14 Dec, 2011
Contrary to what the announcement trailer demonstrated, Naughty Dog says that The Last of Us isn’t a traditional “zombie game.”
So how do you account for the erratic behavior of the infected beings chasing after the main characters? Well, said Naughty Dog, the cause of infection was inspired by the Codyceps fungi that was shown from the BBC’s Planet Earth series. This particular species of fungai causes zombie-like behavior in insects and other anthropods such as a crab, and will lead to eventual death. Along with behavior alteration, the fungus can even cause sprouts to come out of the host body, which makes it look like a plant.
Inspired by the show, Naughty Dog wondered what would happen to the world if humans were able to contract the fungus. While the game will feature these monsters, the main story will revolve around the “father-daughter-like relationship” between the two protagonists — Joel and Ellie — and how they’ll survive.
In an interview with Eurogamer, creative director and game writer Neil Druckmann said that if the game was focused on the monsters, “we would have not showed them. The story’s not about them, so [we thought] let’s get it out of the way.”
“It’s story-driven, [but] the whole triangle is story, gameplay and art,” said writer and director Bruce Straley. “As a gamer it’s all about strategy and giving the player enough tools in their toolkit so that they can come upon something and choose and have the consequences play out within their choices.”
The plot will focus on Joel and Ellie, moving from city-to-city, killling and scavenging as they go. In regards to gameplay, Naughty Dog hasn’t revealed whether the player will assume the control of either Ellie, Joel, or both. One thing is for sure: Naughty Dog isn’t happy with the way story is treated in the industry right now, and they want to change that trend.
“We try so hard at Naughty Dog to push things and then games come out that are fun and exciting and get visceral things right, but to read in reviews that they have an amazing story is disheartening to us because we work so hard at it,” said Druckmann. “In any other medium it’s all about the characters. [We want you to] care so when horrible things happen you feel something.
“That’s what Naughty Dog can bring to the genre and really own it: every decision we make is about the characters and their relationship. We approached this genre because we felt no-one is getting to the heart of it. [The Last of Us] tells you something about the human condition — that’s what you want to do as a storyteller.”
No release information has been given for The Last of Us, but we can expect it sometime towards the end of next year or maybe in 2013.
Via VG 24/7.
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