With The Last of Us’ canceled online game and The Last of Us Complete now 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 that The Last of Us’ success and popularity has taken on a life of its own beyond Part 1 and Part 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 Us will be concluding on a high note with as much discourse as one could wish for a story as bold and unflinching as in Part 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. A single-player Wonder Woman game helmed by Middle-earth’s Monolith could’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 Us is one of countless games whose interactions with characters and antagonists could’ve blossomed with the Nemesis System in tow.
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Monolith’s Nemesis System is a Sacred, Antique Treasure
The Nemesis System, as seen in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-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 employed Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth to 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 Us is 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 with Part 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 hypothetical Last of Us game 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 2 makes 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 the Washington Liberation Front and Seraphite factions calling 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 portray The 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.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- January 19, 2024
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- The Last of Us
- PC Release Date
- April 3, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- January 19, 2024
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
