Introduce New Infected
In the original title there were really only two types of specialized infected that switched things up for the player. One was the massive, tank-like Bloater and the other was an insta-kill Clicker that forced players to sneak around them. While they were cool, at a certain point the lack of variety in combat did begin to show. Bloaters, the hardest enemy in the game, only show up a set number of times throughout the campaign and then never appear again.
It would be nice if The Last of Us Part II added a fair amount of diversity to their creatures, as this would keep combat feeling fresh. Doing this could also be a nice way to showcase the virus’ effects over an extended period of time, given this game appears to be set years after the original. While we do know what the cycle of the infection actually looks like, it would be interesting to see Naughty Dog play with the habits, abilities, and behaviors of these foes.
Exploration of Survivor Communities
Something that really only felt teased in the original game was how the survivor colonies scattered about the United States were doing. While they were briefly seen in the beginning and somewhat at the end, getting a chance to really understand the new cultures that have formed would be a treat. Giving players the ability to interact and explore these areas would not only allow for more interesting player interactions, but could also offer up some interesting set pieces.
Another concept would be to start your own community out in the wild, allowing you to use it as a base of operations. However, given that Naughty Dog typically shies away from big open-world titles in favor of more linear narratives, this is highly unlikely. Either way, it’d be great if players could have more experiences interacting with survivors beyond the ones that just want to shoot you. This is a world where everyone is struggling to survive and broken, disheveled towns are a great way to reflect that theme.
The Multiplayer Issue
Some may not know it, but the original game actually had a rather interesting set of multiplayer modes that came with the core game. However, this was overshadowed by the intense single player campaign, which was the focus for many critics and players alike. Moving forward, it’s imperative that Naughty Dog decides which direction they want to take their multiplayer in for The Last of Us Part II. Having it just tacked on, despite it actually being quite fun, made the online component feel like an afterthought to the overall package. There were only three modes, a little over a dozen weapons, and only a handful of maps to pick from in the core game. This is a shame because the modes themselves were incredibly fun, however it would have been fantastic if Naughty Dog explored them with more depth.
What made The Last of Us’ multiplayer interesting is that it reinforced the idea of surviving and taking every little advantage offered. It’s rare a multiplayer game forced players to play like it was their last life, as it created a slow burn style of competitive online combat. In an age of fast paced shooters and massive open world battles, having such an isolated and intimate experience was and is rare. Doubling down on this mentality could help The Last of Us standout even more if it tries to enter the online realm.
With the second title, the developers should either flesh it out more like they’ve done with Uncharted 4 or just ditch it entirely. Unless you have a constant string of new content and updates for your online area, it will eventually die off after its release. There’s nothing wrong with The Last of Us being a single player only game. However, if Naughty Dog is adamant on adding competitive multiplayer, then it should offer more than a small pool of modes to draw from and use the post-apocalyptic lore to add something different. Even though the Elimination game mode from the original title was enjoyable, it only every felt like Naughty Dog was scratching the surface for online. There’s a lot of potential in what a multiplayer section could look like for The Last of Us Part II, so hopefully Naughty Dog explores it further.
Deepen the Stealth
One of the most interesting mechanics of The Last of Us was the stealth. This was used to not only avoid the extremely powerful Clickers, but also sometimes to outright avoid combat entirely. While most of the game offered up areas that you could sneak through, it never felt like that was the option it wanted you to take. There just weren’t enough options or routes that a player could take in any given combat scenario, resulting in a rather linear experience of the action.
Now there is nothing wrong with this, however, it would be nice if full on confrontation didn’t feel like a requirement to pass through certain areas. Opening up the levels and offering a variety of non-lethal options could make for more dynamic gameplay. The Last of Us is a world about survival, so wanting to save as much ammo as possible could help emphasize this concept moving further.
Killable Friendly AI
Okay, hear us out on this one first. One of the few problems with the original game was that Ellie was virtually impossible to kill, as she couldn’t attract enemies like Clickers regardless of what she did. This drastically affected the tension in some areas as her inability to even be discovered, gave a sour note to what could have been masterfully executed sequences. There’s little doubt that Ellie’s inability to attract attention was done less for the sake of atmosphere and more to keep players from throwing their controllers in frustration. However, we also understand that this is a very fine line to walk, as no one wants to deal with another Ashley from Resident Evil 4 – who was notorious for dying randomally and being a general nusance for players having to escort her the entire game.
So, what we propose (if The Last of Us Part II even has two main characters) is to only make killable AI available on higher difficulties or as an option in the menu. Such a concept doesn’t need to be a permanent setting within the very core experience of the game, but it would be there to offer a bit more of a challenge to those who want it. Having your possible AI companion killable would certainly reinforce the work together or die aspects of the original, but ratchet this theme up to eleven. After all, having to worry about not only your own safety but that of others could make for an interesting way for players to connect to the characters.
While we are still short on details, there is little doubt that all eyes are going to be focused around this sequel. Following up what many consider to be the best game of last generation is no small task, so it will be interesting to see what The Last of Us Part II brings. At this point, this series just needs to slightly expand its option and just refine what it has in place. One has to wonder, however, what new features this title will bring to players upon its eventual release.
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