Highlights
- Naughty Dog's rumored Sci-Fi game should learn from Starfield's strong central plot, which guides players through the vast universe and keeps them engaged in the game's central mystery.
- While Naughty Dog excels at storytelling with a focus on a few characters, the expansive nature of the Sci-Fi genre should be embraced.
- Exploration and adventure are essential to the Sci-Fi genre, and Naughty Dog's rumored Sci-Fi game should prioritize these elements, even if actual gameplay exploration is limited. A light-hearted tone, like Starfield, could also enhance the game's sense of fun and adventure.
For years now, it's been heavily rumored that Naughty Dog is working on some kind of Sci-Fi video game. While Naughty Dog has never come out and confirmed or denied the project, it has recently stated that it's working on a brand-new IP alongside a The Last of Us multiplayer game, and the odds of this new IP being Sci-Fi related are high thanks to various leaks and supposed teasers in the studio's recent games. If Naughty Dog is truly working on a Sci-Fi project, then there's no better teacher to look to than the most recent AAA Sci-Fi release, Starfield.
After years of waiting, fans across the world can finally play Bethesda's sprawling Sci-Fi epic RPG Starfield, and some fans are still divided on the game, critics across the board seem to be loving it. With it being available via Xbox Game Pass, too, there's really nothing to lose by trying it out first-hand. Starfield took almost an entire decade to develop, and Bethesda's passion clearly runs through the vast majority of the game. Ultimately, it's this level of passion and expertise that Naughty Dog's own rumored Sci-Fi game might want to learn from.
What Starfield Could Teach Naughty Dog's Rumored Sci-Fi Game
One of the greatest lessons Starfield has to offer is that a Sci-Fi game, potentially more so than any other genre, needs a strong central plot to ground the action and drive the player forward. Starfield offers a vast universe to explore, and that can be a tad overwhelming for new players. Thankfully, Starfield's main story quest will gradually guide players through the galaxy, both literally by showing them each major planet one by one, and figuratively by encouraging them to explore with the incentive of discovering more about the game's central mystery.
If there's one thing Naughty Dog games are known for, especially in recent years, it's their strong narratives, so it shouldn't be too difficult for its Sci-Fi game to also boast a strong story. However, the Sci-Fi genre isn't the simplest beast to tackle. Inherently expansive and huge by nature, the Sci-Fi genre is, in many ways, the antithesis to Naughty Dog's usual storytelling methods, where the narrative tends to focus on just a few characters and their singular shared journey. But if Naughty Dog's rumored Sci-Fi game borrows from Starfield and has one central mystery or plot that everything else is built around, then it should manage to retain the same usual quality of Naughty Dog storytelling.
By far Starfield's greatest lesson, however, is that a sense of exploration and adventure is absolutely integral to the Sci-Fi genre. Generally speaking, the Sci-Fi genre is all about exploring strange new worlds, discovering new life forms, and answering life's greatest mysteries. Even in Sci-Fi movies, TV shows, and games that are more self-contained, the notion of exploration and humanity's place in the universe is almost always an undercurrent of the central themes. Starfield puts this front and center of the entire experience, and it's this feeling of discovery that's really gripping players.
While Naughty Dog's rumored Sci-Fi game will probably follow in the footsteps of previous studio titles like The Last of Us and Uncharted and focus on smaller-scale, more personal stories, it should still make exploration and adventure a core part of the experience. Even if players don't get to actually explore too much in the actual gameplay, it should play a core role in the game's story. Naughty Dog's rumored Sci-Fi game should also take note of Starfield's light-hearted tone. Starfield has humor running throughout it, and it really helps to cement the game's sense of fun adventure. While The Last of Us series has a much darker tone, it would be fun to see Naughty Dog return to a more light-hearted, Uncharted-like tone for its rumored Sci-Fi game.
Starfield is available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.