When The Last of Us hit the PS3 on June 14, 2013, it didn’t just land—it detonated. Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic tale of Joel and Ellie sold over 17 million copies across its original and remastered versions, snagged a 95 on Metacritic, and cemented itself as a storytelling juggernaut. Its fungal-infested world, paired with gut-punching performances from Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, redefined what games could be. Fast forward to 2025, and with The Last of Us Part I remade, Part II polarizing fans, and an HBO series raking in Emmys, it’s a franchise titan. But as I replay the original—dodging clickers and mulling its legacy—I can’t shake a nagging thought: maybe The Last of Us should’ve been Naughty Dog’s Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. A leaner, standalone spin-off, not a sprawling epic, might’ve honed its brilliance without the baggage that’s piled up since. Here’s why that smaller scope could’ve been its sweet spot.
The Last Of Us Should Learn From Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Uncharted’s Spin-Off Game Was Largely Successful
First, let’s talk Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. Released in 2017 as a PS4 standalone, it spun off from Uncharted 4 with Chloe Frazer and Nadine Ross hunting the Tusk of Ganesh. Clocking in at 7-10 hours—half the 15-20 of a mainline Uncharted—it ditched Nathan Drake for a tight, character-driven romp across India’s Western Ghats. No trilogy ambitions, no franchise setup, just a $40 price tag and a focused punch. Critics loved it (89 on Metacritic); fans on X, like @uncharted_guru, still call it “criminally underrated.” Naughty Dog proved they could shrink the scale without losing soul—gorgeous vistas, slick gunplay, and a buddy dynamic that clicked. It was a palate cleanser, a side dish that didn’t try to outdo the main course. Now, imagine The Last of Us taking that route instead of launching as a 15-hour behemoth with sequel bait baked in.
Picture this: The Last of Us as a standalone, 8-10-hour tale. Joel, a grizzled smuggler, escorts Ellie, a scrappy kid with a secret, across a bite-sized chunk of America—say, Wyoming to Salt Lake City. No Tommy’s dam, no Pittsburgh detours, just a straight shot with the Fireflies as the finish line. The core beats—Joel’s softening, Ellie’s grit, the hospital twist—stay intact, but the fat’s trimmed. No need for a 20-hour slog or a cliffhanger teasing Part II. It’s a one-and-done gut punch, priced at $40, marketed as a Naughty Dog experiment post-Uncharted 3. Web retrospectives, like IGN’s 10-year lookback, praise the original’s pacing, but even fans admit it drags—those extra cityscapes and side characters pad a story that shines brightest in its quiet, brutal moments. A Lost Legacy-style cut could’ve distilled that essence.
A TLOU Standalone Can Keep The World Alive Without Stretching Ellie’s Story
Ellie’s Story Had A Strong Conclusion In The Last Of Us Part 2
Why does this matter? The Last of Us’ scope birthed baggage. Its success—1.3 million sold in a week—screamed “franchise,” and Naughty Dog leaned in. Left Behind DLC teased Ellie’s past; Part II in 2020 doubled down with a 25-hour revenge saga that split the fanbase (X posts like @TLOUFanatic still rage over Abby). The HBO show, greenlit before Part II shipped, locked it into a multi-season arc—Season 2’s filming wrapped by March 2025, per Variety. What started as a contained tragedy ballooned into a sprawling IP, complete with remakes and spin-off buzz (an X leak from @NaughtyDogInfo hints at a Tommy game). A standalone wouldn’t have dodged success—Lost Legacy sold millions—but it could’ve stayed a gem, not a cornerstone. Naughty Dog’s own Neil Druckmann mused on X in 2023 that TLOU “wasn’t meant to carry this weight,” a rare nod to scope creep.
Lost Legacy’s strength was its restraint. Chloe and Nadine’s arc—partners to friends—wrapped up neatly, no sequel hook needed. The Last of Us could’ve done the same. Joel’s sacrifice—killing the Fireflies to save Ellie—lands harder if it’s the end, not a setup. The original’s ambiguity (is Ellie immune? Did Joel doom humanity?) thrives in a vacuum; Part II’s answers diluted it. A standalone keeps the mystery, letting players stew on that final lie—“I swear”—without a 25-hour epilogue. Steam forums echo this: “TLOU1 didn’t need more; it was perfect alone.” Lost Legacy proved Naughty Dog could nail a shorter tale—its Asav villain, while no Ketheric Thorm, fit the runtime. TLOU as a one-off could’ve leaned on David, the cannibal creep, as its sole big bad, tightening the screws.
What A Last Of Us Standalone Game Could Look Like
There Is A Lot Of Potential Story Directions For A Last Of Us Standalone Game
Budget’s the counterpunch. The Last of Us cost $20-30 million in 2013 (per web estimates), modest next to Uncharted 4’s $100 million. Lost Legacy reused U4’s engine, slashing costs—TLOU as a standalone might’ve needed more upfront, lacking Uncharted 2’s tech base. But Naughty Dog wasn’t broke post-U3 (2011); they could’ve swung it. Sony, riding the PS3’s late surge, would’ve backed a $40 risk—TLOU’s buzz came from demos, not scale. X posts from @GameHistorians note its hype was “story-driven,” not size-driven. A leaner TLOU still sells—Lost Legacy moved 3-4 million at half-price. And without franchise pressure, Part II’s $220 million gamble (per The Verge) might’ve been a different beast—or skipped entirely.
The catch? Fans love the sprawl. The Last of Us’s 15 hours let Joel and Ellie breathe—Pittsburgh’s hunters, Sam and Henry’s tragedy—adding texture a shorter cut might lose. Lost Legacy traded depth for brevity; Chloe’s arc, while solid, lacks Ellie’s layers. Web reviews, like Polygon’s, laud TLOU’s “lived-in world”—a standalone risks feeling rushed. And let’s be real: a hit this big was always getting a sequel. Sony’s not leaving millions on the table. Part II’s 10 million sales and HBO’s 8.2 million premiere viewers (per Deadline) prove the appetite. A standalone TLOU might’ve dodged Part II’s divisiveness—X still burns with “Joel deserved better”—but it’d sacrifice the saga fans now crave.
Still, I can’t shake the what-if. The Last of Us as a Lost Legacy-style one-shot keeps its soul intact—no franchise fatigue, no remake debates (PS5’s Part I hit $70 in 2022, sparking X gripes like @PSFanboy77). Naughty Dog could’ve flexed their storytelling chops, then moved on—maybe to Factions or a new IP, not a decade of TLOU. Lost Legacy showed they thrive in tight spaces—its train chase rivals TLOU’s best, sans bloat. A shorter TLOU might’ve been leaner, meaner, and just as unforgettable, letting Joel and Ellie bow out before the weight crushed them.
Hindsight’s 20/20, and The Last of Us is a masterpiece as is—sprawling, messy, human. But Lost Legacy whispers a road not taken: a standalone that hits, quits, and leaves you haunted, not hooked on what’s next. Naughty Dog built a legend either way—I just wonder if a smaller stage could’ve made it shine brighter, not bigger. In a world of endless sequels, that’s a rare kind of bold.
