A fan of Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Ushas come up with a horrific enemy concept that takes after some of gaming’s most terrifying adversaries, bears. Depending on the given IP, animals can be some of the scariest, most panic-inducing foes in a game, and choosing to leverage a bear for this purpose, which is by default an incredibly powerful apex predator, is prime horror material.
The Last of Usis, naturally, a work of fiction, but its depiction of the infamous Cordyceps infection is actually rooted in real-world science to some extent. Whereas the IP’s particular variant of the brain fungus has come to revive humans as unthinking monsters, it doesn’t usually have the same effect on other living creatures, which is a topic that many artists have explored over the years.
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Coming up with horrific Cordyceps-infested animals has been a popular choice amongThe Last of Usfans ever since the franchise was first revealed, but Semperspada’s all-new concept of a Cordyceps bear takes the idea to the next level. Semperspada has come up with a remarkably dreadful creature that could likely go toe-to-toe with the mutated bear seen inAlex Garland’s adaptation ofAnnihilation, and one that could easily serve as a major boss encounter in a hypothetical newTheLast of Usgame.
As one of thebest post-apocalyptic settings in a video game, the world ofThe Last of Usleaves much to the player’s imagination. Naughty Dog has done a terrific job setting up a universe that doesn’t feel like it starts and ends with the games' protagonists, and concepts such as Semperspada’s Cordyceps bear feel like they’d fit right in if the lore was ever adapted to support such mutations.
It’s no surprise at all that most bears in games are now being compared toElden Ring’s own Runebear creatures, which may or may not share their lineage with dragons in some way. While it may be impossible to tell whether a theoretical Cordyceps bear could duke it out with a Runebear, it is a simple fact that the fight would be interesting to watch from the sidelines.
While most franchise fans would agree thatThe Last of Usdoesn’t need Cordycepsto tell a compelling narrative, its infected mutants are, indeed, a core component of the games' antagonist roster. Most would find Cordyceps-ridden animals a terrifying and distressing concept that’s every bit as sad as it is interesting from a gameplay perspective.
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