Summary
- Naughty Dog’s new IP, Intergalactic, hints at a major departure from traditional ranged combat in their games.
- The game seems to emphasize melee combat, with the reveal trailer showcasing a sci-fi red blade as the primary weapon.
- Intergalactic may pave the way for Naughty Dog to excel in hand-to-hand combat, diverging from their previous focus on ranged combat.
Much to the surprise of almost everyone, the 2024 Game Awards ceremony revealed a first look at Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a brand-new IP from Uncharted and The Last of Us developer, Naughty Dog. As nothing more than a reveal for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the trailer is very cryptic as far as what the game will offer once it launches, and that very much includes the combat.
At the same time, a brief look at Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet‘s combat is shown in the game’s reveal trailer, though not nearly enough to get a firm grasp on what the game’s combat will ultimately be like. However, what is shown seems to indicate what will potentially be a major departure for Naughty Dog when it comes to combat mechanics.
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Intergalactic’s Blade Looks Like a Departure From the Naughty Dog Norm
Naughty Dog’s Combat Traditionally Emphasizes Gunplay
For the most part, at least as far as its biggest franchises go, Naughty Dog’s combat has traditionally emphasized ranged combat, with melee combat being more supplementary than anything else. The developer’s biggest franchises — Uncharted and The Last of Us, for example — have almost always seen players subduing foes from afar with a ranged weapon, like a pistol or a bow. In Uncharted, it’s entirely possible for players to engage in hand-to-hand combat if necessary, but the whole system is fairly straightforward, generally relying more on single-button presses.
For the most part, at least as far as its biggest franchises go, Naughty Dog’s combat has traditionally emphasized ranged combat, with melee combat being more supplementary than anything else.
In The Last of Us, players are even more encouraged to stay away from enemies, as getting caught by an Infected can result in an untimely death. That being said, it is still possible to engage enemies in melee combat in The Last of Us, though, like Uncharted, it is a very simple system that requires minimal effort and showcases little creativity. The implementation of such simple melee combat systems in Naughty Dog games like Uncharted and The Last of Us just goes to show how much more ranged combat in these games is highlighted, and, therefore, how much more time the developer spent fleshing out each game’s ranged battle mechanics.
Intergalactic Seems to Emphasize Melee Combat
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, on the other hand, seems to emphasize melee combat more than anything else. In fact, based on Intergalactic‘s reveal trailer, ranged combat doesn’t appear to even be a thing, although it can be assumed that players will be able to engage in ranged combat on both the ground and in space. There is hardly any combat shown in the Intergalactic reveal trailer, and what is shown is purely melee-oriented, with the game’s protagonist using a large, sci-fi-looking red blade to attack an enemy. If that and the game’s key art are signs of what is to come, it’s safe to say Intergalactic will be a melee-focused game, which would mark a major departure for Naughty Dog.
Naughty Dog has proven before that it can make combat feel intense and exciting, but that has almost always applied to the ranged combat systems found in other franchises from the developer, like Uncharted and The Last of Us. As such, it’s hard to discern at the moment how Intergalactic‘s presumed melee-focused combat will pan out, especially since, in order for melee combat in a game to feel exciting, players need access to diverse skills and the mechanics can’t afford to feel sluggish, unresponsive, or unintuitive. However, it’s possible Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet may be able to lay a new path for Naughty Dog when it comes to combat, potentially securing its future in the hand-to-hand arena.
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