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At the 2024 Game Awards, Naughty Dog treated fans to a surprise announcement of its next project,Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The game aims to offer a deep, character-driven story, with a focus on innovative gameplay, taking players into a mysterious universe with a female protagonist, Jordan A. Mun.
However, as exciting as the game’s premise is, the studio’s venture into space offers an opportunity to learn from other titles in the gaming industry. Specifically, it can take lessons from theBatman Arkhamseries on how to gradually expand an open-world experience and avoid the mistakes made byStarfieldin its approach to space exploration.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophetshould take lessons from past successes and failure
In the gaming industry, there is hardly any area left for games to explore. While this may sound limiting, it offers an opportunity for studios to learn from both the successes and failures of others.
ForIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet,Naughty Doghas the golden opportunity to learn from previous games and expand on its own premise in a meaningful way.
SinceIntergalacticis set on a mysterious planet where players must explore and survive, the studio can take a page from theBatman Arkhamseries. The Arkham games began with the confined, narrative-drivenArkham Asylum. And over time, the world expanded to a fully open Gotham inArkham Knight.
Each installment allowed the world toexpand gradually, with new areas unlocked as players progressed in the narrative. This ensured that the growth of the world always felt purposeful and organic. The direct contrast to this philosophy isStarfield.
Bethesda’s sci-fi title wanted to give players the freedom to explore thousands of planets, but the sheer scale led to many locations feeling empty and lacking substance. The problem wasn’t that the game had too many planets, but rather that these planets didn’t offer meaningful content to keep players engaged.
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That’s whyIntergalacticshould learn from this, making sure that when the game eventually moves into full space exploration (in its next installment or DLC), it does so with a focus on quality over quantity.
Instead ofoverwhelming players with countless generic locations, the game should introduce rich, detailed worlds that feel alive and connected to the narrative.
Intergalacticneeds to find the correct balance
The ultimate takeaway for Naughty Dog is that exploration should always serve the narrative, not just the scale. TheBatman Arkhamseries proved that expanding a game world gradually, with each location tied to the story or a character, is a recipe for success.
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By following the narrative-first formula,Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophetcan avoid the pitfalls ofStarfield‘s expansive but shallow universe. Given the excitement surroundingIntergalactic’s announcement, fans are already eager for a new type of adventure, one that combines the studio’s mastery of storytelling with a fresh, expansive setting.
With the right approach,Intergalactichas the potential to be not just another expansive sci-fi adventure in the gaming industry, but a meaningful and immersive experience that builds upon the studio’s rich legacy of unforgettable worlds and characters.
In the end, the wait for more details is palpable, but one thing is clear:Intergalactichas a lot of promise, and if done right, it will become a milestone in the evolution of space exploration games.
Shubham Chaurasia
Gaming Writer
Articles Published :1368
At FandomWire, Shubham has spent over a year diving into the evolving world of live-service, action, and open-world games. Whether it’s the democratic galaxy of Helldivers 2 or finishing enemies in titles like Assassin’s Creed or Ghost of Tsushima, Shubham brings a sharp eye and genuine enthusiasm to everything he writes.When he’s not writing, you’ll probably catch him clutching rounds in Valorant or leaping off virtual cliffs into a pile of enemies for the perfect finisher. Outside of gaming, Shubham recharges by hitting the gym or heading out on long, spontaneous bike rides, always chasing the next open road. No matter the game or the gear, he’s always committed to bringing readers timely, accurate, and engaging updates from across the gaming industry.
