Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is the surprising new IP from Naughty Dog. While still maintaining the studio’s action adventure foundation, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet brings forth a retro sci-fi world that marks a surprising change of form for the massive developer. Responsible for major franchises like Uncharted and The Last of Us, Intergalactic is a bold departure from these more grounded series.
As it stands, The Last of Us Part 2 is Naughty Dog’s most recent release. The franchise as a whole has proven to be such a huge success that it has even spawned a live-action adaptation on HBO. Writer Neil Druckmann’s post-apocalyptic world is a unique reinvention of the zombie genre, which really helped The Last of Us stand out. Despite such a fascinating world, The Last of Us and its lore have been slow to build, as the main focus being on Ellie has kept the story fairly isolated. Ellie is an incredibly compelling and complex character, but the spotlight staying mostly on her has kept the game’s lore from expanding, and Intergalactic can hopefully sidestep this issue with its protagonist.
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Intergalactic’s Future Hopefully Doesn’t Restrict Itself to One Protagonist
The Last of Us Seems to Be Winding Down
There were a lot of gamers hoping that The Last of Us Part 3 would be Naughty Dog’s next announcement, but that wasn’t the case. As of now, there is no clear roadmap for Part 3, but if it finally sees the light of day, it’s likely to be the franchise’s last chapter. After the disappointing cancelation of The Last of Us Online, it seems unlikely to get deeper dives into The Last of Us‘ world outside of Ellie’s, and now Abby’s, perspective. Both characters showcase a compelling mirror image of the bleak world they have to survive, but getting a brand-new viewpoint potentially outside of Ellie’s orbit made the prospect of The Last of Us Online exciting.
The score for Intergalactic is being composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
Jordan A. Mun Could Be One of Many Protagonists
The promise of having Tati Gabrielle star in a Naughty Dog game as Jordan A. Mun is incredibly exciting, but if Intergalactic gets to become a full-blown franchise, future games may want to take the leap and follow other characters besides just her. Mun’s story of bounty-hunting prowess looks promising, but getting more than just a singular viewpoint of a world that holds so much potential for exploration could be a misstep.
Putting too much focus on one central character can sometimes back a franchise’s story into a corner, and Intergalactic exploring other narrative threads could avoid that risk. Much of Intergalactic‘s setting and lore remains a mystery, but there are a few confirmed details that Naughty Dog has made official.
- Intergalactic takes place on Sempiria, a mysterious planet.
- The planet has ceased communication with the outside universe.
- No one has escaped Sempiria’s orbit in over 600 years.
Intergalactic Continuing Naughty Dog’s Legacy of Storytelling
When it comes to story-driven games, Naughty Dog has been one of the strongest developers in this realm. The worlds the studio has been able to build have been impressive and imaginative, and Intergalactic will hopefully continue this tradition. While there is a risk of keeping its franchise’s world from expanding beyond one character, Naughty Dog is at least skilled at balancing that with such strong stories.
So far, Intergalactic does not have a launch date or even a general release window.
Even if Intergalactic continues to only follow Jordan through potential sequels, Naughty Dog has a track record of pulling this off well. Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us have all set their gaze on a central figure for the most part, and Intergalactic can still offer a compelling world through this singular lens.
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Sony Interactive Entertainment