Earlier this week, developer Naughty Dog confirmed that its upcoming post-apocalyptic romp The Last of Us would feature a multiplayer mode of some description. This was met with some trepidation from gamers, as the subject of multiplayer being shoe-horned into a largely single-player experience has been a highly contentious issue for the last few years. Just look at Dead Space 2, Mass Effect 3 and Assassin’s Creed and you’ll see what we’re talking about.
However, while the concern is justified, we think that The Last of Us could provide one of the most unique and engaging multiplayer experiences on PlayStation 3. For one, Naughty Dog promises it won’t compromise the single-player, and we trust them; Uncharted 2 and 3 are a testament to how the studio is able to craft a thrilling campaign and supplement the action with a compelling multiplayer. We think the same case will definitely apply for The Last of Us.
Given the backdrop of Joel and Ellie’s adventure, we can imagine it will be more than just a simple shoot-‘em-up affair. PSU.com would like to see something built around the concept of survival; how about two teams, one comprised of human scavengers and the other Fungas-infected monstrosities? Uncharted 3 had a great template to work from, so we fully expect some bread-and-butter events such as Death Match, Team Death Match etc to show their face. However, Naughty Dog is sure to offer something to differentiate The Last of Us from its treasure-hunting stable mate.
Survivors competing against other survivors would make for quite a compelling take on the traditional gun battles. Instead of having copious amounts of ammunition and supplies, players would have to scavenge for essentials, which ties in nicely with the core fundamentals of the single-player campaign. Careful planning and stealth would ensure victory over the other team, making for a more cerebral experience than your by-the-numbers blaster. More action-oriented modes could also be implemented, such as defending safe houses from an opposing team or infected, or having a pair of infected attempt to pass on the fungal virus onto a team of survivors, while the human side has to wipe them out before everyone becomes infected.
Of course, these are just some of the ideas we have for multiplayer; Naughty Dog is sure to surprise us and we have every faith that they’ll deliver an online experience just as memorable as Uncharted 3.
The Last of Us is due out exclusively on PS3 on May 7, 2013.