Ever since the original Uncharted, Naughty Dog has demonstrated how essential side characters and NPCs are to its winning formula of successful games. NPCs have been profoundly imperative during in-game narrative beats and stealth/combat encounters; for example, Ellie being with Joel for almost the entirety of The Last of Us saliently establishes the bond between both characters while also allowing her playable chapter in the wintertime to land far more significantly by the time players reach it, not to mention Left Behind, a somber Last of Us DLC dedicated to Ellie.
NPCs aren’t the only ingredient that goes into Naughty Dog’s exquisite dishes, but it’s undeniable that how the studio melds gameplay and narrative through NPC interaction is a key component to what makes Naughty Dog’s Last of Us and Uncharted games so special. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, on the other hand, may be a huge curveball that players won’t be ready for. Because Neil Druckmann “wanted to make a game about faith and religion, but also about just being lonely,” the presumption is that Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will feature few or no NPC allies, which, for better or for worse, could fundamentally stir the pot.
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NPCs are a Crucial Element of Naughty Dog Stories
Neil Druckmann divulged sparing details about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet during his Creator to Creator conversation with Alex Garland. Here, Druckmann reflected on how “so many of the previous games” Naughty Dog has made have had “an ally” with the player. This is certainly true of Uncharted and The Last of Us, and is a major ingredient in what makes their stories remarkable.
Indeed, even if NPCs are foundationally a vehicle for narrative and dialogue to occupy long gaps in gameplay, there’s always worldbuilding or character development issued by whoever is accompanying the protagonist. Plus, because players become so accustomed to having an ally around, gameplay sequences where the player is alone without an ally to rely on are notably pulse-pounding and notably quiet.
If NPCs don’t play as large of a role or aren’t around as allies, Intergalactic may miss out on thoughtful dialogue and characters making sense of their whereabouts or circumstances, though a sensation of being lost and unfamiliar seems to be what Naughty Dog is striving for with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet’s storytelling.
It’s not as if there are no supporting characters in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, as confirmed by a photograph of Jordan A. Mun with a group of people, including Kumail Nanjiani’s characters. However, a game where players see fewer characters and/or hear less dialogue on a moment-to-moment basis will have a big impact on how the game is received versus the likes of Uncharted and The Last of Us.
Allies are Technically a Feature Themselves in The Last of Us’ Combat/Stealth
What propels NPCs in Naughty Dog games to exceptional heights is interactivity and responsiveness in gameplay. This is as true of menial mechanics like hoisting an NPC up a ledge as it is with humorous interactions like being prompted to high-five someone in The Last of Us. A lot of great dialogue also comes from optional conversations players can trigger when a speech bubble prompt appears above an ally’s head, and characters’ body language is often explicitly expressive. As for actual combat or stealth gameplay, NPCs contribute in various ways, including but not limited to:
- Characters such as Tess or Henry silently executing a remaining enemy when the player has that enemy’s comrade struggling in a chokehold.
- A 14-year-old Ellie leaping onto the backs of enemies who’re grappling with Joel and stabbing them with her switchblade.
- Being able to use a character such as Bill or David as a human shield by looping them until an enemy latches onto them in a grapple, at which point players can then get a free killing blow while they’re preoccupied.
To be fair, in the event that RNG and NPC AI run amok, allies aren’t always helpful. For example, The Last of Us Part 2’s roguelike mode, No Return, awards high scores for several bonuses, and many become impossible to achieve reliably on encounters with an ally who will act independently and inconsiderately.
Otherwise, allies’ AI can often disrupt immersion when the character scrambles around oblivious enemies while crouched.
Still, if nothing else, allies can be a boon in casual playthroughs on any difficulty when they take an enemy’s aggro or land an execution when players are low on ammunition, lack a seminal Last of Us brick or bottle, and would prefer not to waste the final pip of their upgraded melee weapon’s durability bar. Therefore, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet may well be rewriting the book on how Naughty Dog tackles all facets of gameplay design if it abandons NPC allies.