The Mandalorian Meets The Last of Us In Upcoming Sci-Fi Epic

6 days ago 10

Published Sep 4, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT

Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work.

Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work.

There, rather astoundingly, have been few great games like The Last of Us released since Naughty Dog's magnum opus first came out. Perhaps even more astounding is the complete and utter lack of great bounty-hunting games, titles that replicate the feeling of stepping into Boba Fett's or Mando's shoes, hunting down a target and hauling them back in to claim your reward. Sure, games like Crimson Desert offer a bounty-hunting component, but there have been few games that truly embrace the theme and fewer still that get it right.

Fortunately, a title that seeks to combine the very best elements from The Last of Us and The Mandalorian is looming on the horizon, ready to usher in a new era for sci-fi video game epics. It's an exciting prospect, one that utilizes two criminally underutilized components to, in theory at least, deliver a big-budget experience that offers players a whole new adventure among the stars. The best part is that this upcoming sci-fi title has a massive advantage over the many games like The Last of Us released over the past few years.

The Last of Us Meets The Mandalorian Is A Great Combination

Imagine, for a second, you are a veteran bounty hunter, revered across the galaxy, hell-bent on completing your current mission. You're tracking a crime syndicate, a ruthless organization you've been paid a substantial amount to capture or kill. However, while tracking them, you find yourself hurtling toward a mysterious planet, one that no one has had contact with for 600 years, and, more importantly, one that no one ever escapes. Stranded on the planet, you must attempt to escape, all while completing your objective of hunting down your bounty.

If that sounds even remotely appealing to you, then there's a very good chance you'll enjoy Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the latest game from Naughty Dog. It's promising a bounty-hunting epic in which players take on the role of Jordan as she attempts to navigate her way through the hostile and mysterious planet of Sempiria while searching for her bounty, the "Five Aces" crime syndicate. It absolutely has shades of Star Wars (and The Mandalorian) as well as the gritty, unrelenting isolation of The Last of Us, something that Naughty Dog has become a bit of an expert in lately.

With a soundtrack from legendary duo Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and stunning 80s-inspired sci-fi visuals, there's a lot to love about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Sure, many are frustrated that it isn't just the next Last of Us game. However, I'd argue that Naughty Dog experimenting with a new IP, one that it believes is its most ambitious and expensive yet, is a far more exciting prospect, and a project that could end up being a serious contender for Naughty Dog's best game. The only wrinkle is we barely know anything about it.

We Still Don't Know Enough About Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet

It is easy to wax lyrical about Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and everything it is promising, because, on paper, it sounds rather remarkable. Of course, a gritty, 80s-themed sci-fi bounty-hunting adventure is a tantalizing prospect, especially from a developer like Naughty Dog. However, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet was announced during The Game Awards 2024, which was nearly two years ago at this point, with a CG trailer that showcased little more than the game's atmosphere, aesthetic, and, for lack of a better word, vibes.

We haven't seen any real gameplay, know much about the story beyond the brief description Naughty Dog has provided, and are still lacking a firm release date. Indeed, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet's release date still seems far away, although the recent confirmation from the traditionally tight-lipped studio that the game's performance capture has wrapped is a small consolation that it is still looming on the very distant horizon. Of course, with it being developed by Naughty Dog, one has an inherent level of hope and belief that the project will deliver on all the highs it is promising.

After all, this is the same studio that has delivered nothing but phenomenal experiences ranging from the unbelievably fantastic Jak series and, of course, The Last of Us. It is a shame that we didn't get to see any gameplay during the September PlayStation State of Play, but one can hope that this Mandalorian meets The Last of Us sci-fi epic does, eventually, showcase what it is capable of, as I, for one, believe it could end up being something truly special.