059THE LAST OF US PART II
see her grow up, we’re certainly not
going to coddle her.”
Of course, even after a talk with
Gross and some serious time with
the game, one thing is certain: we’ve
barely scratched the surface.
Naughty Dog has handed us a gift,
but it’s all wrapped up in glossy
black gift wrap with skulls on, and a
blood-red bow. It’s got romance,
violence, more heartbreaking
performances from Ashley Johnson
and Troy Baker as Ellie and Joel, and
new arrival and Westworld alumnus
Shannon Woodward as Dina. “The
girl who plays Dina, Shannon
Woodward, I knew from working on
Westworld with her, together,”
explains Gross. “When she found
out I was working on this game, she
reached out to me and said, ‘I want
to audition. I’m willing to do
anything. I will audition, I will learn
the lines, please put me in there.’”
We don’t know yet just who Ellie
is avenging (please don’t be Dina,
but oh please don’t let fan theories
about Joel being a hallucination of a
grief-addled mind be right either) or
what part the WLF, or the religious
fanatics the Seraphites really have to
play. Naughty Dog is the master of
the twists and surprises, and as
protective of the secrets of its story
as it is dedicated to its worldbuilding
craft. Between now and 21 Februarywe’ll no doubt learn more, but
prepare for shocks along the way.
“This is the longest job I’ve ever
had in my life,” says Gross. “Every
day I’m working, I get the
opportunity to work with designers,
and animators, and sound guys and
character artists, and we’re all
working toward a vision about how
do you make the most complex,
nuanced character in a videogame?
Everybody’s putting their particular
smarts toward that, and you get to
just watch these incredibly brilliant
people and go, “How the fuck does
your brain work?”
“Wizards,” she says, shaking her
head. “They’re wizards.”Just like Joel, Ellie is
addicted to supplements
you can find dotted around
in the world. They’re a kind
of currency she can knockback to learn new skills, such
as how to craft makeshift
silencers, hear enemies
through walls more clearly,
or crawl faster. Findingmagazines like Hunting
Quarterly can unlock new
upgrades to spend them on.
This time, you have multiple
skill upgrade paths.A FITTER PILL TO SWALLOW
Big Pharma even survives the apocalypse
It’s testament to
Naughty Dog’s skill
that you can really see
emotions in Ellie’s face.