Rumors of a new Sci-Fi IP from Naughty Dog have been floating around the internet since long before evenThe Last of Us Part 2’s launch in 2020. While the content of many of these leaks turned out to be false, the general notion that Naughty Dog would eventually work on a new Sci-Fi IP turned out to be correct, with the Sony first-party developer announcingIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophetduringlast year’s Game Awards ceremony.
WhileIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet’s cinematic reveal trailer didn’t give too much away about the game’s story, a few key details have been confirmed since its debut. One of the most important details is thatIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophetwill see players get stranded on Sempiria, a planet that’s been cut off from the rest of the galaxy for over 600 years, and a planet that no one’s ever left. GivenUncharted 4andThe Last of Us Part 2’s experiments with open-ended level design, it seems likely thatIntergalactic’s Sempiria will contain at least one open area of its own, and it could look toStar Wars Jedi: Survivorfor inspiration.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Could Take Inspiration From Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Koboh
Intergalactic Should Borrow Koboh’s Hub Area
Star Wars Jedi: Survivormay have had fewer planets than its predecessor, but it made up for that by delivering the incredibly expansive world of Koboh. Being the first fullyexplorable planet inJedi: Survivor, players quickly stumble upon the safehouse that is Greez’s cantina, “Pyloon’s Saloon.”
This cantina essentially becomes the player’s primary base of operations, with players returning there frequently throughoutJedi: Survivor’s campaign. As players progress throughJedi: Survivor’s story, the cantina will continue to evolve, gathering more patrons that in turn grant protagonist Cal Kestis more side quest opportunities, such as bounty hunts and more Holotactics opponents.
Pyloon’s Saloon even has a few activities inspired by the cozy life-sim genre, allowing players to tend to a Sci-Fi garden and collect fish from around the galaxy. Though it wasn’t perfect,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s cantina hubhelped the game’s narrative and universe feel a little more intimate and vibrant.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophetcould use a similar hub area, where players can return, upgrade and customize their arsenal, and get a breather from the rest of Sempiria’s presumably harsh environment. If the player is stranded on Sempiria, it would make sense for this hub area to be the protagonist’sPorsche-branded spaceship, which seems to have enough room for any companions players might find along the way.
Intergalactic Should Borrow Koboh’s Interconnected Level Design
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderborrowed heavily fromthe Metroidvania genrefor its level design, blocking off certain paths until players had unlocked specific abilities.Star Wars Jedi: Survivorcondensed those Metroidvania influences into one main planet.
Surrounding Pyloon’s Saloon is a web of interweaving roads that stretch across the planet. Most of these roads lead to a unique point of interest, such as the downed Lucrehulk or the Forest Array, and most of these roads connect with one another via shortcuts and pathways that require the use of specific abilities to unlock. Thisinterconnected level designhelps to make Koboh feel like a real, living and breathing location while also rewarding the player’s exploration, and it’s something thatIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophetshould borrow.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
