Naughty Dog has experimented with a wealth of different thematic tones over the last few decades. While Naughty Dog has made some incredibly bright, energetic, and joyous mascot platformers, it’s also made some exceptionally dark and mature games that explore some weighty themes. But regardless of tone, Naughty Dog has always gone out of its way to put Easter eggs and references in its games.
Based on its reveal trailer, it seems as though Naughty Dog’s upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will be no exception to the rule, with it embracing a retro-futuristic aesthetic that already references real-world brands. These references will likely only be the tip of the iceberg for Intergalactic, and there’s one long-running Naughty Dog Easter egg the Sci-Fi game not only needs to include, but elevate.
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Intergalactic Could Take Naughty Dog’s Precursor Orb Easter Egg to New Heights
A Brief History of Naughty Dog’s Precursor Orb Easter Egg
Naughty Dog’s longest-running Easter egg can trace its roots all the way back to 2001, with the release of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. In classic mascot platformer fashion, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy requires players to collect a certain number of Precursor Orbs (egg-shaped artifacts) to progress. These Precursor Orbs appear throughout the rest of the series, usually taking the role of a currency that’s used to buy secret stages and other unlockables.
In 2007, a Precursor Orb found its way to the first Uncharted game, where it was described as a “Strange Relic.” The Strange Relic then appeared in every subsequent Uncharted game, including the PS Vita-exclusive, Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Under a similar name, “Strange Artifact”, the Precursor Orb also made an appearance in The Last of Us Part 2. The Precursor Orb also has a chance of appearing in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart when players fire the RYNO-8 weapon.
Intergalactic Can Take The Precursor Orb Easter Egg One Step Further
Jak and Daxter‘s Precursor Orb has appeared in almost every Naughty Dog game since 2001, so it seems fairly likely it’ll appear in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as well. But the Precursor Orb shouldn’t just show up as a one-and-done collectible, it should just be one part of a much grander Jak and Daxter Easter egg.
Precursor Orbs could be scattered across Intergalactic‘s world of Sempiria, and once players find them all, they could unlock some kind of hidden gateway. Inside could be an even more overt reference to Jak and Daxter, such as a brief appearance from the eponymous duo, complete with new voice lines from the original actors (Jak technically has two VAs to choose from). Alternatively, these Precursor Orbs could unlock a more tangible reward, such as a fully functional Morph Gun from Jak 2 and 3.
It’s pretty unlikely that a new Jak and Daxter is on the way anytime soon, so it’d be a welcome surprise for Naughty Dog to acknowledge the beloved series, especially as Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet‘s Sci-Fi setting would make any references feel fairly natural.
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Sony Interactive Entertainment