• Posted February 6th, 2014 at 12:58 EDT by Michael Harradence

More infected

Naughty Dog made a concerted effort to ensure its fungal-infected victims were far from rudimentary zombies. However, as effective as they proved - especially the fearsome Clickers - there wasn’t enough variations of them to our liking. The early stages of infection are far more human-like, and it’s only the other two that exhibit some of the more severe signs of infection. Of course, the Bloater also makes an appearance, but they are few and far between. Another couple of regular enemy types, perhaps as replacements for the more human-like foes, would be more than welcome. Perhaps they could even stretch to animal life becoming infected? Or they could explore the full extent of infection in humans, going beyond the Bloaters to something that barely resembles any sign of humanity. More enemies would also bring more strategies in regards to how players must defeat them, perhaps more than a well-placed Shotgun blast or Molotov Cocktail.

Branching story paths

A world like The Last of Us is a melting pot of potential outcomes, decisions and on-the-spot choices. Therefore, it was a little disappointing that despite all the trials and tribulations that Joel and Ellie went through, we weren’t able to influence the outcome at all. As such, we feel that injecting a modicum of player choice in a sequel would really spice things up a bit, increase tension and also elongate the game’s replay value. Again, it doesn’t have to be anything too drastic; Resident Evil 1 offered multiple endings way back in 1996, and that was a linear action-adventure, so we’re sure the House of Nathan Drake could inject a bit of variation in The Last of Us 2. 

New characters

Perhaps the most obvious but no less crucial element for The Last of Us 2 - or rather, a potential sequel - is the cast. As much as we loved Ellie and Joel, their story felt like it came to its natural conclusion in the original game -- and as such, we’d like to see them replaced by an all-new cast. That’s not to say Naughty Dog couldn’t make a new game with E&J in it; The Last of Us’ deadly universe could support all manner of stories, but we think an all-new story would be best. Again, keeping the main characters as everyday folk - Ellie being a school girl and Joel being a dodgy smuggler - keeps things grounded, as it wouldn’t be the same mowing down infected as some battle-hardened veteran. How about surviving as an ordinary couple? Or maybe a father and son duo? The possibilities are endless. 

What features would you like to see in a potential follow-up to The Last of Us? Give us a shout in the comments section below.

----