Fans of The Last of Us were treated to a slew of new content during the recent Summer Games Fest. For starters, it was announced that Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson (the in-game actors behind Joel and Ellie respectively) will be making an appearance in the HBO series adaptation of the same name. While the series has already cast Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Baker and Johnson were said to play major roles in The Last of Us' TV series. In terms of video game content, Naughty Dog announced that it is remaking the first The Last of Us and its Left Behind DLC for the PlayStation 5 and PC. Now called The Last of Us Part 1, the updated title included modernized gameplay with better controls and more accessibility options, along with the usual graphical updates.
The most interesting reveal, however, had to be the announcement of an upcoming multiplayer experience set in The Last of Us universe. Details about the game were scarce, but it looks like The Last of Us Part 2's unlaunched multiplayer mode got so big that Naughty Dog decided to increase its studio to successfully bring the game to life. A single piece of concept art was shown, with two survivors overlooking a run-down city. Without much to go on, players have no choice but to wait for more details as the game nears its planned launch. While waiting, it pays to take a look at Naughty Dog's first foray into The Last of Us multiplayer: Factions.
What Is Factions?
Introduced in 2013 along with The Last of Us' single-player story, Factions has players choose between one of two groups: the Fireflies and the Hunters. Regardless of their choice, players are set on a path where they must help a group of survivors last a total of twelve in-game weeks by providing them with supplies. The group starts out small, but surviving for longer periods attracts new survivors who join the group, thereby requiring more supplies to keep everyone satiated. To get supplies and forward the story, players must participate in various multiplayer matches.
There are three playable modes in Factions, all of which pit two teams of four against each other. Supply Raid plays very much like Team Deathmatch, where players have a set amount of respawns and must deplete the enemy team's reinforcements to win. Survivors plays the same as Supply Raid, with the caveat that each player only has one life to live per round. Interrogation is the most unique game mode, as players have to accumulate a certain number of interrogations on the enemy team before attempting to pry open the enemy lockbox.
Slow And Sneaky Wins The Race
Unlike most multiplayer games, the pacing in Factions is generally slow with occasional bursts of action. Matches start players with a modicum of supplies, so it is in everyone's best interest to scrounge the map for extra parts, resources, and gear. Parts in The Last Of Us Faction allow for gear upgrades and purchases, while resources allow players to craft new gear. Just like in the single-player story, all the crafting and upgrading takes place in real-time through the use of a backpack, making these simple acts tenser and more nerve-wracking.
Once the fighting breaks out, it breaks out hard. Weapons deal a lot of damage in Factions, so it is best to utilize stealth and the various pieces of cover to avoid getting hurt and get the jump on enemies. Firearms are loud and can give away a player's position, so melee weapons, silenced firearms, and traps are invaluable. If players do get hit, they must either craft or use a medkit they have on hand, which is an extremely slow process.
One good thing about Factions is that players who have the odds stacked against them can easily come back thanks to the game's pity system. Being outnumbered or on a losing streak grants players more parts, weapons, and resources if they manage to open one of the many lockboxes scattered around the map. They can then combine these items with their knowledge of The Last of Us to turn the tables on the enemy team.
Factions Captures The Essense of The Last of Us
What makes Factions so unique is that playing it feels exactly like playing The Last of Us' single-player story. Elements like crounging for supplies and resources, crafting items to use, and employing hit-and-run tactics encapsulate the difficulties of surviving in Naughty Dog's post-pandemic world. Since Naughty Dog didn't hand the development of Factions to another company, it was able to retain the feel of the single-player campaign while adding elements of teamwork and relationships into the mix.
These elements are present not just in the playable modes, but in players' chosen factions as well. Losing too many matches or not contributing enough to the fight results in fewer supplies for that particular player's group, which in turns leads to survivors adopting detrimental behavior like cannibalism, or simply dying outright. Add this to the fact that Factions in the original The Last of Us allowed for Facebook connectivity which turned real-life friends into survivors, and the consequences of failing to gather enough supplies hit that much closer to home.
Naughty Dog has proven it understands the core elements of The Last of Us so well that it was able to successfully incorporate them into Factions. The struggles of survival, which include proper allocation of resources and tough decision-making, are on full display in the multiplayer mode. If the planned The Last of Us multiplayer game is indeed bigger and more expansive than Factions, then The Last of Us universe might just have another thrilling playable tale under its belt.
A The Last of Us multiplayer game is in development and expected to release next year.