Summary
BeforeThe Last of Us Part 2, fans probably would have had a few different answers as to what Naughty Dog’s studio-defining game was.The Last of Ushas always been one of its best and most thought-provoking, butUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endand evenJak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacywould’ve been viable choices. None of Naughty Dog’s past work has been diminished byThe Last of Us’ popularity, but in only two games it is undoubtedly startling how much the IP has done to generate success for the developer. However,withoutUnchartedthere would arguably be noThe Last of Us.
The Last of Usin the hands of any other developer might’ve mishandled how emotionally resonant and tragic its character interactions are. In every measure,The Last of Uscould’ve been yet another repetitive zombie epicthat recycled the same ‘man versus man’ motifs that most of them seem to, but it’s Naughty Dog’s rich storytelling and writing that always distinguishes it from being something that could otherwise seem derivative.Unchartedis the same way, basically being an homage to action blockbusters, but its own efforts don’t seem to reach the same level of fame.
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The Last of Us’ Popularity Beats Out Uncharted’s Today
Perhaps it’s becauseUncharteddoesn’t have any controversial or divisive subject matter involved, butThe Last of Ushas always had fans in a bit of contention with regard to the choices Naughty Dog has made. Players were left wondering what they would do in Joel’s situation at the end ofThe Last of Us, for example, andThe Last of Us Part 2pushes players to make an attempt at empathythat is certainly difficult to conceive if they were strongly attached to Joel.
Rather,Unchartedis akin to a popcorn flick that players can put down afterward and look back on some exciting set pieces, and meanwhile there aren’t many moments of emotional hardship to reflect on in the series altogether, at least nowhere near the heartstring-tugging thatThe Last of Uspractices. But whether that popularity circled around to players despising Naughty Dog’s choices or not,The Last of Usis still definitely more popular than anything else Naughty Dog has put out now, culminating inan HBO show forThe Last of Usthat will soon be adapting the second game in its subsequent seasons.
Uncharted was the Guinea Pig for The Last of Us’ Successes
Unchartedis surely not without its own praise, but it’s important to acknowledge how much ofUncharted’s essence acted as a building block forThe Last of Us.Unchartedwas Naughty Dog’s first attempt at ordinary human characters in a largely ordinary and realistic world afterJak and Daxter, for example, and therefore it could be argued thatUnchartedwas a stepping stone for its next new IP to thrive after a foundation had been established.
Indeed,the timeline for bothUnchartedandThe Last of Usmakes a lot of interesting intersections where it is clear to see how anUnchartedrelease influenced aThe Last of Usrelease. The two IPs are wholly different in terms of gameplay, tone, and story, butUncharted 4’s jump to incredible hyperrealism in graphics and a simplification of UI prompts made their way intoThe Last of Us Part 2. Then,Uncharted: The Lost Legacyintroduced a building block for a mini-open world, whichThe Last of Us Part 2also implemented in its own design when Ellie and Dina arrive in Seattle.
It obviously makes sense that any developer’s previous work would influence the work that came after, allowing them to learn from what they’ve accomplished. ButUnchartedonly now having received its own live-action movie shows that even after 10 total game releases including remastered compilations,Uncharteddeserves to share as much of the limelight asThe Last of Usfor all it has achieved.
