One feature of Naughty Dog's most popular series, The Last of Us and Uncharted, are the puzzles that players will come across throughout each journey. In the Uncharted series, puzzles range slightly in complexity, but are overall very simple and easy to solve, requiring minimal effort compared to similarly styled games in the same space. Similarly, The Last of Us suffers from oversimplified puzzles in both major installments. While none of these games are meant to be puzzle-intensive, the puzzles found throughout The Heretic Prophet's storyline shouldn't feel boring, or like players are being given a chore.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet Needs Better Puzzles
Puzzles Don't Need To Be Simple In The Heretic Prophet
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Even the most challenging puzzles in Uncharted 4 were simple compared to other action-adventure games in the same space.
Not all The Heretic Prophet players will even care if there are puzzles in the game at all, as sometimes these end up breaking immersion or feel out of place. A sci-fi setting opens many possibilities for excellent combat and narrative development, and players will expect more out of what purpose these puzzles serve. Ideally, the puzzles will not feel like an afterthought or a chore, and will give players more incentive to complete them. More complex puzzles that serve a clear purpose or function would also add to replay value, and can still be made widely accessible to many players.
The Heretic Prophet’s Puzzles Should Be Challenging And Add To The Story
Looking back at the puzzles in both Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us 2, there's no particular puzzle that stands out as especially difficult, but there are many that stand out as frustrating or tedious. This is largely due to the puzzles being a progression mechanic, meaning their core purpose is to get players from point A to B on the map, and that's about it. There are exceptions, such as the safe codes in Last of Us that reward players with much-needed supplies, or occasional treasure puzzles in Uncharted 4. However, these exceptions are still not particularly challenging.
In Last of Us 2, many fans complained about the overall lack of puzzles, while others thought fewer puzzles made sense for a story-driven action-adventure game. It's clear that if puzzles are going to be a part of The Heretic Prophet, developers at Naughty Dog need to strike the right balance between functional and traversal types of puzzles. These puzzles need to serve the larger story, give the player a strong incentive for completing them outside of getting to the next place, and be enjoyable at some level to complete. These puzzles should give players a sense of accomplishment, above all.
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