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THE LAST OF US PART II
s 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 anynormal young women chatting...
until we find the slaughtered moose.
The butcher-floor carnage on show
is a sign that the infected are close.SUPERMARKET SWEEP
As Ellie and Dina dismount from
their horses and go looking for the
mutated monstrosities, it’s a chance
to use Ellie’s new skills. She’s not
a little kid any more, and clearly
hasn’t spent the five years since we
last saw her
eating Doritos
and watching
Netflix. She’s
more agile,
able to jump
and climb and
go prone to
manoeuvre
under low obstacles or better hide
from the enemy. Finding a way into
an old supermarket doesn’t quite
require Nathan Drake levels of
derring-do, but there are the same
intuitive climbing mechanics here
that make traversing the world of
Uncharted so satisfying.
Inside there are supplements – as
in the first game they act as XP:
collect enough and you can jump“ULTIMATELY,
THIS IS A STORY
ABOUT THE CYCLE
OF VIOLENCE.”
Stealth is key for Ellie, as
she’s usually outnumbered
and often outgunned.There are moments of happiness – making
the dark times feel worse in contrast.