The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us Part II is a third-person action-adventure, survival horror video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was released on June 19, 2020.
The game is the sequel to The Last of Us and picks up the story of Ellie and Joel five years after the events of the original game. A remastered version of the game was released on January 19, 2024, for .Dornbush, Jonathon (November 17, 2023). "The Last of Us Part II Remastered Coming to PS5 on January 19, 2024". Naughty Dog. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
== Plot ==
=== Backstory and setting ===
The Last of Us Part II takes place five years after the events of the first game and nearly 25 years after the outbreak of the began. Ellie, who is now 19 years old, returns as the protagonist whom players assume control of. Joel, in his mid-fifties, also returns as a briefly playable character, as does Abby Anderson, who functions as the game's dual protagonist.The Last of Us Part II: PSX 2017, YouTube, (Accessed 2017)"Dual Protagonists: How to Handle TWO Lead Characters in Your Screenplay", Industrial Scripts, (Accessed June 9, 2022)
Joel and Ellie, having settled down in Tommy's settlement, live in relative peace within the thriving community. While there, Ellie has even managed to form friendships with Dina and Jesse. However, the survivors face constant threats from infected and other hostile survivors.
When a tragic event disrupts the tranquility of her life, a hate filled Ellie embarks on a journey to Seattle in a search for vengeance to carry out justice. As she hunts down those responsible one by one, she is confronted with the traumatizing physical and emotional consequences of her actions.Polygon: The Last of Us Part 2, PolyGon, (Accessed December, 2016)The Last of Us Part II official website, PlayStation, (Accessed 2019)E3 2018: The Last of Us Part II is all about honoring Ellie, IGN, (Accessed 2019)
=== Characters ===
* Ellie () – The protagonist of the game. Ellie is a 19-year-old survivor of the  outbreak and the only person known to be immune to the infection. Ellie lives in a large community in Jackson. She sports a tattoo over the bite scar on her right arm to hide her immunity. After witnessing a horrific attack, Ellie embarks on a personal quest for vengeance.
* Abby ()Naughty Dog Tweet (Accessed October 30, 2017) – The dual protagonist of the game. A former member of the Fireflies, Abby is now a member of the Washington Liberation Front and begins the game attempting to locate a resident of the community in Jackson. Abby is forced to deal with the fallout of her own quest for revenge.
* Joel () – Joel is Ellie's father figure and a former smuggler, who bonded with her years ago while transporting her across the country to the Fireflies in the hopes of creating a vaccine for the CBI outbreak. Unbeknownst to Ellie, Joel killed the Fireflies who were going to kill Ellie to create a cure.
* Tommy () - Tommy is Joel's younger brother and is one of the leaders of the community in Jackson, alongside his wife Maria. Tommy is the only person aware of Joel's killing of the Fireflies and deception of Ellie. Tommy, like Ellie, is on his own quest for vengeance.
* Dina ()E3 2018: The Last of Us Part II Gameplay, IGN - Dina is a close friend and love interest of Ellie and a resident of the community in Jackson. She is Jesse's ex-girlfriend, and kisses Ellie which causes a stir in the community. Dina accompanies Ellie to Seattle as their relationship develops.
* Jesse (Stephen Chang) - Jesse is a friend of Ellie, and Dina's ex-boyfriend. He is a resident of the community in Jackson, and accompanies Ellie on her quest.
* Maria () – Maria is Tommy's wife, and a member of the Jackson community.
* Owen () - Owen is a member of the WLF and Abby's childhood friend and ex-boyfriend. He is in a relationship with Mel and is having a child with her. 
* Mel () - Mel is a medic and a member of the WLF. She is pregnant with Owen's child, which causes tension between her and Abby. 
* Manny () - Manny is a member of the WLF and a friend and roommate of Abby's. He accompanies her to Jackson and fights alongside her in Seattle.
* Nora () - Nora is a member of the WLF and a friend of Abby's. She accompanies Abby to Jackson and is later sought out by Ellie.
* Lev () – Lev is a former member of a religious cult called the Seraphites set to wipe out all 'sin' in the world after the outbreak. Lev is branded an apostate by the Serephites for shaving his hair and is hunted by them alongside his older sister, Yara. Lev becomes Abby's companion and assists her.
* Yara () – Yara is Lev's older sister who left the Seraphites with him, and is severely injured by them during their escape. She later accompanies Abby with Lev.
* Isaac () – Isaac is the leader of the Washington Liberation Front, and a secondary antagonist in Abby's story.
=== Plot summary ===
In 2034, in Jackson, Joel Miller confesses to his brother Tommy that he killed Marlene and destroyed the Fireflies' main base in Salt Lake City to prevent them killing Ellie to create a vaccine for the . While shocked at the news, Tommy forgives his brother for the destruction of his former group. That night, Joel visits Ellie and gifts her a guitar, intent on cementing their surrogate father-daughter relationship and starting their new life together."Jackson" 
By March, 2038, Joel and Ellie still live in relative peace in Jackson as members of the community, but have grown apart as Ellie discovered Joel's secret about his actions at the St. Mary's Hospital and the killing of the head surgeon, Jerry Anderson."Seattle Day 2" While on patrol, Joel and Tommy save a stranger, Abby Anderson, from an infected horde. To escape a snow storm, they flee on horseback to the Baldwin lodge where Abby's group are staying. 
Once inside, the group reveal themselves as former Fireflies now based with the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), a militia group fighting a war with the religious fanatics known as the Seraphites in Seattle, Washington."Seattle Day 1 Abby reveals herself as Jerry's daughter and desires revenge for what Joel did to him and the Fireflies to save Ellie."The Park" The group attacks Joel and Tommy, knocking Tommy out and Abby proceeds to torture Joel. 
Elsewhere, Ellie, her girlfriend Dina and friend Jesse leave Jackson to find the brothers. Hours later, Ellie reaches the lodge only for Nick and Nora to restrain her and make her watch as Abby kills Joel. Ellie swears to kill them all for their actions, then is knocked out. Jesse and Dina later rescue her and Tommy and return Joel's body to Jackson where he is buried.
The next day, Tommy sets out for Seattle to hunt Abby, and Ellie and Dina follow him. By April, the pair reach the city and fight their way through the WLF, with Ellie killing one of Abby's friends, Jordan and finding Tommy has already tortured and killed Nick. Following Tommy's trail, they also locate Leah, killed hours earlier by Seraphites, and they loot her corpse for information on Abby and her remaining friends. Soon after, the duo escape an infected horde, during which Ellie breaks her mask. Once at a shelter in the deserted Pinnacle Theater, Ellie reveals she is immune to the CBI while Dina reveals she is pregnant. They rest for the night, during which Ellie plays a guitar and thinks back to her fifteenth birthday with Joel."Seattle Day 1" 
The next day, Dina repairs an old FEDRA radio and uses it to track sightings by the WLF of a trespasser in Hillcrest. Assuming it is Tommy, Ellie goes there to help him. However, on arriving, she finds Jesse. The pair fight their way back to the theater, where Ellie has Jesse protect the weak Dina while she pursues a lead that Nora is at the Lakehill Seattle Hospital. On the way, Ellie encounters the Seraphites, and fights through a stalker-infested apartment complex. Once at the hospital, Ellie corners Nora in the basement and tortures her to reveal Abby's hideout at the aquarium. However, the incident leaves Ellie traumatized and regretful of what she's doing to avenge Joel.
The following morning, Jesse convinces Ellie they need to get Tommy to the theater and leave Seattle behind, stating he does not want to risk Dina's life further, who has grown sick. Ellie agrees, but while looking for Tommy, Ellie breaks off from Jesse to continue her pursuit of Abby. She reaches the aquarium, where she finds two more of Abby's friends; Owen and Mel. She attempts to interrogate them, but is attacked, leading to a brawl that ends in Ellie killing the pair, leading her to break down from the stress of her actions. However, Tommy then arrives with Jesse, the pair convincing her to leave with them, but they leave her map behind.
That night, the trio plan their route out of the city but Abby attacks them in the theater, having tracked them down. In a standoff, Jesse is killed and Tommy is taken hostage. Ellie begs Abby to let Tommy live in exchange for her life. Abby, enraged that Ellie and Tommy killed her friends, aims her gun at Ellie."Seattle Day 3"
The game now shifts perspective, displaying an analepsis of the prior three days, this time from Abby's perspective. On the first day, Abby fights on the front lines with Manny Alvarez and Mel, who both worry Abby's actions in Jackson have not cleared her conscience as she wanted. Later that day, Abby and Manny visit the WLF's leader, Isaac Dixon, at the forward operating base (FOB), who reveals he wants the pair to lead the WLF forces in an all-out attack on the Seraphites' island. However, Abby refuses, having heard from Nora that Owen has been ostracized from the WLF for refusing to kill an old Seraphite. Isaac does not relent, leading Abby to flee the base to find Owen. 
On the way, a Seraphite patrol ambushes and captures her. Abby escapes with the help of Lev and Yara, two Seraphites branded apostates because Lev refused to follow Seraphite traditions. Despite Yara breaking her arm in the escape, Abby leaves them at an abandoned office trailer. She reaches her private hideout at the aquarium, where she finds a drunk Owen speaking of a desire to find a rumored Firefly encampment in Santa Barbara. The pair have a heated argument that ends in them having sex.
By morning, Abby is plagued by nightmares, leading her to return to the trailer to save Lev and Yara from pursuing Seraphites. She brings them back to the aquarium, where Alice and Mel have arrived, also looking for Owen. Abby has Mel assess Yara's arm, concluding it needs to be amputated. Abby takes Lev out in to the city to retrieve supplies from the Lakehill Seattle Hospital. 
After fighting through an infected-filled hotel, the pair reach the hospital. Abby walks in, using her rank to get access, but is soon apprehended as Isaac has put out an order to capture her. Nora helps Abby escape and leads her to the basement, where supplies are still found. Abby collects the medical supplies after killing the rat king infected living there, and leaves the hospital with Lev. That night, Mel operates on Yara, removing her arm and saving her life."Seattle Day 2"
By the morning, Lev flees from the aquarium to go back to his mother at the Seraphite island. Yara, knowing their mother will kill Lev for having broken Seraphite traditions, convinces Abby to go to the island with her to rescue him. On the way, Abby meets Manny again at the marina and helps him advance on a sniper, who killed his team. They corner the sniper in a restaurant, only for the sniper--who is actually Tommy--to ambush them. In the struggle, Manny is shot dead and Tommy nearly succeeds in killing Abby, but Yara saves her. Assuming Tommy drowned in the pier, Abby and Yara push on to the island.
They reach the island shortly before the WLF, led by Isaac, launch their invasion. Fighting through the Seraphites, the pair find Lev at the sibling's house, who killed his mother in self-defense. The group sneak back through the island but cross Isaac's WLF team. Yara kills Isaac, sacrificing herself so Lev and Abby can escape. The duo steal a horse and ride through the WLF and Seraphite's battle at Haven. They steal a boat and flee, leaving the two factions to kill each other.
Back at the aquarium, Abby and Lev find Alice, Mel and Owen have all been killed. Lev finds a map, which reveals the killer's location. Following it, they head to the Pinnacle theater and break in through the upper levels. Abby sneaks downstairs to find Tommy, back towards her, in the main hall. She trains her gun on him, and beats him to the floor.
It is at this point the flashback ends, as it has now caught up with the events of Ellie's story. Abby aims her gun at Ellie, but Tommy intervenes; Abby and Lev overpower and wound him. Ellie flees back stage, where Abby pursues her. They brawl, with the fight ending with Abby successfully defeating Ellie and Dina. Abby prepares to kill Dina, but Lev convinces her not to. Abby leaves Ellie alive, warning her to never cross her again."Seattle Day 3"
One year later, Ellie and Dina returned to Jackson, now living on a farm with Dina and Jesse's son, JJ. However, Ellie still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by Joel's death and the events in Seattle. After Tommy gives her a lead that Abby and Lev moved to Santa Barbara, Ellie abandons her life with Dina and JJ to hunt and kill Abby again."The Farm"
In Santa Barbara, Abby and Lev are attempting to find the Fireflies. They locate a radio station, and learn the group have moved to Catalina Island. However, as they attempt to reach it, a slave-owning group known as the Rattlers capture and torture them over several weeks, culminating in the pair attempting to escape but failing. Ellie arrives in Santa Barbara and finds the Rattler's base. She breaks in, freeing the prisoners and learns from their leader that Abby and Lev have been strung up on the beach to die. 
She finds them there, and frees them. Knowing they are weak from their months of torture, she threatens to kill Lev if Abby doesn't fight her. Abby agrees. They fight in the water, with Abby biting Ellie's fingers off her. Ellie eventually pins Abby under the water, but refuses to kill her after realizing killing Abby will not bring Joel back to her. She lets Abby and Lev flee on a boat to Catalina island while she returns to the farm."Santa Barbara"
At the farm, Ellie finds Dina and JJ have left. She finds her guitar, but is unable to play it without all her fingers. She thinks back to the day prior to Joel's death in Jackson, when she reprimanded him for defending her from Seth's homophobic remarks at a party. That night, they talked on Joel's porch, with the pair deciding they would try to repair their relationship. In the present, Ellie sets the guitar down and leaves the farm."The Farm"
== Gameplay ==
Ellie was originally intended to be the sole playable character in the game's singleplayer campaign.Good, Owen (2018-06-14). The Last of Us Part 2’s creators said Ellie is the only playable character. Polygon. Retrieved 2018-06-15 However, this changed at some point before release, with Joel, Ellie, and Abby all being playable for portions of the game. While multiplayer was originally planned to launch with the game,Tach, Dave (2018-06-13). The Last of Us Part 2 will have multiplayer (of some sort). Polygon. Retrieved 2018-06-15 it was revealed by Lead Game Designer Emilia Schatz that the game will not feature multiplayer, a statement later confirmed by a representative for Sony.The Last of Us 2: No Multiplayer Mode, US Gamer
The game features expanded traversal and stealth mechanics, including a jump button, ability to go prone and a dodge mechanic. Enemy AI has been improved, notably how human enemies will often communicate with each other, relaying information about Ellie's position through whistling. Crafting has also been expanded, along with new ammo types (such as explosive arrows). Two noteworthy additions are an "identification meter", which, in addition to the audio cue from the first game, alerts the player to how close an enemy is to seeing them (while it's white, the player still has the opportunity to hide, but once it turns red, they have been spotted), and an "injury gauge", which indicates when the player receives a serious wound (such as an arrow to the shoulder) and must press and hold the R1 button in order to treat it. Another new addition is the ability to pick up glass bottles and/or bricks, and throw them, while running.Osborn, Alex (2018-06-12). E3 2018: New The Last of Us Part II Gameplay revealed. IGN. Retrieved 2018-06-13
The game also features new enemy types as well. It contains two new infected types. The first is the shambler type that emits acidic spores similar to bloaters except these are also exhibited immediately after death. Further, there is also a special unique boss infected that is fought while playing as Abby. Further, there are also a new human enemy type that resemble the Brute enemies encountered in the Uncharted series, another game series created by Naughty Dog.
== Development ==
In February 2014, creative director said the possibility of a sequel to the The Last of Us was "about 50/50", and the team needed to develop a story "really worth telling, and that's not repeating itself".Eurogamer - Will there be a new "The Last of Us"?, Eurogamer In July 2014, community strategist Arne Meyer said that not considering a sequel "would be a disservice" to the studio and the fans.Exploring ideas for The Last of Us 2, Videgamer
The first hints of a sequel in development came in a patch released for The Last of Us in 2014. Naughty Dog actually leaked prototypes for Part II in the game files under the heading "thing 2 prototype"; The Last of Us, when in development, was called "thing 1" in the game files.Annie Marie's findings, YouTube Furthermore, in December 2014, character artist Michael Knowland (who previously worked with Naughty Dog on The Last of Us) updated his LinkedIn page to include The Last of Us 2 with him as the lead character artist who was designing head sculpts. Shortly afterwards his page was updated to remove all mention of the sequel.Leak by Character Artist
At MetroCon 2015 in June, , who portrays David in The Last of Us and Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series, was asked if he was involved in any future Naughty Dog projects. He replied "For now, Uncharted 4 is the last one. I know they're doing The Last of Us 2, but my character in The Last of Us kind of met an untimely demise".IGN - Nolan North on the possibility of a sequel, IGN Druckmann later responded to North's comments, saying that a small team at Naughty Dog had explored ideas and begun building prototypes for a sequel, but were interrupted when the team shifted their focus to development of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.GameSpot - The Last of Us or Uncharted?, GameSpot
Rumors briefly rose again after an Easter egg referring to The Last of Us appeared in Uncharted 4's denouement specifically a picture of a pregnant woman resembling Ellie with the title The Last of Us: American Daughters next to it.
Rumors peaked once more when GameInformer accidentally leaked images and information regarding a sequel to The Last of Us at E3 2016, specifically that Ellie would be 19 years old and that the story would transition between the present and the past.GameInformer leak, YouTube An image was also revealed on September 26, depicting a tattooed arm holding a switchblade, evidently teasing the reveal of Ellie's tattoo.Teased artwork, Eurogamer Another poster was also released on the same day in 2017, this time depicting an arm holding a hammer amidst flames that resemble the face of a wolf.Outbreak Day 2017, IGN A third poster was released by Naughty Dog to celebrate outbreak day in 2018, the image displaying a man playing an acoustic guitar in the woods with a wolf next to him.Outbreak Day 2018, PlayStation
== Marketing ==
=== Official announcement at PSX 2016 ===
On December 3, 2016 at Sony's annual PlayStation Experience event (PSX), Naughty Dog closed the event by officially announcing a sequel to The Last of Us via a reveal trailer, titled The Last of Us Part II.Trailer for the new Last of Us, The Verge Ellie has been confirmed to be the main playable character who will "play differently" than Joel from the original. Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson were also confirmed to reprise their roles as Joel and Ellie respectively while Neil Druckmann will write the script. No release date has been announced and the game was noted to be in very early development by Shawn Layden.Last of Us 2 revealed, Forbes Druckmann also remarked it was Naughty Dog's "most ambitious game yet".Druckmann, Neil, Another piece of the puzzle, PlayStation, (Accessed November 5, 2017)
==== Reveal trailer ====
The trailer opens with a sequence of five shots of a forested area. The rusty remains of an abandoned vehicle and a tree with claw marks in its trunk are shown as the camera pans outwards. Some run-down houses then appear in the foreground, before an old 'Stop' road sign with the Firefly logo graffitied on it comes into view.
Then the scene changes to Ellie sat on a bed, tuning and subsequently playing an acoustic guitar as she sings Through the Valley by Shawn James. The next shot reveals a tattoo on her arm as the camera cuts around the room, showing among many other things an open window to Ellie's left. Some have noted the resemblance between this window and the window depicted on the main menu screen of the original game.TLOU2 Reveal Trailer Analysis, IGN, via YouTube
While the music continues, a male figure enters through the front door. Initially nothing more than a silhouette, the man walks through the house with a revolver in his right hand, taking stock of the several dead bodies littered in the building, implied to have been killed by Ellie. None of the bodies show obvious signs of infection by the CBI from the original game.
The man eventually enters Ellie's room, and the camera angle then reveals his identity: Joel. The pair exchange the following dialogue:
: Joel: "What are you doing, kiddo? You really gonna go through with this?"
: Ellie: "I'm gonna find... and I'm gonna kill... every last one of them."
The trailer ends on a closeup of Ellie's face before fading-in the title The Last of Us Part II.
As of January 2021, the trailer has been viewed over 9.1 million times on PlayStation's official YouTube channel.The Last of Us Part II - 2016: Reveal Trailer, PlayStation Experience, (Accessed 2 November, 2017)
==== PSX Q&A ====
At a panel after the reveal, Neil Druckmann was asked why Naughty Dog ultimately decided to make a sequel. He explained, "While a sequel may have seemed like a foregone conclusion, that wasn't the case. We knew that it needed to be a story worth telling... After spending years trying ideas, we have finally created a story worthy of Joel and Ellie." He also stated that the game was ultimately about human relationships, as was The Last of Us, and that it wouldn't work without Joel and Ellie as "it is their journey."New Last of Us Announced, KotakuTLOU2 Revealed at PSX, Youtube
Druckmann also confirmed that will return as the composer for the game's soundtrack,Play as Ellie in new "Last of Us", GameSpot having already created a new rendition of The Last of Us theme for the sequel that was also unveiled at PSX.2016 - Last of US 2, PSX It has also been confirmed that Bruce Straley, who helped Druckmann make early prototypes for the new game,Straley not taking part, IGN did not return to assist Druckmann with directing the sequel, instead taking a sabbatical after the pair finished working on the DLC for Uncharted,Straley is not coming back, GameSpot and subsequently leaving Naughty Dog.Straley is out, Game Industry In his place, Halley Gross will be co-writing the story with Druckmann.New writer, GameSpot On April 7, it was revealed that actress Shannon Woodward would play a role in the game.Woodward in Sequel, Game Informer
The game will utilize new motion capture technology for its characters as well as an entire new engine for the PlayStation 4.The Last Of Us 2 Will Be A Game 'About Hate', Kotaku Early reports from Druckmann indicate that Ellie is expected to play "different to Joel", particularly in regards to movement and speed.TechRadar - The Last of Us 2: What you need to know, Tech Radar
=== PGW 2017 trailer ===
At Paris Games Week on October 30, 2017, Naughty Dog released another trailer depicting new survivors, namely: Lev, Yara, Emily, and Abby, whose name was not revealed at the time. As of April 2021, the trailer has been viewed over 6.3 million times on PlayStation's official YouTube channel. Neil Druckmann has also remarked that these new characters will be integral to Joel and Ellie's journey in the game. To create the unnamed woman's physique required the use of a body-builder double.Druckmann, Neil, Body Double Used Here, Instagram (Accessed 11 November, 2017)
==== Teaser trailer ====
The trailer uses the opening cutscene from the level "The Forrest". It opens to a clearing at night, in the middle of a forest, with burning cars littering the scene as it rains heavily. The camera follows the entire scene in one take.
Two men appear, dragging Abby across the ground to Emily, where they subsequently hang her by a rope next to several other corpses. As Abby struggles to breathe, Emily draws a knife, poking the Abby's stomach, taunting her. The two men appear again, this time dragging Yara. Emily taunts Yara as well, the latter retaliating by spitting in her face. Irritated, Emily has the two men pin Yara down to "clip her wings" with a hammer.
After breaking one arm, an arrow flies out of the nearby woods, killing one of the men, enabling Yara to kill the other with the hammer. Emily draws a revolver, firing into the woods as more arrows fly. Yara gets to her feet, prompting Emily to aim at her. However, Abby uses her legs to trap Emily in her grip, allowing Yara to kill her with the hammer as well. Thunder briefly erupts as Abby allows Emily's corpse to fall to the ground.
With Emily dead, Yara collapses against a nearby wall, clutching her broken arm. From the woods, Lev appears with his bow. He checks on Yara, who orders him to free Abby, which he hesitantly does. Abby proceeds to pry the hammer from Emily's corpse before telling the others to prepare themselves. From the woods, a group of infected charge at the trio before the trailer cuts to black.The Last of us Part II - PGW 2017 Trailer], YouTube, (Accessed; 30 October, 2017)
=== PSX 2017 ===
In December, 2017, Neil Druckmann alongside the principal cast for The Last of Us Part II and fellow writer Halley Gross, appeared to answer questions regarding the upcoming release of the game. Druckmann and Gross revealed the game was "about 50 to 60%" complete and Druckmann himself teased that Gross provided an idea to "get a character pregnant". For the event, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker performed Wayfaring Stranger by Johnny Cash, as a duet to open their segment, performing in role. Druckmann left it up to opinion as to whether the lyrics in the song, which focused on a journey for the two to a "mother and savior", were literal or metaphorical. Druckmann also revealed the story they wrote is "big" with "hopeful" moments, to contrast the overall theme of hate. Gross also stated the story will provide the characters an authentic arc that will grow and change them.The Last of Us Part II: PSX 2017, YouTube
=== E3 2018 ===
On June 11, 2018, Naughty Dog showcased more content from the game to an audience. Gustavo Santaolalla played live music (a segment from the game's score) for the audience and Shawn Layden introduced a gameplay demonstration for Part II. The demonstration showcased new melee combat, stealth mechanics, in-game graphics and also provided a look into the locations the player will encounter while playing as the 19-year-old Ellie. Spliced alongside the gameplay was the cinematic reveal of the characters Dina and Jesse, the former is Ellie's intimate partner while the latter is a member of Tommy's community, depicting them at a dance.
=== State of Play 2019 ===
On September 20, 2019, Naughty Dog posted a video on Twitter teasing The Last of Us Part II details to be revealed during PlayStation's State of Play broadcast a few days later on September 24. For each day up until the event, they tweeted a new teaser video showcasing an artifact for several key characters.Naughty Dog Tweet, Twitter, (Accessed September 20, 2019)
During the State of Play broadcast that went live on September 24, Naughty Dog unveiled a three minute trailer for The Last of Us Part II revealing the game's release date as February 21, 2020. The trailer also included more details regarding the game's plot and gameplay itself of different environments and locations, including combat with new infected types and dogs. It also confirmed Joel will join Ellie on her journey and that Jeffrey Pierce would also reprise his role as Tommy.Naughty Dog Tweet, Twitter, (Accessed September 24, 2019)Part II trailer (September, 24th, 2019)
The game was originally set to be released on May 29, 2020.Druckmann, Neil, TLOU 2 Comes to PS4 in May, PlayStation Blog, (Accessed October 24, 2019)] However, Naughty Dog announced on April 4, 2020 that, while The Last of Us Part II was finished, they could not ship physical copies due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.Part II delayed PushSquare, (Accessed April 6, 2020) As such, the release date was changed to June 19, 2020.
=== State of Play, May 2020 ===
On May 27, ahead of the game's June 19 release on PS4, Neil Druckmann provided a further release of Part II content. Included was further gameplay, notably Ellie's ability to swim and the use of a boat and rope to traverse terrain, a backstory expansion for the Washington Liberation Front and Seraphites (who are at war with one another) as well as showcasing a new extended gameplay sequence.
Druckmann expressed that Naughty Dog staff aimed to make the areas players explore in the game as beautiful, big, and authentic as possible. He also elaborated that much of the story will occur in the Seattle area. Also, the open environments apparently will lead to several story moments that act as extra parts to the main story, meaning the player does not have to engage or find these moments to progress the story.The Last of Us Part II, State of Play
=== 2020 TV Commercials ===
A week before release, a thirty second commercial was run on TV along with an extended version that was uploaded on all official PlayStation accounts.New TLOU 2 trailer, Games Radar These two versions both feature Ellie running through Seattle accompanied by a cover of True Faith by New Order. There are two versions, with Ellie holding a revolver in the American version and a switchblade in the European version.TLOU 2 - Trailer, American edition, YouTube The European version of the TV commercial also contained an alternate version of the cover with slight pronunciation and instrumentation changes.TLOU 2 - Trailer, European edition, YouTube
== Release and reception ==
The Last of Us Part II released to universal acclaim among critics worldwide. Many praised the game for its visuals, gameplay, and story. GameSpots Kallie Plagge remarked the game's combat was "intense and exhilarating", liking how the game maintained the freedom from the first game for players to choose between stealth or gunplay during combat, though did criticize that the level's sizes were too expansive, especially since collectibles available in such areas did not match the size of the level design. They concluded the game's duration of more than twenty hours could have been considerably shorter.
Chris Carter from Destructoid wrote praise regarding the actors, especially 's performance as Ellie, and the game's environments, believing the Naughty Dog developers brought the game's setting to life in a way that surpasses the previous installment. In fact, they declare it the best looking game on the PlayStation 4 console. However, they would have liked if the game did differ more from the first one, remarking "Part II is essentially the same wheel from the first game." Still, Carter concludes "Part II improves on what it's predecessor did in 2013." Euro Gamers Oli Walsh agreed Johnson was the stand out performance but especially praised Gustavo Santaolalla's score for the game, believing the music was "excellent" in conjunction with its "minimalism".
However, some were critical that the game failed to evolve much from its predecessor. Maddy Myers from Polygon remarked that Part II failed to live up to the first game, citing the character's lack of growth and the dull story that felt bloated and long, citing the game's critical problem was its poor pacing and failure to justify its own existence as a sequel. Koji Fukuyama from IGN agrees, saying they also found the amount of combat encounters "excessive", believing the developers failed to strike the balance between combat, story and exploration that the first game excelled at. In fact, Myers believed the game's combat additions with dog enemies, new infected types and ability to go prone was a "half-hearted" effort to hide that the game was little more than the first game with a new engine. They expanded that, while it was still a strong game, the industry had evolved in the seven years since the first game's release so they were expecting more from this sequel, rather than simply more of the same. Regardless, they still thought the game was aesthetically "gorgeous" and would have received higher praise if it wasn't so similar to The Last of Us, which Myers believed the superior game.
IGNs Jonathan Dornbush contested such claims, believing the gameplay was a "satisfying evolution" from the first game with a "profound story" that justified it's creation. They go as far to say "The Last of Us Part 2 is a masterpiece that evolves the gameplay, cinematic storytelling, and rich world design of the original in nearly every way." Andy McNamara from Game Informer agreed, writing that Part II was "the best narrative game [they] ever played", highlighting the complex story and compelling characters.
The game sold 4 million copies in its first three days, setting a new franchise record.Last Of Us 2 Sells 4 Million In First Three Days, Setting New Franchise Record, GameSpot, (Accessed June 28, 2020)]
== Sequel ==
Speaking with the Script Apart podcast in April 2021, Druckmann revealed that he and Gross had written an outline for a story that explores what happens after The Last of Us Part II. He noted that the story was not in active development, but hoped that it could "see the light of day" in some form eventually.Script Apart podcast April 2021 [timestamp: 39:51], (Accessed 1 December, 2022)
In the Grounded II documentary on the making of The Last of Us: Part II, Druckmann revealed that while he doesn't have a story for a potential third game yet, he does have a concept. He feels "there's probably one more chapter to this story".Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II, 2 February, 2024 [timestamp: 1:58:12], (Accessed 2 February, 2024)
== Trophies ==
== Gallery ==
=== Logos ===
The Last of Us Part II logo horizontal.png|Horizontal logo
=== Teaser posters ===
Richard-lyons-the-last-of-us-postertemplate-160601.jpg|The Easter egg present in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
Outbreak posters.png|Official posters for Outbreak Day 2017 featuring Abby’s arm, and Outbreak Day 2016 featuring Ellie's arm.
Outbreak_Guitar.png|The teaser poster for the 2018 Outbreak Day.
=== Concept art ===
TLoU2Concept1.png|Initial concept art unveiled at PSX 2016
TLoU2Concept2.png
TLoU2Concept3.png
Part 2 Fire.jpg
EllieConceptTLoU2.jpg|Concept art of Ellie
=== Official stills ===
TLOU2 - Reveal trailer opening shot.jpg|Opening shot of the reveal trailer
Parttwo_bg.jpg|The Firefly logo
TLOU2 - Ellie tattoo.png|Ellie's tattoo
TLOU2 - Ellie guitar.png|Ellie playing the guitar
TLOU2 - Abandoned house.png|Joel approaching the abandoned house
The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation Experience 2016 Reveal Trailer PS4.mkv snapshot 02.30 -2017.09.12 19.09.30-.jpg|A dead body inside the house.
TLOU2 - Joel with revolver.png|Joel wielding his revolver
TLOU2 - Joel finds Ellie.png|Joel in the trailer
TLOU2 - Joel looking on.png|Joel finds Ellie and looks on as she plays her guitar
Ellie TLOU Pt II.png|“I'm gonna find and I'm gonna kill every last one of them.”
EFQZ7LVXkAUjEsN.jpg|Ellie riding a horse.
Joel TLOU2.png|"You think I'd let you do this on your own?"
Rage.png
EFQZ77wWwAA6_r5.jpg|Ellie and Dina riding horses through the snow.
Ellie 5.jpg|Ellie riding a boat through a flooded city.
Jackson,WY.png|Jackson, Wyoming.
=== E3 2018 official stills ===
Trailer Screenshot - The Last of Us Part 2.jpg
Trailer Screenshot 2 - The Last of Us Part 2.jpg
Trailer Screenshot 3 - The Last of Us Part 2.jpg
Trailer Screenshot 4 - The Last of Us Part 2.jpg
Trailer Screenshot 5 - The Last of Us Part 2.jpg
Trailer Screenshot 6 - The Last of Us Part 2.jpg
Trailer Screenshot 7 - The Last of Us Part 2.jpg
Trailer Screenshot 8 - The Last of Us Part 2.jpg
Ellie in Jackson.png
EllieStill.jpg
Dina.jpg
Jesse.jpg
=== Videos ===
The Last of Us Part II – Official Extended Commercial PS4|June 3, 2020
The Last of Us Part II - State of Play PS4|May 27, 2020
The Last of Us Part II - Official Story Trailer PS4|May 6, 2020
The Last of Us Part II - Inside the Demo PS4|September 26, 2019
The Last of Us Part II – Release Date Reveal Trailer PS4|September 24, 2019
The Last of Us Part II – E3 2018 Gameplay Reveal Trailer PS4|June 11, 2018
The Last of Us Part II - PSX 2017 Panel PS4|December 10, 2017
The Last of Us Part II - PGW 2017 Trailer|October 30, 2017
The Last of Us Part II - PlayStation Experience 2016 Panel Discussion PS4|December 3, 2016
The Last of Us Part II - PSX 2016 Reveal Trailer PS4|December 3, 2016
== External links ==
* Official website
* The Last of Us Part II on IMDb
* Facebook page
* Twitter page
* Twitch page
== References ==
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Category:Games
Category:The Last of Us Part II