The Last of Us fans should feel right at home in Intergalactic

The dust has settled following The Game Awards, and after catching up on some sleep, I think I may finally be ready to process Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. You should know that I’m a major fan of Naughty Dog and while The Last of Us is the series that I hold dearest, I’m also head over heels for Uncharted and Crash Bandicoot too. Yet despite my complete and utter faith in the studio, I was concerned in the lead-up to The Game Awards after whisperings of a supposed new IP gained traction.

It’s not that I was worried about a flop by any means but I have been longing for The Last of Us Part III for quite some time, a conclusion to the saga I care about so deeply. The question for me became, ‘Will I love a new IP as much when there’s something I so desperately want this studio to create?’ I already feel silly for having such a worry. I’m sure that The Last of Us Part III is in the works, even if it is something that’s perhaps more likely to land during the PlayStation 6 era, but the reveal of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at last week’s The Game Awards reminded me of why I fell in love with The Last of Us in the first place.

Naughty Dog is, beyond being an innovative powerhouse, masterful when it comes to the art of storytelling. That’s personally what I look for in a game - something that uses the immersion and complicity of gameplay to immerse you in a story like no other artform can. The depths of which a video game can move me are why I work in this industry. The Last of Us is a shining example of what I’ve just explained in action, but I’m already confident that Intergalactic will be too. Naturally, it’s early days, and we can never truly pass judgement on a project until the finished iteration is in our hands. But I do want to delve into the trailer to explain why, at this point in time, I’m hopeful that we’re in for a thrilling ride - and one that feels like a Naughty Dog classic.

Before I do so, remind yourself of the trailer below.

“The suffering of generations must be endured to achieve our divine end,” isn’t the cheeriest of opening statements so despite the trailer’s upbeat 80s synth soundtrack, Intergalactic clearly isn’t going to stray far from Naughty Dog’s established penchant for creating games that address difficult subject matter. The Last of Us Part II is a prime example of that, but Intergalactic could boast some equally complex narrative threads if we’re to assume that this seeming display of religious heresy is tied into why Jordan is stuck on Sempiria (which doesn’t feel like a stretch as the quote is attributed to ‘Ancient Sempirian Scripture’).

Something changed on Sempiria that led to it being cut-off from the rest of the galaxy for over 600 years. Was the Sempirians’ “divine end” all they hoped for? I’m intrigued and we’re not even on the first true frame of the cinematic trailer. Eventually though, the trailer does introduce us to Jordan, portrayed by the fantastic Tati Gabrielle, who’s shaving her head. I can’t blame her. I shouldn’t think long tresses are all that practical in space.

The camera soon pans to a noticeboard providing all kinds of Easter eggs and clues, many of which I’m sure will continue to come to light in the coming weeks as there’s only so much my keen eye can absorb but there are a few things I want to highlight here. One photograph pinned to the board highlights a rain-soaked city street, illuminated by neon lights so it appears that Intergalactic will see us visit at least one metropolis as the cyberpunk-esque locale seems to be tied to a target Jordan is hunting. I have to say, I’m thrilled at the prospect of visiting a metropolis. The Last of Us’ cityscapes are largely abandoned while Uncharted tended to stick to far-flung locales much smaller in size. It’s about time Naughty Dog offered us a bustling city.

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It’s on this page that we also see a number of confirmed cast members, including Kumail Nanjiani who appears to be another target of Jordan’s. Newspaper clippings refer to ‘The Five Aces’, a criminal group who purportedly stole valuables from across the galaxy. What’s most perplexing here though is that Jordan was seemingly, judging by the central photo in this frame, a part of that group, so is she hunting her accomplices in a simple bid to reunite? Did Jordan have a change of heart and end up stranded because of the group? I have a feeling that we might see those Naughty Dog classic themes of found family and/or revenge crop up again.

Eventually, we shift away from the noticeboard to a call Jordan takes from AJ, played by The Last of Us Part II co-writer Halley Gross. AJ conveys that a mysterious ‘he’ is hiding out next to Sempiria which doesn’t add too much to the knowledge we’ve just gleaned from the notice board except that chasing this ‘he’ is clearly how Jordan becomes trapped on the planet. In fact, if you glance at one of the on-screen screens, you’ll notice that ‘he’ is Kumail’s character Colin Graves, an individual with a threat level of seven and a reward of 1,600,000 of this universe’s currency if captured.

“He’s not worth it,” AJ says about the risk of travelling to Sempiria, so I’m leaning towards Jordan not being on excellent terms with her ex-accomplices. I might be wrong. It could be a yearning to reunite, but Jordan comes across as having a laser focus, the type you might have if seeking revenge or justice. I do also want to touch on AJ's tease of the “crazy rumours” which she corrects as “facts” about what happened on Sempiria … What did this titular ‘Heretic Prophet’ do?

It’s during this conversation that Jordan puts on a jacket which, to my eye, was not all that remarkable but how silly I am. I’ve seen game developers across social media remarking on what a feat this is technically, so this is information I’ve absorbed to share with you all. Graphically, gaming may be reaching somewhat of a peak but clearly Naughty Dog is still looking for ways to innovate and push the boat out, something else to look forward to in this title.

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Before Jordan sets off to Sempiria, she sets The Pet Shop Boys’ Actually album to play, specifically the song ‘It’s A Sin’. Sinning … religious heresy … I see what’s going on here. A small nod to the game’s general themes aside, I’ll be harkening back to this scene in just a moment, particularly the fact that Jordan’s music set up features an equaliser. You see, we next see Jordan having presumably landed on Sempiria facing off against a very large robot, albeit one with a sort of ‘ancient look’, if that’s possible, due to the fact that it’s covered in runes. These are likely linked to whatever heresy the Sempirian fanatics got caught up in. There’s very little to glean from the robot though other than it being ridiculously f**king cool.

What is significant to me in this scene is Jordan’s sword which if you study closely when activated has a neon blade shaped like … yes, an equaliser. Jordan launches into battle looking effortlessly badass before the game’s title card appears, ending the trailer but let’s just take a moment to think about what this could mean. When the game was announced at The Game Awards, a major emphasis was placed on the fact that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, of Nine Inch Nails fame, would be creating the game’s soundtrack.

Now Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet isn’t the first 80s themed project to place an emphasis on music. We’ve seen this all before in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy. What I am wondering though is whether Intergalactic will include rhythm action game-inspired gameplay, the ‘shoot to the beat’ kind. It’s a trope that’s been around in gaming for some time, but it’s very rarely seen outside of its genre. I personally can’t think of a major AAA narrative-driven release to base its combat around music and rhythm that’s launched as of late.

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This isn’t a confirmed feature of Intergalactic but with the emphasis on Reznor and Ross putting together the score, the fact that we see Jordan picking out a soundtrack to travel to which is displayed on an equaliser, followed by the equaliser shaped sword … it’s all very suspicious. And if I am right and they pull this off with Jordan’s sword pulsing to the beat as we land a crashing blow harmoniously synced with an 80s synth soundtrack, that could be something very special indeed.

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is totally new ground for Naughty Dog, but it’s ground that I feel comfortable treading. The studio’s penchant for technical innovation and complex and challenging storytelling appears to be present. If they pull this off, I have no doubt that longtime fans of the studio will feel right at home in this new world.