The Last of Us reshaped the single-player video game landscape in 2013. Its intimate focus on character development and smart blend of action and horror continued to do so in its sequel while also pulling the rug out from under the audience on multiple occasions. Given the massive impact made by just two games, the forthcoming third entry has some colossal shoes to fill.
The world doesn’t know much about The Last of Us Part III yet, but given the issues fans have voiced and what few areas the second game left open for improvement, fans should expect at least a few reasonable changes.
1. Wrap Up Ellie’s Story
Ellie underwent massive growth from Part I to the end of Part II, but the time has come to wrap things up. With both games leaving Ellie on a cliffhanger of sorts, The Last of Us Part III owes it to the audience to give her an ending with real finality.
One obvious course could see Ellie meeting back up with the Fireflies to undergo the lethal surgery and provide a cure for cordyceps once and for all. Despite this not providing much of a shock, it could still close the book on her story in a satisfying way if done right. Ellie could also meet her end some other way, dooming humankind to the fate they’ve careened towards since the beginning of the original game. Or she could just as well live on, putting her past tragedies and grudges behind her for good.
Whatever happens, it just seems appropriate that this beloved character get a real ending to her story. Naughty Dog should not take the easy way out here by leaving the door open yet again. One way or another, happy or sad, Ellie needs a real ending.
2. Give JJ a Role
With all the chaos of Part II’s second half, many might not remember JJ, Dina’s and Jessie’s child. Ellie stepped in to help Dina raise JJ in the wake of Jessie’s untimely demise and stepped right back out when her vengeful side took over. Whether he remembers this or not, it only seems logical to give JJ a bigger role in The Last of Us Part III.
Depending on how much time Naughty Dog wants to let pass before the beginning of Part III’s story, JJ could serve all sorts of narrative purposes. He could become a foil to Ellie, a confidant, or need her help in some major way to mirror her relationship with Joel in the first game. The potential for JJ to play a pivotal role in Part III seems limitless, and Naughty Dog should take advantage of it.
3. Let Joel Go
Everyone loves Joel and everyone felt sad to see him go. Despite losing him within the first hour or so of Part II, players still got several flashbacks with him drizzled throughout the game. The bulk of Ellie’s motivation still revolves around him, too. Heck, fans of the series even got to play him yet again in the remake of Part I.
But the time has come to move on. Presumably, Ellie would live several years removed from Joel in The Last of Us Part III and would have been introduced to new characters to fill out the new narrative. Naughty Dog should let this new chapter in the series breathe and have its own independent identity separated from the mourning of Joel.
While it would feel strange to completely ignore his impact on Ellie’s worldview, to continue seeing the world through his eyes in any way would feel contrived at this point. Time to turn the page once and for all.
4. Give Abby More Depth
Abby came off as quite a surprise in Part II. She plays much differently than Ellie, and her story feels fresh and unique while still fitting into the larger narrative of The Last of Us well.
Still, her somewhat simplistic transformation from self-centered and vengeful to a more empathetic personality left plenty of room for more. While it may not seem necessary for Abby to even show up in The Last of Us Part III, if she does, she should have a different sort of motivation that asks more of the player than just to contemplate the drawbacks of revenge.
Lev’s presence in her life might open the door to their own adventure, mirroring Joel and Ellie’s or something else altogether. Either way, Naughty Dog should seize Abby’s potential and make her a more fascinating fixture in the series.
5. Focus on a Smaller Cast
Many complaints about Part II’s narrative have surfaced since its release, and many of them remain dismissable as thinly veiled retaliation to the mildly diverse cast. Still, a few legitimate criticisms stand out amidst the nonsense.
One such critique, that Part II’s narrative has a bit of a crowded cast, feels fair to make. While some secondary characters like Jessie and Owen bring a lot to the table, others, like Manny or Yara, could have easily been walk-ons if not entirely removed. Other than providing basic exposition, some of these folks never had much reason to exist.
In contrast, a big part of Part I’s elegance came through the simplicity of its story. Sure, players met Bill, Tommy, and Tess, but they only stuck around while the core narrative needed them. Once they stopped contributing to the main narrative, they parted ways, letting the game refocus on the two characters that matter. While it may feel tempting for the great writers at Naughty Dog to flex their abilities by crafting a wealth of wonderful characters, sometimes, restraint can feel even more compelling.
6. Give the Fireflies More To Do
The Fireflies always operate in the background of The Last of Us. The main narrative feels their impact, and the player always knows they exist, but rarely do Fireflies take center stage. This could serve as fertile soil for Naughty Dog to grow something new from the familiar.
Players got a taste of the inner workings and isolated conflicts within the Fireflies in both games, so why not give those dynamics the spotlight this time? This could also dovetail well with Ellie’s ending if she decides to go through with the operation Joel put a stop to at the end of Part I. The Last of Us Part III could also just focus on a few Fireflies alone, working well with the previous “smaller cast” point.
7. Give Tommy Closure
By the end of Part II, Tommy seems even more broken than Ellie. Not only has he lost his brother and feels just as consumed by revenge as Ellie, but his body also suffers from multiple permanent injuries and chronic conditions. While Tommy’s luck runs thin by the end of Part II, he does survive the ordeal.
One can only imagine how defeated and dispirited he must feel by the time The Last of Us Part III’s narrative begins, but regardless, Tommy deserves some sort of closure. He could still serve as a reminder of what unbridled resentment can lead to without suffering through an endless torrent of predictable misery. Maybe he turns over a new leaf, or maybe he doesn’t, but Tommy’s arc feels unfinished as of now.
8. New Settings and Locations
The first two games have done a fantastic job of showcasing the characters of different sections of post-apocalyptic North America, but many stones remain unturned. What about the swamps and Everglades of the Deep South? How about the tropics of Central and South America?
While it might seem like a bit of a stretch to see Ellie in Europe or Asia, if anybody could make that work, it’s the folks at Naughty Dog. If The Last of Us Part III really wants to do something big and avoid any sense of redundancy, a brand new location would go a long way.
9. Let Players Search More Locations
Part II featured an incremental improvement in searching different things for resources. More types of drawers, cabinets, and abandoned houses made the game feel much more explorable than Part I. There remains plenty of room for improvement in this regard, though.
2019’s Days Gone let players pry open hundreds of car trunks, for instance. Perhaps Naughty Dog could take a page from Sony Bend on that. More diverse locations to scour would also feel like a step up. The standard abandoned houses need some office buildings, strip malls, and campgrounds to go with them. The ability to reach rooftops and underground bunkers could also go a long way to fleshing out the world and getting an idea of how certain hideouts worked (or didn’t) during the apocalypse of the past.
10. Return to a More Linear Story Structure
Another pervasive criticism of Part II’s story remains the uneven pacing and timeline-hopping. While this might have made the overall narrative feel more movie-like, this style does not always go well with a video game. While the occasional flashback could still work, the more linear storytelling of the first game seems like a better bet for most players. Events unfolding in order feels more satisfying most of the time – especially for an interactive medium.
11. More Creative Weapons
While the larger roster of weapon types in Part II works well, Naughty Dog has left a lot of potential on the table. As the timeline progresses and more complicated firearms break down and become rarer, it might make sense for The Last of Us Part III to think outside the box more with weaponry.
Objects like hammers and pitchforks make sense as logical additions, but 30 years after an apocalypse, the number of potential weapons could soar well beyond that. Ripping bedposts off their frames to bludgeon soldiers or smashing clickers with the toilet tank lid come to mind as potential single-use hail marys. Either way, Naughty Dog could utilize the power of current-gen hardware like never before with a much larger roster of possible weapons if they so choose.
12. Ellie and Dina Need To Reconcile
The biggest loose end of Part II remains Ellie’s parting with Dina. Upon Ellie’s return to the house they once shared, she finds it empty. Ellie takes off into the woods to presumably go find Dina, but the story ends there. Do they find each other again? Can they patch things up? Do they remain strangers?
One can imagine their dynamic going in a number of directions. This could wind up a minor bump in the road for them or the final straw. Either way, Ellie and Dina should cross paths again and reach some conclusion.
13. More Animals!
Part II introduced players to dogs as combatants and even a couple of zebras, while Part I’s iconic giraffe scene still lives on in the memories of fans. The Last of Us Part III’s potential to integrate more animals would not only make sense as more of the world becomes recaptured by nature, but it would also inject more variety into the gameplay.
Anything from deadly crocodiles or bears to wild horses could shake things up. With the walls of America’s many zoos crumbled, the potential seems nearly limitless.
14. Keep What Works
Keep in mind that much of the gameplay and level design of The Last of Us Part II holds up just fine today. The versatile stealth mechanics, weapon upgrade systems, and other core elements need little to no tweaking for the next entry.
Undoing any of that progress in The Last of Us Part III could devastate the experience. The case for restraint almost makes itself here. While fans have no shortage of things they want to see updated or improved, Naughty Dog should tread lightly around any major upheavals to the core mechanics that define the first two games.
15. Be Unpredictable!
The twists players did not see coming remain the best moments from Part I and II. From untimely deaths of beloved characters to curveballs thrown in the way of Ellie’s journey, these moments hold players’ attention and keep them engaged.
Not every major plot point needs a shocking surprise, but the story should also avoid predictable lulls. Naughty Dog continues to show their ability to keep players on their toes, though, so this may feel like preaching to the choir.
