The Last of Us

Naughty Dog hides navigation cues in the level instead of using a map. The Last of Us and Uncharted run start to finish with no map, compass or floating arrow. Players are told exactly where to go through subconscious cues built into the level design.

Designer Emilia Schatz calls this "very much a game in psychology": working out what the environment tells the player. Hidden guidance keeps a linear game moving and makes it feel bigger, because players who stumble on side content assume every door leads somewhere.

Light and sound together pull players into the opening room. At the start of The Last of Us, everyone walks into the room because of the alluring light and the distant sound of TV speakers.

Light draws players like moths when the surroundings are dark, and a distant sound gives a second reason to head that way, so the choice feels natural.

One consistent signal colour marks what matters. The Last of Us and Uncharted use yellow to highlight climbable and interactive elements on the critical path.

A bright, contrasting colour only grabs attention if the other colours in the stage are carefully controlled. Contrast in line direction helps too, such as horizontal ledges breaking upward guiding lines.

Frames and negative space act as portals that draw the eye. The Last of Us uses negative space as a portal toward the way forward, a composition trick borrowed from painting and photography.

Art director Erick Pangilinan (GDC 2010) said defining a clear path is "really important", and busy schedules make noisy, confusing levels easy. He separates ground from boundaries and places shapes mid-path as stepping stone cues.

Characters point at distant landmarks to give players a goal. Characters in The Last of Us keep pointing at far-off towers, trucks and bridges that then loom over the skyline, giving the player something to work toward.

Designers call this a "weenie", after the castle Walt Disney placed in the middle of Disneyland to lure visitors in and give them a fixed point to navigate by.

Test the cues by squinting and by watching real players. Naughty Dog's squint test, dating from the Crash Bandicoot days, checks that the critical path is the most dominant thing in each scene.

Observing random players move through a level shows whether the cues actually work.

Moving upgrades into the world made players plan and save resources. Joel first upgraded weapons from an inventory tab, which cluttered the minimal UI, was missed by some players, and led them to buy the cheapest upgrade at once. Moving upgrades to workbenches in the world made players save resources, weigh options and plan upgrades for weapons they liked.

The fix for a UI problem lived in another system: "pull upgrading out of the UI entirely."

Listen mode shows enemies only while they make noise. Listen mode reveals enemies through walls, but only when they are making noise, so the player gains an edge without becoming all-knowing.

Built-in limits keep an information tool useful but, in Mark Brown's words, "not omnipotent."

Enemies check sight against Joel's chest when he crouches. When Joel crouches, enemies raycast to his chest instead of his head, so peeking over cover does not get him spotted.

The simulation is biased toward what players think is fair: "It's what the player thinks the NPC should be able to see or hear."

Ellie grows stronger in combat after a key story beat. After the cutscene where Ellie shoots a man to save Joel, she becomes a more formidable character in later combat, so the mechanics follow the story.

The key moment itself is delivered through film rather than through rules and systems the player can interact with, which is how The Last of Us largely tells its story, in contrast to The Last Guardian.