Before Red Dead Redemption 2 rode into town (and punched a cow in the face for shits and giggles), 2013’s The Last of Us was still held up by critics as the benchmark for filmic videogame story-telling.
The credit for that goes to former Naughty Dog director Bruce Straley, who also helmed Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. So what does he think about the game that has arguably supplanted his iconic PlayStation 3 title?
Well, he has some issues. During a conversation on Twitter with Naughty Dog designer, Matthew Gallant, he criticised Rockstar’s treatment of playable cut-scenes.
He wrote: “The game killed me when I tried to flank in that mission – like so many RDR2 story missions. They need me to do what the story requires & continually remove my choices. The env was open & I had the skills, but they punished me for thinking for myself instead of rewarding me. ☹️”
“The stick” refers to the illusion of choice in cutscenes. While you are able to interact with the on-screen action by following controller prompts, ignoring these directions will lead to punishment. You aren’t truly making a decision, but following the linear direction that the game wants.
In Straley’s opinion, these predestined scenes “undermine the power of interactivity.” He then recommended a critique video by gaming YouTuber NakeyJakey. Watch below:
