With the recent news thatThe Last of Us Part 2may not be getting a direct sequel, many fans (myself included) are likely nervous about the franchise’s future. It also seems strange that Naughty Dog did not continue the series after the success of the HBO series. However, just because we’re not gettingThe Last of Us Part 3doesn’t mean we won’t see any more games set in its world, and Naughty Dog already has the perfect solution.
A year afterUncharted 4put a cap on Nathan Drake’s story, Naughty Dog releaseda spin-off game calledUncharted: The Lost Legacy. If Naughty Dog wants to continue telling stories inThe Last of Us’ setting but not focus on its main characters, they could repeat this strategy. Not only has it been successful in the past, but there are also some pretty clear directions that aLast of Usspin-off could take.
The Last Of Us Should Learn From Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Uncharted’s Spin-Off Game Was Largely Successful
Uncharted: The Lost Legacyshifted its focus from series protagonist Nathan Drake and instead starred two of the game’s previous supporting characters: Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross. The game was positively received, earning an 84% onMetacritic. The game was also reportedly a financial success, topping the UK sales charts the week it was released, according toGamesIndustry.biz. While we have sadly not gotten any moreUnchartedspin-offs since then,Naughty Dog should consider repeating this successful move withThe Last of Us.
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LikeUncharted,The Last of Ushas many side characters to explore. If anything,The Last of Usmay be better suited to this type of spin-off thanUncharted. As an action-adventure story,Uncharted’s characters were more broad archetypes than fully realized people, with the plot being more heavily focused on significant action set pieces and exciting mysteries. The extra emotional depth ofThe Last of Us’ charactersmeans there are a lot of stories to mine for spin-off games. ALast of Usspin-off would also mean not cheapening Ellie’s story.
A TLOU Standalone Can Keep The World Alive Without Stretching Ellie’s Story
The end of Ellie’s story inThe Last of Us Part 2may have been heart-wrenching,but it was also a pretty definitive conclusion. The game showed the price Ellie paid by allowing her desire for vengeance to cloud her judgment and was a poignant statement on how the cycle of violence hurts all involved. Bringing Ellie back for another game would only risk damaging the perfect ending to her story. Giving her a new, happier ending wouldn’t feel authentic to the world ofThe Last of Us, and doubling down on the misery would just feel repetitive.
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By focusing on a new character,aLast of Usspin-off could keep the world alive while preserving Ellie’s story. This could mean that a potential spin-off would need to feature characters that Ellie wouldn’t interact with, though that isn’t the biggest ask. By theend ofThe Last of Us Part 2, Ellie is left isolated from the rest of the cast, who have ended things on poor terms with Dina and Tommy. Even if one of them were chosen to be the focus of a new game, it would be believable that Ellie wouldn’t need to be involved.
What A Last Of Us Standalone Game Could Look Like
There Is A Lot Of Potential Story Directions For A Last Of Us Standalone Game
There are several directions a new standalone story inTheLast of Uscould take.Perhaps the easiest route would be to focus on an existing character. This would allow the game to rely on players’ familiarity with the character as a selling point and possibly even re-use locations if the game follows a character from Jackson. The game could potentially follow Tommy, whose injuries fromThe Last of Us Part 2could play a unique mechanical role in the new game. Alternatively, the game could follow Maria and explore her role in maintaining Jackson.
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Sony recently conducted an interview with Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann, and many comments have me concerned about the studio’s next game.
If Naughty Dog wants a new setting,it already has the perfect protagonist: Abby. While Ellie gets a solid conclusion at the end ofThe Last of Us Part 2, there is likely some potential to explore what happens to Abby and Lev after the events of the second game. With much of the misguided vitriol surrounding her character seemingly having died down at this point and more people givingThe Last of Us Part 2the recognition it deserves, bringing Abby back would likely be well-received. It could also give the HBO series someone to follow after Ellie.
The world ofThe Last of Ushas much potential outside of established characters, so a standalone could always establish a completely new cast.
That said, following Abby may be too close to the story ofThe Last of Us Part 2to be considered a standalone spin-off. The world ofThe Last of Ushas much potential outside of established characters, so a standalone could always establish a completely new cast. The IP is likely strong enough to draw attention, even without any established characters returning.
Sources:Metacritic,Christopher Dring/GamesIndustry.biz
The Last of Us Part 2
The Last of Us Part II is a continuation of The Last of Us universe and a direct sequel to the original title. It takes place five years after the events of The Last of Us and sees players taking control of two characters, Ellie and Abby. Players will be forced to live the lives of both characters before their stories ultimate at the end of the release.
