Naughty Dog is ostensibly stepping away from its Earthbound comfort zone withIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a sci-fi adventure promising to take the studio’s signature storytelling style to the stars. While not a lot has been revealed about the upcoming game, it seems to beadhering to many of Naughty Dog’s guiding principles: industry-leading character animations and acting, naturalistic dialogue, and a story-driven single-player campaign.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophetwill follow Jordan A. Mun, a bounty hunter stranded on the mysterious planet Sempiria while apparently seeking out another enigmatic galactic denizen played by Kumail Nanjiani. The game’s trim reveal trailer gives audiences a taste of Mun’s somewhat abrasive personality, her relationships with other mystery-laden characters, and a pulsing, synth-heavy soundtrack courtesy of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. But the trailer also drew back the curtain on a specific element that could, and should, play a significant role in the game: Mun’s sleek Porsche spaceship.
Intergalactichas come under firefor its apparently aggressive product placement, which is criticism that could be applied to Mun’s spacecraft as well as things like her Adidas shoes and Sony CD player.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Should Make Full Use of Mun’s Spaceship as a Hub Area
Intergalactic Players Might Not Fly the Space-Porsche, So They Might as Well Customize It
As stated previously,Intergalacticwill supposedly be taking place primarily on Sempiria, suggesting that Mun’s spacecraft is incapable of leaving the planet’s orbit for whatever reason. Though it’s disappointing that the game may miss the opportunity to include the spacecraft as an interactive vehicle, its prominent focus in the trailer, not to mention its high-profile branding, indicates thatNaughty Dog may have other plans for it.
Perhaps the most obvious and potential-rich plan for the space-Porsche would be to turn it from a vehicle into a sort of home base for Mun. It could be a location to refill certain resources, check-in between missions, or launch side content of some kind. This positioning as a central location could open the floodgates for personalization features, as players could find ways to express themselves through this virtual space. Such an approach could allow the craft to become a sort of major character in and of itself, going beyond its basic utilitarian functions while still serving a purpose in-game.
What Intergalactic’s Theoretical Hub Customization Could Look Like
Only time will tell how much control players will have over the appearance of Mun herself—Naughty Dog has historically been quite spartan when it comes to customizationoptions—butIntergalacticcould instead transfer cosmetic player agency to the spaceship. New furnishings, songs for the CD player, or color palettes could be unlocked through exploring or competing various tasks, rewarding deeper engagement with the game, which Naughty Dog claims will have the “deepest gameplay” of its portfolio. These tangible rewards could make such deep gameplay even more gratifying.
Of course, not everyone cares about personalization options, so perhaps the player’s control over this theoretical hub area could extend beyond the superficial. For instance, maybe players could unlock some kind of high-tech fabricator to install on the ship, leading to crafting or upgrade opportunities. Or maybe collecting a certain resource could lead to unlocking new parts of the ship, similar to how new areas of theCrash Site inAstro Botwill unlock upon collecting enough Bots.
Ultimately, the particulars of this theoretical framework matter less than its core function, which would be to make the spacecraft a meaningful part of the ongoing gameplay experience. The craft is a central focus oftheIntergalacticreveal trailer, and if this is reflected in the game itself, then it seems only right to make it interactive, personalizable, and rewarding.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
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Intergalactic: The Heretic Propher follows Jordan A. Mun, a dangerous bounty hunter who ends up stranded on Sempiria – a distant planet whose communication with the outside universe went dark hundreds of years ago. In fact, anyone who’s flown to it hoping to unravel its mysterious past was never heard from again. Jordan will have to use all her skills and wits if she hopes to be the first person in over 600 years to leave its orbit.
