What little has been shown in Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet’s reveal teaser leaves whatever narrative it’ll tell up to players’ imaginations, such as why there is a huge automaton enemy or why the protagonist, Jordan A. Mun, is pursuing Kumail Nanjiani’s character. It’s also uncertain how much Jordan’s role as a bounty hunter will come into play or if that’s simply a backdrop for her character before the game’s events begin. Either way, while it might sound appealing to Naughty Dog not to indulge in any overly controversial or divisive subject matter, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is a refreshing lease on life and should be as bold as Naughty Dog wishes to be.
It’s difficult to nail down Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet tonally. Not much has been shown at all, but a zany, retro atmosphere seems guaranteed amid a potentially dramatic science-fiction romp in space. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet might end up aligning somewhere more closely to Uncharted and lean into wholesomeness if for no other reason than The Last of Us being notably depressing in contrast, and yet Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet shouldn’t be afraid to have its story or characters go through a wringer again if it’ll create a more profound or poignant story.
The Last of Us only has two actual entries and yet its storytelling and character writing was able to affect players as enormously as it has.
With Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet being a new IP, it can hopefully get away with similar choices and not stir outrage as easily since players won’t be familiar with its characters or garner such sacred and impassioned opinions in the franchise’s infancy. It’d be a bit surprising if Naughty Dog ever held its punches when telling stories now—not that reverting to wholesomeness would be a backstep, but it has earned a name for itself in being able to tell a mature story that challenges perspectives and only truly concerns itself with characters and what choices they would make, rather than the choices that players wish characters would make.
