Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Could Naughty Dog's Best Game For One Simple Reason

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is looking to be Naughty Dog's biggest project to date. First shown during The Game Awards 2024, Intergalactic's reveal was certainly a highlight of the event, finally looping players into what the acclaimed studio has been working on for so many years. However, now that the dust has settled from the reveal, there are plenty of questions about how Naughty Dog plans to continue, or even surpass, the quality of their previous titles.

It's a good line of inquiry, given Naughty Dog's reputation. With the studio being responsible for many critically acclaimed franchises, like Uncharted and The Last of Us, it's important for Intergalactic to at least meet the quality expected of Naughty Dog in order to maintain its incredible track record. Thankfully, Naughty Dog is promising that Intergalactic will indeed maintain the standards the studio has set for itself in the last few decades. Moreover, the studio could be looking to exceed the titles it has produced before in one key aspect to make its best game to date.

Naughty Dog Has Promised The Deepest Gameplay Yet

There's A Clear Sense of Ambition On Display

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Naughty Dog has promised to exceed its previous titles by expanding on one major element: gameplay. On Naughty Dog's official news page, studio head Neil Druckmann stresses the gameplay as a major focal point for Intergalactic, claiming the game will have "...the deepest gameplay in Naughty Dog's history." Druckmann reiterates this point, explaining how Intergalactic's gameplay serves as an evolution, with Naughty Dog taking "lessons from its previous franchises" in order to push the new title as far as it possibly can.

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There's a clear sense of ambition present in Intergalactic, matched only by Druckmann's own abundant passion for the project. It helps to instill hope that Intergalactic will continue the studio's endless run of successes, while also increasing excitement thanks to Naughty Dog's clear desire to improve. Furthermore, Druckmann also assures players that Intergalactic's narrative will maintain the same quality as the studio's previous franchises, only adding to the possibility that Naughty Dog's newest game could become its best work.

Deeper Gameplay Is The Key To Intergalactic's Success

The Sci-Fi Adventure Demands A More Complex Gameplay Experience

That sense of ambition being brought to Intergalactic's gameplay is exactly what this upcoming game needs to put itself above Naughty Dog's other franchises. While series like Uncharted and The Last of Us are chock-full of intense, cinematic combat scenarios that are a thrill to play, the player is often limited in areas like progression and exploration. The linearity in these titles is likely done in service of the game's narrative, which has often been the most significant aspect of these titles.

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This isn't to say that this approach is a major hindrance to either series. The captivating stories often drive the player to stay almost exclusively on the path forward in order to have these narratives unfold, giving these titles their fantastic pacing. That being said, these limitations placed on progression and player freedom show the areas that Intergalactic can expand upon, providing a far deeper and more varied gameplay experience than what players have come to expect from Naughty Dog.

Naughty Dog has been gradually moving toward larger, more open design, with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and The Last of Us Part 2 incorporating more expansive areas.

It certainly helps that Intergalactic's premise demands a more ambitious gameplay experience than seen previously. The setting of an abandoned planet in the cosmos immediately creates a strong desire to traverse the unfamiliar world in search of its secrets. A deeper, more complex, and freeing gameplay experience would perfectly complement the larger narrative that Naughty Dog has already set up for Intergalactic, resulting in a title that far exceeds the bounds established by Uncharted and The Last of Us.

What Intergalactic's Gameplay Could Look Like

The Game Could Improve On Previous Shortcomings

Unfortunately, no concrete information has been given by Naughty Dog on what Intergalactic's deeper gameplay might actually look like. The only glimpse of gameplay came in the last few seconds of the reveal trailer, which could imply that Intergalactic has a bigger emphasis on melee combat. Seeing the protagonist, Jordan, take on the titanic robot with a sword in hand certainly suggests that this is the case, possibly opening the door for more complex, action-heavy one-on-one encounters that would be a thrill to engage in.

Related These Small Details In Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Should Be A Bigger Deal Being one of the largest projects announced at the 2024 Game Awards, this one inclusion could have a wide-reaching impact on the gaming industry.

Intergalactic's gameplay could also work to improve on the shortcomings of Naughty Dog's previous titles. While the studio has managed to craft some incredible combat scenarios in previous franchises such as Uncharted and The Last of Us, they're sometimes split up with different styles of gameplay that don't have the same depth and enjoyment. The Uncharted series, for example, is infamous for its tedious climbing sections, as the developers try to use spectacle or character interactions to distract from the minimal input being provided by the player.

Varied styles of gameplay that are given the same attention as combat would be a huge boost to Intergalactic, further cementing the idea of the game as an evolution from the titles that came before. The ambition and care Druckmann has promised to give to Intergalactic's gameplay creates more excitement for the title than before. If done correctly, not only would Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet be a worthy title in Naughty Dog's library, but it might elevate the studio's already huge reputation, becoming the developer's best game to date.

Source: Naughty Dog