Everything we learned from The Last of Us Part II State of Play

Last night, PlayStation hosted a roughly 25-minute long State of Play dedicated entirely to The Last of Us Part II. Narrated by Neil Druckmann, the showcase gave fans a deep dive into many of the new mechanics arriving with the much-anticipated sequel, as well showing off an extended gameplay sequence.

The State of Play began by introducing us to a number of the new mechanics available in The Last of Us Part II. While some of it was already known, such as the fact that Ellie can jump, crawl, and ride a horse, other interesting new details were shown off – such as the fact that Uncharted 4 styled ropes will feature in the game, which Ellie can climb and swing from to new areas. Furthermore, motorised boats are also rideable, allowing for new ways to traverse water. 

Speaking of water, between the first and second game, Ellie has learned how to swim. Moreso, she will be able to duck underwater in order to reach new and hidden areas. These new traversal methods will be necessary, as according to Druckmann, the world of The Last of Us Part II is Naughty Dog’s biggest and most ambitious yet!

Though the story has been left purposefully secretive, it has been revealed that The Last of Us Part II will directly address the ending of the first game (SPOILERS for the first game) vis-a-vis Joel refusing to sacrifice Ellie to help develop a cure.

With regards to the world as a whole, It has been confirmed that a large part of the game will take place in Seattle. Furthermore, like the first game, you will watch the seasons change as you explore the world. In the backdrop, Seattle is home to two main warring factions: The Washington Liberation Front, and the Scars.

The WLF rose to power by overtaking the military forces that were put in place in the wake of the outbreak 25 years ago. They use aggression, have dogs, and are not afraid to be loud. The Scars on the other hand are a group of religious zealots, who prefer to operate in the shadows, while using more silent weapons such as bows. Ellie will encounter both of these factions across the span of the story.

Of course, we mustn't forget the group that started it all – the infected. Many of the intected enemies from the first game make their return, such as the Runners, Clickers, and Stalkers – though they may now be more numerous and aggressive than before. The game will introduce players to some new infected however. The shamblers are a new kind of infected which provide an area-of-effect attack. There is at least one other type of infected, though Naughty Dog are keeping it secret for now.

All of these new additions work in tandem: Ellie can use enemies as shields against other enemies, your AI companions can help you in a number of ways, including helping you in sticky situations, and you can even pit enemies against each other – for example by alerting the infected to the presence of an enemy faction. Despite all this, the State of Play only “scratched the surface” of what is possible and available in The Last of Us Part II.

For the final part of the State of Play a roughly 10 minute long uninterrupted gameplay section was shown off, which saw Ellie traversing a hospital, looking for someone named ‘Nora’. The sequence combined many of the gameplay elements already talked about, while showcasing how it will all work together. At the end of the gameplay section, Ellie successfully reaches Nora, and right before it cuts, it is made clear that Ellie has some unfinished business with her. What happened between the two of them? It would appear as though we won’t find out until the game’s launch on the 19th of June.

One final fun detail was the fact that one of the enemies that Ellie killed during this sequence was playing Hotline Miami on a PlayStation Vita. Even after the enemy was killed, one of the game’s iconic songs continued to play in the background. With the original Crash Bandicoot playable in Uncharted 4, it's cool to see Naughty Dog including fun easter eggs such as this, even in a game as serious as The Last of Us Part II. The full State of Play can be found HERE.

KitGuru says: Did you watch the State of Play? Are you looking forward to The Last of Us Part II? Are you glad to see that the Vita is thriving in the post apocalypse? Let us know down below.

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