For a while now, I’ve been practically screaming into the void about how I would love to play a game based in The Last of Us universe, but without being tethered to Ellie or Joel’s specific narrative. With the announcement at the Summer Game Fest that an upcoming entry in The Last of Us series will be an online-only experience, I am hopeful that my incessant prattling will finally, possibly be answered. My only hope is that this will be more State of Decay and less Call of Duty — and yes, that means stepping away from what Naughty Dog did with the online battle mode for the original The Last of Us.
Hear me out.
I realize that the online mode for The Last of Us was extremely popular, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I didn’t like how it focused on killing rather than surviving in the game’s harsh world. What I would much rather prefer is a more open-world setting where you must scavenge to survive, while also navigating the perils of other survivors and those ravaged by the Cordyceps fungal infection that turned most of humanity into mindless killing machines.
Having to find shelter and even fortify and upgrade that shelter, akin to the mechanics in a game like State of Decay would be awesome. Having to find, manage, and possibly even share or trade resources, or steal them if you have to, would also be awesome. I’m thinking Day Z meets The Last of Us, and I wouldn’t balk at also including survival mechanics like food and thirst meters.
Obviously, this wouldn’t be for everyone, and I’m sure a good number of you are sharpening your pitchforks, ready to string me up for heresy. But I think this could not only prove interesting and fun, but also quite lucrative. There could be NPCs that dole out missions like those found in Red Dead Online (and lots of other games, but let’s stay focused here). You could craft, purchase, or find weapons as well as gear and maybe even vehicles. And, of course, there would be permadeath should you be caught slipping by a sniper’s bullet or a horde of clickers.
I’m pretty sure this will not be the direction the game takes, but at the very least a boy can dream. If this turns out to be even partly close to what I envision, then I will certainly be in line to try this new game out whenever it releases (it’s supposedly due out at some point in 2023).
While we wait to learn more, we can be comforted with the also recently announced The Last of Us Part I remake, which will cost you a tidy sum of $70 to replay a remaster of a game from nine years ago. Cheers!
