s music system to play a Pet Shop Boys song in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet‘s trailer. In an earlier scene of Akira, Kaneda is shown interacting with a similar CD mechanism, with some parts being nearly identical to what Naughty Dog has now made. There are differences in the button console design, but the concept of pressing chunky analog buttons in a future timeline evokes the same general art style of “Cassette Futurism” by rooting the aesthetic in the technology of the 1980s.
Jordan’s Spaceship is Framed Similarly to Kaneda’s Motorcycle
She might be a bounty hunter instead of a member of a biker gang like Kaneda, but the sleek red ship that Jordan pilots features visual parallels to his vehicle which are difficult to ignore. The way she hits her thrusters to rev up the spaceship’s momentum as it speeds off into the distance mirrors a shot of him doing the same with his motorcycle, even though she’s operating on a much larger scale.
This announcement trailer might not go so far as to directly imitate the iconic “Akira slide” shot of Kaneda drifting back into the frame, but there is an uncanny resemblance to another part of the film with the entire Capsules gang seen in the way Jordan’s ship maneuvers across the screen. While it’s not yet known how deep its influence will reach, there’s an unmistakable echo of its raw visual energy established by the parallels to Akira in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet‘s reveal.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Propher follows Jordan A. Mun, a dangerous bounty hunter who ends up stranded on Sempiria – a distant planet whose communication with the outside universe went dark hundreds of years ago. In fact, anyone who’s flown to it hoping to unravel its mysterious past was never heard from again. Jordan will have to use all her skills and wits if she hopes to be the first person in over 600 years to leave its orbit.
- Publisher(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment