Yesterday saw PlayStation produce a new State of Play focused on next month’s The Last of Us Part II. In the 20-minute video, we saw a ton of details about one of this year’s biggest and most ambitious games yet.
Let’s break down what we saw – picking up several years after the first game, the sequel begins in Jackson, Wyoming. Through a series of events, Director Neil Druckmann iterates that this journey begins because of a traumatic event that Ellies deals with.
We get a glimpse of some of the locations, including Seattle, snow-tinted locations that look untouched by humanity and mother nature retaking the planet years after the infection. You’ll deal with the Washington Liberation Front, which is a faction that tried to take over Seattle years ago. Not only that, but there are also infected to deal with including Runners, Clickers, and Shamblers (a new enemy type).
We also learn of the Seraphites a new faction that proves much more menacing than anything we’ve ever seen in the series. These are religious zealots, with facial scarring and are much stealth-oriented.
Combat is more visceral, more brutal, and downright sadistic. It has to be in this world where humanity is dwindling. Ellie plays different than Joel, she’s much more stealth-oriented and it is up to you to learn what works in each combat situation. Fleeing is a good idea in some cases because Ellie is much more agile, she can dodge and create opportunities to counter-attack.
Crafting returns to The Last of Us Part II, with new training manuals and skills you’ll unlock. Scavenging is crucial as well, with weapons being upgraded through the workbench system. Parts are scattered throughout the world, so you’ll need to find them. You can craft offensive and defensive items as you unlock recipes.
Inside the Details
A new video today continues Inside the… series from Naughty Dog. Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross iterate that every character in the game needs to be “dimensional.”
Druckmann and his team are known for their attention to detail, be it at the mocap stage, or during the early development stages. The team working on The Last of Us Part II wants you to be fully immersed in the game, and thanks to new technology, you can do this.
Naughty Dog has developed technology that makes veins pop on a character when they are angry as well as making their eyes red or redden their skin, based on emotion or a physical reaction. This is all new technology developed for this game and it’s terrifying.
The Last of Us Part II launches on June 19, 2020, on PlayStation 4.
