Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End has largely been showcased so far through a number of trademark epic set-pieces and high-action gameplay segments.

And while those moments will still play a major role throughout the upcoming game, the developer is more keen than ever to strike a balance between the spectacle and the intimate.

In a long-form interview, creative director Neil Druckmann recently told the Official PlayStation Magazine UK that while the studio’s design philosophy in the past has been to “go bigger”, going any bigger than where they went in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception would simply “become comical” and a “parody of itself”. As a result, the team have shifted their approach somewhat, taking in a lot of knowledge gained from their time spent working on The Last of Us.

According to Druckmann, creating the iconic and touching photobooth scene from Left Behind required as much work as the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves’ collapsing building set-piece – and was just as important to the game’s narrative. Seeing the success of that particular scene in particular has changed the way Naughty Dog look at the composition of Uncharted 4.

“We’re going to have the big spectacle set-pieces, but the thing that The Last of Us and Left Behind gave us is the confidence to create these small, intimate moments where there isn’t a threat of death, but it’s another way to get to know the characters through interactivity,” Druckmann said. “I’m excited to see how fans react to that new balance of spectacle versus intimate moments.”