Joel and Ellie made it out alive, but did they escape danger?
The original launch of The Last of Us was a refreshing departure for Naughty Dog. As much as we love Nathan Drake, seeing Uncharted’s level of polish, deep storytelling, and rich character development in an entirely different world is richly satisfying.
So naturally, we’re expecting big things out of The Last of Us sequel. The Last of Us II is on its way for the PlayStation 4, and if you haven’t kept up until now, then we’re here to get you up to speed.
- What’s the story so far?
- What’s happening in Part II?
- Gameplay details
- What are previews saying?
- When does it release?
Ellie is back
The Last of Us Part II
$60 at Best Buy
Returning for one last adventure
The Last of Us Part II is the continuation of the 2013 hit. This time the story follows the path of hate, vengeance, retribution, and how they change a person. Please be careful to avoid spoilers, because this is sure to be one hell of a ride.
What’s the story so far? Spoilers for part one ahead
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As the name implies, this is a sequel to Naughty Dog’s 2013 PlayStation 3 exclusive. That game was eventually remastered for the PlayStation 4. The Last of Us is an adventure game that features stealth and shooting mechanics at the core of its gameplay.
There’s also a survival horror element to it, with much of the player’s path being blocked by ghastly looking things called Clickers. These beings are actually humans who have been infected with a deadly strain of the cordyceps viral strain, a virus that makes them cannibalistic and mutates their bodies.
Players control Joel (voiced by Troy Baker), whose life was turned upside down when military soldiers came and shot his daughter at the onset of the outbreak. Joel had to live decades with the pain until a girl named Ellie (Ashley Johnson) was thrust into his life by a survival group known as the Fireflies. They tasked Joel with helping to smuggle Ellie from within a quarantined zone to their hideout.
Reason being? Ellie is infected, but instead of turning in three days like most of the other folks, she has been symptom-free for three weeks. They believe the cure to the virus lies within her, and they want to perform lethal surgery on her to find it. Joel is unwilling to let Ellie die, however, as he has grown attached to her – perhaps because she helps fill the void left in his heart by his daughter’s death.
Long story short, they eventually escape, and that’s where The Last Of Us II will pick up. In actuality, about five years have passed between the events of the original game and the sequel.
2013’s Game of the Year
The Last of Us Remastered
$20 at Amazon $24.18 at Walmart
The story of heartbreak, hard decisions, and survival
In a moment’s notice, everything you have ever known could come crumbling down, just like it did for Joel in The Last of Us as Zombies (known as “The Infected”) took over the world. After a time skip, you find yourself in a town run by a dictatorship when a job presents itself. Can you smuggle Ellie out of the town, through the post-apocalyptic world, and to the Fireflies? Test your skills with this first-person shooter— and be prepared for hard decisions.
What’s happening in Part II?
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We will not be posting any spoilers that have leaked, so what we officially know isn’t much, though we do know that Ellie and Joel are returning, with players controlling the former this time around. It’s also said to have an overarching theme of hate in stark contrast to the first game’s emphasis on love. Hint: Ellie is grown-up (19 years old), and she’s the one who’s pissed off now.
We also know it’ll be a much darker game in tone, and that it’ll double down on the whole cannibalism angle. The two trailers we’ve gotten about the game so far have been unrevealing in regards to the story, but considering there are still hordes of infected threatening the unnamed characters we can at least assume that a cure was never found.
Joining Joel and Ellie are a bundle of new characters, too. Victoria Grace is playing Yara, Ian Alexander will play Lev, and there will be a guest appearance from Emily Swallow as Emily. Laura Bailey is also confirmed to have a significant role in the story with a yet-to-be-named character. And at least part of the game is taking place in Seattle, Naughty Dog confirmed.
With the addition of a new video at Sony’s State of Play in September we got a better look at why Ellie is so pissed. When someone dear to her is taken away she sets down a path of revenge and leaves behind the place she’s called home for years. She doesn’t care what it takes to get the job done.
Gameplay details
We can at expect similarities to the first title, which featured a third-person shooter base with stealth and survival elements. Players can shoot, of course, but there’s also a crafting system for making tools, weapons, and consumables that you’ll need throughout the game. Enemies this time around will be able to communicate with one another much better, and they have dogs that will be able to track your scent.
Every character now also has a heartbeat. There’s not a monitor in the game that you need to keep track of. Instead, your heartbeat will automatically rise and fall based on actions you are doing — running, hiding, getting close to enemies. This will in turn affect your breathing. As you can imagine, breathing to loudly could blow your cover if an enemy is near. So keep that in mind when you’re sneaking about.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btmN-bWwv0A?modestbranding=0&html5=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&wmode=opaque&loop=0&controls=1&autohide=0&showinfo=0&theme=dark&color=red&enablejsapi=1]
You can also expect cooperative mechanics that’ll require the teamwork of both Ellie and the unnamed NPC companion that’ll tag along with you in some missions, puzzles that’ll need to be solved before you can move through an area, and more.
Naughty Dog also confirmed that multiplayer would not be returning. However, the studio was working on some sort of multiplayer component for it that didn’t make the cut, and Naughty Dog didn’t rule out the possibility of it coming back. It might be be spun-off into its own thing.
What previews are saying
Some people have already been able to play The Last of Us Part II before its release on June 19 and have written previews of their experiences. Places like IGN, The Guardian, Game Informer, and more have talked about their time with the game (spoiler free, of course) and it looks to be one brutal adventure.
When can you play it?
After a few delays due to the pandemic, The Last of Us Part II will finally release on June 19, 2020 for PlayStation 4. There is no word on a possible PlayStation 5 version at this time, though we wouldn’t be surprised. After all, the first game hit PS3 the summer before the PS4 came out as well.
We’ll be updating this page with new details about The Last of Us Part II as they come in. Be sure to check back often for the latest!
Ellie is back
Last of Us Part II
$60 at Best Buy
Returning for one last adventure
The Last of Us Part II is the continuation of the 2013 hit. This time the story follows the path of hate, vengeance, retribution, and how they change a person. Please be careful to avoid spoilers, because this is sure to be one hell of a ride.
