Summary
Old “Orange Lightning” and his hoverboard-riding, gun-totting, eco-prodigy sidekick may have vanished from the gaming scene since theJak and Daxter Bundlein 2017, but their absence is still known and felt by their fans who long for their return. Just asCrash Bandicoot,another beloved Naughty Dog franchise,made its glorious returnfollowing the release of Toys For Bob’s N.Sane TrilogyinIt’s About Time, theJak and Daxterseries could have its time in the green-colored sun once again.
The franchise will likely have to evolve, as the era of mascot platformers and collectathon is long gone. However, the series is no stranger to change, as the leap fromThe Precursor’s LegacytoJak 2saw the advent of GTA-like zoomer theft and gunplay, taking the tone and story in a wild direction. Likewise,Jak Xcontinued the original trilogy story while being a pulse-pumping combat racer. The Precursor’s unique and rich universe is brimming with possibilities, even so many years later, and these are just a few of the ways fans might seeJak and Daxter’s return.
RTS / Base Builder
Inspirations: XCOM, Frostpunk
The originalJaktrilogy was never afraid of drawing on epic setpieces throughout its story, from the invasion of the Metal Heads to the toppling of Haven Palace. But one piece of lore was built up grander than all else: Mar’s legacy. Given that the Precursors hinted at possible adventures in the past at the end ofJak 3, it isn’t out of the question that a new game could be set in Mar’s era. However, telling that story would require a change in perspective and genre. In this case, a “turn-based tactics” game akin toXCOMwould be perfect.
Mar is known for his feats of engineering, great leadership, and miraculous foresight, and showing how his genius was “inspired” by adventurers from the future could make for a radical twist. Players would take teams to the battlefield in their campaign against the invading Metal Heads, each bringing skills and firepower as seen in previous titles. To borrow another feature fromXCOM, players could slowlybuild up a settlement, then a city, as the fight goes on, adding to its defenses and capabilities and creating a “haven” for survivors of the Metal Head’s scourge.
VR God Sim
Inspiration: Half-Life Alyx, Deisim
Following the success ofHalf-Life Alyx, a VR title that brought the series back into the picture after a similarly long absence, a VR title might be the perfect way to step back into theJakuniverse. A VRJak and Daxtergame could take countless forms: it could follow Keira as she continues her journey of becoming an ego sage, tinkering with precursor technology and experimenting with the mysterious, multicolored life forces and their effects on the world. Alternatively, the Precursors could take a central role (or at least offer guidance to the player) as they shape the world with their robots, advanced technologies, and time manipulation abilities.
The player could take a detached point of view similar to that of a god sim where they influence villagers and construct artifacts, floating platforms, and wonders with eco, despite antagonism from the Dark Makers and Metal Heads. Sandbox games likeMinecraftandSuper Mario Makerthatallow players to create their own levelsand worlds have been a huge hit in the last couple of years. Giving players a “sandbox mode” and allowing players to share their creations would let platforming fans scratch that decade-long itch of wanting to travel around with Jak’s fluid and satisfying moveset in all-new environments.
Class-Based Action RPG / MMO
Inspiration: Guild Wars 2, Assassin’s Creed Origins
While fans would most likely want to see the continuation of Jak’s story as he grapples with his inner light and dark, Haven politics, and the existential crisis following the reveal of the Precursors' true identities, there is perhaps a more compelling reason to return to the series: the setting. Naughty Dog crafted a sublime world brimming with potential, only for it to fall away after a few titles. One way to modernize the series for a revival would beto introduce RPG elementsto the action-adventure side of classicJakgameplay or make it an RPG from the core.
All the pieces are there: potentially playable fantasy races (including pointy-eared humans, lurkers, and “ottsels”), classic RPG classes (gunner, gadgeteer, warrior, wastelander, eco-sage), and gear upgrades (weapon mods and precursor armor). It’s easier imagined than done, but a city full of players all speeding around on zoomers around Haven, the wasteland, precursor ruins, or any of the other iconic locations in theJakuniverse would be something never before seen in gaming.
Open World / Sandbox Builder
Inspiration: Grand Theft Auto, Tears of the Kingdom
Picture a tendril-winged Light Jak soaring through the zoomer-filled skyline of a renewed Haven City, dropping down to the steamy lower struts of the docks to the upper only to soar up to the highest points of the new industrial district. The lack of loading screens across each game in the original trilogy might lead players to believe that theJakseries has already achieved an open world, but it was actually a system ofclever background resource managementthat created the near-seamless connections between each level. A true open-world Haven City complete with blue eco portals (and time travel rifts?) would be something else given today’s hardware, especially the PS5’s capacity for instant loading, asRachet and Clank: A Rift Apartdemonstrated.
Alternatively, an open-worldJakrevival could take a cue fromThe Legend of Zelda’sTears of the Kingdomand focus its gameplay on physics-based puzzle solving or creating eco-based contraptions, just as Link does with the Ultra Hand inTears of the Kingdom. This creative sandbox could take place in the Brink, an unfinished place where the Precursors had run out of time to finish the world, last seen in theLost Frontier.Jak 3had begun experimenting with different forms of eco ammunition (i.e., red eco for force, blue for dynamic energy), andan open-world sandboxwould be the next logical step. So long as there is a solid base of “Jak and Daxter” gameplay and story, the sky’s the limit.
Action-Adventure Platformer / Collectathon
Inspiration:The Precursor’s Legacy
While the genre has fallen by the wayside in recent years in favor of more cinematic spectacles, especially from Naughty Dog’s output, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a quiet but large fanbase yearning for more from the action-adventure platformer. The planned but canceledJak 4was reportedly going to take ona realistic and gritty art style, but the success of cell-shaded, highly stylized graphics in games like the recentThe Legend of Zeldaofferings (Breath of the Wild, theLink’s Awakeningremake) prove that gamers are more than happy to exchange cutting-edge visuals for tight game design.
While theJakseries could easily adapt to a wide range of genres, returning to its roots would be just as viable an option. Naughty Dog has always tried pushing the limits of technology with each new project, but who is to say this couldn’t be achieved in a stripped-down, concise video game genre like the 3D platformer? At the very least, a 4K, 60FPS remake of the original trilogy akin to theCrash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, theSpyro ReignitedTrilogy, or the 2019Medievalremake would make a lot of people very happy.
