On Sept. 24, Sony hosted their “State of Play” livestream that unveiled many new titles and ports to the console such as “Humanity,” “MediEvil” and “LA Noire VR.” One title quickly stood out among the rest, “The Last of Us Part II,” a sequel to the award-winning action adventure by “Naughty Dog Studios.” The livestream gathered up to 20,000 viewers.
“The Last of Us” gripped players with a story about the smuggler Joel (Troy Baker) and his 13-year-old sidekick Ellie (Ashley Johnson), two survivors in a post-apocalyptic world brought together by tragic circumstances. What followed was a heartwarming story that brought the two together in a loving father-daughter relationship, culminating in several “Game of the Year” awards.
“The Last of Us Part II” differentiates itself from its predecessor by swapping the focus off of Joel and making 19-year-old Ellie the playable protagonist. Living happily in a cozy settlement outside Wyoming, things seem to go quickly downhill as some unnamed group seem to have a grudge against Ellie. What happened between them is not shown but it is very clearly evoked a violent reaction from her. Throughout the trailer, multiple people mention just how dangerous this group is, to which all she can reply is “I don’t care.”
The trailer showcased several new locations. With snowy forgotten towns, broken down buildings crawling with “infected,” and unnerving chalets. Newer Naughty Dog games (“Uncharted 4” and “Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.”) have experimented with more open ended levels that tend to be traversed by car. “The Last of Us Part II” seems to be taking this in stride as we can see her traversing a snowy forest on horseback and later a drowned city via a small boat.
There was also a large amount of enemy variety on display, not only have the infected evolved but so have the human enemies. Employing the use of attack dogs and body armor, the combat seems to have a distinctly scarier feel to it. The trailer also often showing Ellie alone, wandering down dark corridors being guided by her flashlight.
Interestingly enough, Ellie is seen alone throughout most of the gameplay sections of the trailer. Which is odd when considering that the teamwork between Joel and Ellie was a focal point of the last game. The trailer ends with the reveal of Joel, now older and quieter, dashing aside fans fears that he might not be even be alive.
Despite this loneliness, she seems more than capable, while not measuring up in Joel’s raw strength, Ellie fights dirty. The trailer constantly shows her using her switch blade to pin enemies to walls, taking weapons from them, laying explosive traps and using her various firearms to take out this mysterious force. The animation looks satisfying and reflexive, with Ellie being shown to be capable of dodging enemy attacks and retaliating with a wildly savage fighting style of her own.
For those who have missed out on the original title, Sony also announced that the original game “The Last of Us” will be free for any customers with a Playstation + account throughout the month of October. “The Last of Us Part II” releases on Feb. 21, 2020.
Image from PlatStation via YouTube
