The Perfect Genres For A Jak & Daxter Sequel

Highlights

The absence of Jak and Daxter is felt by fans who long for a return like the Crash Bandicoot series with its triumphant comeback.
The series may need to evolve from mascot platformers, but it has a rich universe brimming with possibilities for fresh gameplay.
From battling throughout the Jak timeline from an RTS perspective to shaping the world as a precursor in VR, the potential for new Jak games is limitless.

Old "Orange Lightning" and his hoverboard-riding, gun-totting, eco-prodigy sidekick may have vanished from the gaming scene since the Jak and Daxter Bundle in 2017, but their absence is still known and felt by their fans who long for their return. Just as Crash Bandicoot, another beloved Naughty Dog franchise, made its glorious return following the release of Toys For Bob's N.Sane Trilogy in It's About Time, the Jak and Daxter series could have its time in the green-colored sun once again.

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The franchise will likely have to evolve, as the era of mascot platformers and collectathon is long gone. However, the series is no stranger to change, as the leap from The Precursor's Legacy to Jak 2 saw the advent of GTA-like zoomer theft and gunplay, taking the tone and story in a wild direction. Likewise, Jak X continued the original trilogy story while being a pulse-pumping combat racer. The Precursor's unique and rich universe is brimming with possibilities, even so many years later, and these are just a few of the ways fans might see Jak and Daxter's return.

RTS / Base Builder

Inspirations: XCOM, Frostpunk

A game revolving around huge battles throughout the Jak timeline could do justice to the series' incredible lore
Players could control squads of soldiers and build up a base in a similar way to XCOM's gameplay loop

The original Jak trilogy was never afraid of drawing on epic setpieces throughout its story, from the invasion of the Metal Heads to the toppling of Haven Palace. But one piece of lore was built up grander than all else: Mar's legacy. Given that the Precursors hinted at possible adventures in the past at the end of Jak 3, it isn't out of the question that a new game could be set in Mar's era. However, telling that story would require a change in perspective and genre. In this case, a "turn-based tactics" game akin to XCOM would be perfect.

Mar is known for his feats of engineering, great leadership, and miraculous foresight, and showing how his genius was "inspired" by adventurers from the future could make for a radical twist. Players would take teams to the battlefield in their campaign against the invading Metal Heads, each bringing skills and firepower as seen in previous titles. To borrow another feature from XCOM, players could slowly build up a settlement, then a city, as the fight goes on, adding to its defenses and capabilities and creating a "haven" for survivors of the Metal Head's scourge.

VR God Sim

Inspiration: Half-Life Alyx, Deisim

screenshot of deisim and kiera and the red sage jak and daxter

The series' cartoony, stylized art style and science-fantasy world would lend itself well to a VR game about tinkering with precursor tech for physics-based puzzles
Alternatively, players could take on the role of a precursor as they shape the world akin to the gameplay in Deisim, sharing their creations online as playable levels

Following the success of Half-Life Alyx, a VR title that brought the series back into the picture after a similarly long absence, a VR title might be the perfect way to step back into the Jak universe. A VR Jak and Daxter game could take countless forms: it could follow Keira as she continues her journey of becoming an ego sage, tinkering with precursor technology and experimenting with the mysterious, multicolored life forces and their effects on the world. Alternatively, the Precursors could take a central role (or at least offer guidance to the player) as they shape the world with their robots, advanced technologies, and time manipulation abilities.

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The player could take a detached point of view similar to that of a god sim where they influence villagers and construct artifacts, floating platforms, and wonders with eco, despite antagonism from the Dark Makers and Metal Heads. Sandbox games like Minecraft and Super Mario Maker that allow players to create their own levels and worlds have been a huge hit in the last couple of years. Giving players a "sandbox mode" and allowing players to share their creations would let platforming fans scratch that decade-long itch of wanting to travel around with Jak's fluid and satisfying moveset in all-new environments.

Class-Based Action RPG / MMO

Inspiration: Guild Wars 2, Assassin's Creed Origins

jak and daxter in the desert and the charr rox from guild wars 2

Although Jak's fate is still a compelling open question, the series' setting would lend itself well to an RPG or even an MMO
With fantasy races and archetypes common across the trilogy, it is easy to see how they could lend themselves to tropes of the RPG genre

While fans would most likely want to see the continuation of Jak's story as he grapples with his inner light and dark, Haven politics, and the existential crisis following the reveal of the Precursors' true identities, there is perhaps a more compelling reason to return to the series: the setting. Naughty Dog crafted a sublime world brimming with potential, only for it to fall away after a few titles. One way to modernize the series for a revival would be to introduce RPG elements to the action-adventure side of classic Jak gameplay or make it an RPG from the core.

All the pieces are there: potentially playable fantasy races (including pointy-eared humans, lurkers, and "ottsels"), classic RPG classes (gunner, gadgeteer, warrior, wastelander, eco-sage), and gear upgrades (weapon mods and precursor armor). It's easier imagined than done, but a city full of players all speeding around on zoomers around Haven, the wasteland, precursor ruins, or any of the other iconic locations in the Jak universe would be something never before seen in gaming.

Open World / Sandbox Builder

Inspiration: Grand Theft Auto, Tears of the Kingdom

jak and daxter driving and shooting in haven city and link holding the ultra hand

Fans would love a chance to see a truly open-world Haven cityscape afforded by today's technology
A new Jak game could take cues from Tears of the Kingdom's emphasis on physics and player-driven problem-solving and creativity

Picture a tendril-winged Light Jak soaring through the zoomer-filled skyline of a renewed Haven City, dropping down to the steamy lower struts of the docks to the upper only to soar up to the highest points of the new industrial district. The lack of loading screens across each game in the original trilogy might lead players to believe that the Jak series has already achieved an open world, but it was actually a system of clever background resource management that created the near-seamless connections between each level. A true open-world Haven City complete with blue eco portals (and time travel rifts?) would be something else given today's hardware, especially the PS5's capacity for instant loading, as Rachet and Clank: A Rift Apart demonstrated.

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Alternatively, an open-world Jak revival could take a cue from The Legend of Zelda's Tears of the Kingdom and focus its gameplay on physics-based puzzle solving or creating eco-based contraptions, just as Link does with the Ultra Hand in Tears of the Kingdom. This creative sandbox could take place in the Brink, an unfinished place where the Precursors had run out of time to finish the world, last seen in the Lost Frontier. Jak 3 had begun experimenting with different forms of eco ammunition (i.e., red eco for force, blue for dynamic energy), and an open-world sandbox would be the next logical step. So long as there is a solid base of "Jak and Daxter" gameplay and story, the sky's the limit.

Action-Adventure Platformer / Collectathon

Inspiration: The Precursor's Legacy

There is still an appetite for 3D platformers, as proven by several successful franchise remakes in the PlayStation canon
There is still plenty of room for experimentation and innovation in the genre, and a new Jak sequel or remake could kickstart a 3D platforming revival

While the genre has fallen by the wayside in recent years in favor of more cinematic spectacles, especially from Naughty Dog's output, that doesn't mean that there isn't a quiet but large fanbase yearning for more from the action-adventure platformer. The planned but canceled Jak 4 was reportedly going to take on a realistic and gritty art style, but the success of cell-shaded, highly stylized graphics in games like the recent The Legend of Zelda offerings (Breath of the Wild, the Link's Awakening remake) prove that gamers are more than happy to exchange cutting-edge visuals for tight game design.

While the Jak series could easily adapt to a wide range of genres, returning to its roots would be just as viable an option. Naughty Dog has always tried pushing the limits of technology with each new project, but who is to say this couldn't be achieved in a stripped-down, concise video game genre like the 3D platformer? At the very least, a 4K, 60FPS remake of the original trilogy akin to the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, or the 2019 Medieval remake would make a lot of people very happy.