The Last of Us Can Afford the Same Genre Leap as Alan Wake 2

Highlights

• Alan Wake 2 takes a noticeable leap in genre, shifting from action/adventure to survival horror, creating a seamless and immersive gaming experience.
• The success of Alan Wake 2’s genre leap suggests that other games, such as The Last of Us, should fully embrace the survival horror genre to enhance their gameplay and storytelling.
• The survival horror elements in The Last of Us can be expanded upon, including a greater focus on infected enemies, intense stealth sequences, and resource management, to bring a fresh and exciting twist to the series.

Video game genres are an interesting thing. Over the last few decades, since the very first video game hit the public market, video game genres have continued evolving. What used to be strictly defined genres like sport, racing, action, and RPG are slowly pairing back their restrictive boundaries, and learning to borrow elements from one another to create truly unique gaming experiences. Alan Wake 2, for instance, can’t be defined as just a simple action/adventure game, it instead brings together elements from a number of different genres and subgenres.

But while the first Alan Wake was very action-oriented, Alan Wake 2 does make a noticeable leap in terms of genre, with the sequel instead drawing most of its inspiration from the survival horror genre. While genre leaps can often be pretty jarring for long-term franchises, Alan Wake 2‘s feels seamless, as if it was the way the series was always meant to look and feel. And though the comparison may not be one-for-one, The Last of Us could easily make a similar sort of genre leap.

The Last of Us Should Lean All the Way into Survival Horror Like Alan Wake 2

How Alan Wake 2 Made the Leap to Survival Horror

Released back in 2010, the first Alan Wake is considered primarily an action/adventure game, with a strong emphasis on action. Though it has psychological thriller elements, Alan Wake never really leans all the way into its horror themes, instead always making sure that the player has plenty of tools to keep them from harm. That being said, the first Alan Wake still had plenty of hints towards the survival horror genre, such as limited ammo, slower-paced enemies, and plenty of spooky set-pieces.

When it came time to finally make the long-awaited sequel, Remedy Entertainment decided to lean all the way into survival horror this time, and Alan Wake 2 is all the better for it. With a gameplay structure heavily inspired by the recent Resident Evil remakes, Alan Wake 2 is a true survival horror game from start to finish, with hard-hitting slow enemies, very limited ammo and supplies, and resource management being key to survival. Alan Wake 2‘s survival horror nature also lets it go wild with the series’ horror undertones, bringing them up to the surface at every chance it can get, from near-constant jumpscares to otherworldly enemies to grotesque imagery.

The Last of Us Can Make The Same Leap

It wouldn’t be a bad idea for The Last of Us to follow in Alan Wake 2‘s footsteps, and take the survival horror elements it already has to the next level. In many ways, The Last of Us is already essentially a survival horror game, even more so than the first Alan Wake was. Resource management and looting are integral to The Last of Us‘ core gameplay loop, enemies can easily one-shot the player on harder difficulties, and there are plenty of horrific scenes of violence and intense set-pieces throughout the series already.

With The Last of Us already essentially being a survival horror game, the next entry in the series should just take that final step, and deliver a Last of Us game that embraces the survival horror genre fully. This could mean an even greater focus on The Last of Us‘ infected, an increase in the number of intense stealth sequences that the series is already well-known for, and maybe even a greater focus on resource management and gathering. The next Last of Us already has some great foundations to work from, but a slight shift into the survival horror genre would help to shake things up just enough.