The Last Of US Part II - A Sequel That Clicks

Rachel Weber goes hands-on with The Last Of Us Part II and discovers a tale of romance, revenge, and very naughty dogs

- Rachel Weber

As Ellie stabs to death a tracker dog that found her hiding place, and the shouts of mercenaries echo around a Seattle suburb, it’s clear The Last Of Us Part II is not here to play nice. Our hero is all grown up, and the emotional subject matter that Naughty Dog’s PS4 exclusive is ready to face is also more adult. “Ultimately, this is a story about the cycle of violence, right? But beyond that, it’s a conversation about the effects systemic trauma can have on your soul,” explains the game’s co-writer, Halley Gross, as we sit down for an extensive hands-on.

The Last Of Us Part II starts five years after we last saw Ellie and Joel. Following their escape from the Fireflies, and Joel’s decision not to sacrifice Ellie even though doing so might produce a vaccine for the mutant cordyceps fungus that has ravaged the world, they’ve ended up in Jackson, Wyoming. The first section of our demo – and our first-ever hands-on with the game – finds Ellie on patrol with her friend Dina (yes, the Dina we saw her kissing in that trailer), taking a simple routine ride around the remains of a town, with snow falling and no obvious signs of danger on the horizon. Hearing Ellie and Dina trade flirty, good-natured jokes and talk about relationships, they could be any normal young women chatting… until we find the slaughtered moose. The butcher-floor carnage on show is a sign that the infected are close.

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