In 2013, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us launched to universal acclaim. The single player campaign was lauded for its grounded storytelling, emotional depth and satisfying gameplay. It also happened to become one of my all-time favorite games.

But what of the multiplayer mode: Factions?

During that same year, other triumphs such as Tomb Raider were accompanied by disappointingly shallow multiplayer experiences. Prior to that, Dead Space 2 – a series known for its horrifying isolation – shipped with an unmistakably tacked-on “competitive” online mode; later dropped for the third installment.

A disturbing precedent had been set by the industry: AAA titles would need multiplayer to sell, regardless of quality.

It’s no surprise that so many people – reviewers included – overlooked Factions. I was certainly guilty of it. The Last of Us cast a great shadow over anything I attempted to play thereafter. Multiplayer was an afterthought to me; something that couldn’t possibly do justice to its namesake, no matter how hard it tried.

I was wrong.



It wasn’t until the PlayStation 4 remaster that I realized my mistake. Technical improvements like 60 frames-per-second aside, Factions manages to capture the story’s feeling of desperation and intensity. It challenges you to find balance between patience and decisive action, and rewards those who straddle the line.

The real-time crafting and inventory system is particularly special. Pinned down by an enemy in cover? Quickly open your backpack, create a Molotov cocktail, lob it over and watch with delight as they burn. Managed to sneak up behind the opposing team? Craft a shiv and stealthily eliminate them one-by-one.

Ammunition and other resources are also very scarce, so players must scavenge the map and loot enemy corpses to survive. Every action – downs, executions, revives, – is rewarded with parts. Those parts can then be used at any time to buy weapons, ammo, armor and upgrades.

Small-team (4v4) battles take place across a wide variety of maps, all of which can be played in three distinct game modes: Supply Raid (TDM – 20 shared respawns per team), Survivors (TDM – one life per round), and Interrogation (team objective – interrogate enemies to find their lockbox, open to win). Team coordination is important so plug in those mics!



All of it is supported by a unique meta-game. The player is asked to choose between one of two factions: big-picture, morally ambiguous Fireflies or survival at any cost, cannibalistic Hunters. The goal is to keep your clan of survivors alive for 12 weeks (each match=one day). Parts earned in-game are converted to supplies at the end of the match. Those supplies support your camp’s population growth, which in turn unlocks new loadout slots and items. At intervals during the 12 week period, other challenges are issued in the form of bandit raids, outbreaks and more. Population percentages are often put at risk and can only resolved by completing 3-day missions (down enemies, heal team mates, etc.). Apart from its inherent challenge, the meta-game incentivizes participation by offering unlockable rewards and single-match boosts when certain population, parts and time goals are achieved.

But don’t worry, it’s entirely optional.



My only major gripe is with the unnecessary integration of micro-transactions. Some DLC weapons and abilities for custom loadouts are locked behind a paywall. As a compromise, however, Naughty Dog allow everyone to sample most of said weapons and abilities by way of preset loadouts. Balance isn’t an issue, but I would have preferred it if paid items were exclusively cosmetic.

Factions is still some of the most fun I’ve had with PvP in recent memory. The weapons sound great and hit hard, the executions are brutal and satisfying, and the crafting system lends itself to varied encounters. The Last of Us is now included with every 500GB PS4 and the community has never been healthier as a result. So, if you’re looking for a fresh take on versus multiplayer, I suggest you look no further than Factions’ slower-paced, tactical team action.