WithThe Last of Us’ canceled online game andThe Last of Us Completenow suggesting the franchise’s story is finished, Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic action-adventure series seems to be ending as a duology. Multiple remasters, a remake, and an HBO show with at least three seasons is proof thatThe Last of Us’ success and popularity has taken on a life of its own beyondPart 1andPart 2, and there’s no telling how much better or worse it would be for the IP to retire now. If so,The Last of Uswill be concluding on a high note with as much discourse as one could wish for a story as bold and unflinching as inPart 2.
As for endings with effects in the real world as well as in games, Monolith being shut down by WB as its Wonder Woman game was simultaneously canned has been a brutal blow. Asingle-player Wonder Woman game helmed byMiddle-earth’s Monolithcould’ve been fantastic, and the studio’s patented Nemesis System being blanketed in cobwebs until 2036 ensures that it will be long forgotten about by the time it can be worn again. Until then,The Last of Usis one of countless games whose interactions with characters and antagonists could’ve blossomed with the Nemesis System in tow.
Monolith’s Nemesis System is a Sacred, Antique Treasure
TheNemesis System, as seen inMiddle-earth: Shadow of MordorandMiddle-earth: Shadow of War, illustrates the war waged by Talion and Celebrimbor against Sauron by representing key enemies and their relation to each other in a perpetually shifting hierarchy of grunts, captains, and warchiefs.
Throughout both titles, progression and gameplay revolve around players exploiting the Nemesis System as they wish, such as desiring a whole army of wraith-branded minions. In Monolith’s now-canceled game, wielding the Nemesis System could have employedWonder Woman’s lasso of truthto possibly interrogate enemies and gain intel on more powerful foes in a similar fashion.
Sadly, that game will no longer see the light of day regardless of how it was being developed and designed.The Last of Usis no more likely to ever assimilate the Nemesis System or manifest its own take on one, either, and yet such a marriage could be incredibly rewarding withPart 2’s enemy factions and character-driven storytelling as a framework.
In Another Lifetime, Monolith’s Nemesis System Could Have Been Great in The Last of Us
In a purely hypotheticalLast of Usgame featuring a Nemesis System, players may have had to confront rival factions and befriend random survivors, engaging in various conflicts while trading and smuggling.Part 2makes several efforts to showcase how different factions are indeed still groups of people, despite how malevolent or misguided, and a big part of that is enemies from theWashington Liberation Front and Seraphite factionscalling out to their friends and comrades by name.
Naughty Dog could’ve realistically chosen any name under the sun, but the ones players will hear predominantly are Mateo, Casey, Todd, and Grace. Considering this, it wouldn’t be a stretch to have enemies with randomly generated names displayed on a board with string connecting them to one another, like how encounter polaroids are tethered on No Return’s planning board.
One enemy being killed could then promote another in their place, and if they were a higher rank then perhaps the promoted enemy replacing them could receive body armor or a helmet like some Rattler enemies have equipped to withstand ballistics. Each human enemy type, be it a brute, dog handler, or Molotov specialist, could play a role in this Nemesis System and fully portrayThe Last of Us’ wide arsenal of craftable weapons.
Plus, it would be exceptional if human enemies represented in the Nemesis System could be bitten by a runner or stalker and become infected themselves, roaming around the site where they turned and waiting to be cut down. They’d begin as a runner, and if left for a period of time they could mutate into a stalker, then a clicker, and potentially a bloater, encouraging players to track them down and kill them before they become too dangerous.
