The Last Of US: Part II

A FRESH LOOK AT ONE OF THE MOST AMBITIOUS GAMES OF ALL TIME

01 IT’S TIME FOR THE INDUSTRY TO BEGIN CHALLENGING  ASSUMPTIONS. It’s a message that sits at the heart of Naughty Dog’s ambitions as a studio and the intent behind the ongoing development of The Last Of Us: Part II. It’s that thought – the idea of constantly contesting expectation and execution – that is trickling down through the studio’s refinement and expansion of each and every one of the game’s systems and mechanics; a process that is helping to elevate every aspect of this sequel, from its artificial intelligence to its environment design, lighting and animation, its spectacular underlying technology to the construction of its harrowing narrative. If Naughty Dog is able to pull this off, The Last Of Us: Part II will mark a turning point for the industry – a glimpse into what the future of will hold for interactive entertainment. Of that we are quite certain.

That may appear to be high praise, but Naughty Dog is entirely deserving of it. Set five years after the spellbinding conclusion to The Last Of Us, this longawaited sequel picks up in a world still shrouded in conflict and contention. Ellie is older now, clearly scarred by the hardship that she has been forced to endure just to survive – the ramifications of Joel’s climactic decision a weight on her weary shoulders, the world around her wrought with ruin because of it. Speaking of Joel, he is still nowhere to be seen in the early marketing push but clearly present, a commanding presence in Tommy’s settlement back in Jackson county though he is no friend to his estranged surrogate daughter now. It’s as they say: it is the old wounds that cut deepest into your soul.