A large part of The Last of Us’ enduring appeal is just how real its vision of the apocalypse seemed. Naughty Dog took protagonists Joel and Ellie on a road-trip through the remnants of the United States, and every area had the fingerprints of its storytellers all over it. The focal point was, of course, the relationship between its captivating leads, but everywhere you went there were echoes of the “old world” – and also the fragments of those trying to survive in the current one.
Writing previews for The Last of Us: Part II has proved challenging, as we can only refer to a slice of a single chapter. However, we’ve already discussed in some detail the pulsating combat mechanics and outstanding accessibility options – and now we want to talk about the exploration. As with its predecessor, this is a key part of the game, as you’ll absorb much of the release’s fiction through the things that you simply observe.
In the sequence we’re allowed to talk about, Ellie is tasked with travelling to a nearby hospital in the grungy downtown streets of Seattle. As with the previous game, nature has reclaimed much of the urban environment, although the leftovers of a fading way of life occupy each wrinkle of the city. There are rusted cars and shattered bus shelters; shops and apartments border overgrown roads, while lingering views of the horizon show your destination.
As was the case with first game, this sequel feels like a culmination of Naughty Dog’s efforts throughout the generation. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End introduced the idea of wide-linear, while expansion-cum-standalone spin-off Uncharted: The Lost Legacy improved upon it. The Last of Us: Part II is gigantic, almost limitless, providing a seemingly never-ending array of stores and housing for you to rummage through, each occupied with items and artefacts that harbour their own lore.
There’s thought been invested into every building, whether it’s a humble convenience store or something a touch more specialist. The inhabitants of apartments may have been long gone by the timeline that this tale takes place in, but their interests and hobbies are left behind, whether it’s a kid’s bedroom with a deflated soccer ball and posters of his favourite players on the wall, or a tech enthusiast with a multi-monitor setup.
And as before, this voyeuristic style of exploration supports the fiction, as you’re required to scavenge for essential materials in a world that forces you to make do with the bits-and-pieces that you find. Oftentimes little yarns overlap, as collectibles pad out the plights of characters you may never actually encounter. And with new abilities, such as a dedicated jump button and the option to go prone, discovering them feels more satisfying than before – there are no wooden planks at all.
But that’s where we have to leave it, because discussing things further would be a breach of our embargo. All you need to know is that in the chapter we can talk about, The Last of Us 2 feels big. And this has a profound impact on not just the design of the game, but also the stories that are woven into the fabric of its world. Few games provide the sense of place that’s present here, and even less tell stories without saying a single world. The Last of Us: Part II does both brilliantly.
Are you looking forward to digging into The Last of Us 2's dense world? Look in every cupboard in the comments section below.
Comments 48
ok so i'll try my luck anyway sammy!
are "lore notes" back like the ones in part 1 and uncharted 4?
@jdv95 If you're asking are there letters and other documents you can find in the chapter that I'm able to talk about, the answer is yes.
I love lore told like this when it's done well like in HZD and the Fallout games. Can't wait to play this.
@get2sammyb well that's sorted then! tnx!
This sounds better and better. Environmental story telling and exploring for lore really pull you in to the world of a game like this.
I booked the day off work to have a long weekend with it. Very excited to get stuck in.
I smell a 10/10.
Can you speak about the trophies? Cannot wait to play TLOU2 & Ghost Of Tsushima, I've been reading the OPM and the 53 reason why it'll click.
Really looking forward to playing this game. I love the first one, know nothing of the leaks for this 2nd game....bring it on 😎😎😎
Sounds impressive. Is missing collectables something easily done though if it's a sprawling expanse? I'm someone who likes to meticulously comb when I play, and judging by the sound of this I may be stuck in the areas for a while...
The question here is, are we gonna play it story first and second playthrough exploring or both story and exploring at first playthrough?
realy loving the revived positivity for this game.
seems that the state of play and latest previews helped clear people's minds and open their eyes to not listen to toxic youtubers.
I can't wait to leaf through the diaries of those poor dead suckers. Not long to wait now
I loved some of the lore bits in TLOU - Ish in the bit after Pittsburgh was a great bit of storytelling, even though it was through notes etc.
I'm sure it's gonna be a great game, but it's pretty tiring to hear you tell us it's the best thing since sliced bread every couple of days.
Storytelling? Best ever.
Gameplay? Best ever.
Graphics? Best ever.
Pardon me if I'm a bit skeptical after a couple of hyperbolic remarks.
You are on point regarding accessibility for sure, though.
@clvr while I doubt it will be my favourite game of all time (shout to final fight) I'm sure it will be a very well made and will be an ascetic delight!
@darksoul77 oh yeah, I absolutely agree, don't get me wrong!
I just think they're a bit exaggerating, that's all.
AHH man getting excited now, even saw a trailer on the TV just now for it, nearly there now just two more weeks
I’m buzzing to get this. I’m currently trying to plat the first one. Missing one of the MP trophies and a few others that I should be able to mop up
What about Ish? Do we learn more about Ish? He tried to create a society until someone (Danny?) left the door open...
Yeah I'm not gonna really trust anything Druckkman has to say on this matter. I need to actually know from the hands on review that the leaks are false.
Can't believe it's almost here! I may take a week off work to take this all in.
naughty dog games are still very linear in both game/level design and story outcomes, I enjoyed the first game because it focused on two characters going through a journey together, was well acted and well written, the world creation was great dressing. I'm not sure how much I care about interacting with with openworld style RPG NPC vendors and such when it's still seems very linear, will wait and see how the full reviews pan out. Only really interested in playing through the game once and as an action-adventure/horror/thriller walking simulator. I don't think the crafting and kit will be in depth enough for me to care, may be wrong.
cannot wait to play this game!!
Second to last sentence has a typo. World vs word.
I think this will be a 10/10 GOTY and Ghost of Sushi being a 8-9/10. Great time to be a PS gamer.
@Th3solution More like a dead burning smell
@TheLoCoRaven Thanks, I'll correct that.
I'll get shot down for asking this, but here goes, is there anything actually revolutionary about this game? Anything thats never been seen in a game? A new mechanic? Something that'll be implemented by every other game of this sort in the future? Some new, fun, exciting aspect of combat?
Story telling is all well and good, but gameplay is king, the thing you spend most of your time doing, I loved the brutal combat of the first game but its done now and I'm ready for the next new thing, if it plays the same as the first but with a few bells and whistles all the time looking nicer, I don't think it'll be enough for me, I'm not saying this game will be bad, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if its meta score was 97 plus, but, like with a lot of Sony first party games, such as horizon and days gone, it just seems to be more third person action but with an extreme amount of polish and nothing revolutionary.
@clvr Well to be fair anyone who even gets review copies will always try to not really say anything negative to get on a devs good side or cause they love a game that much. Especially from an article site like Push Square. No offense to Push Square but it might be best to play it for yourself.
@get2sammyb no prob. One of the only places where I actually read the articles. Heh
Just told the wife that 19th June is off limits to my attention to anything but TLoU2.. .. I'm having a day of cereal, chocolate, crisps and snacks while enjoying NDs labour. Not one grown up conversation about shopping, bills or anything else that's 'important ' or there will be trouble...
@get2sammyb in that specific chapter, is the story absolutely fantastic?
@daveuppercut Gameplay been king is dependent on the game in question. Like a game like Phoenix Wright has very minimal gameplay because it doesn't really need anymore and it's also not it's main selling point. TLOU sells itself on it's story more then anything, gameplay can be improved but it's not what everyone is looking at.
@Daveuppercut If you loved the gameplay of the original then I think you'll like this. It's similar, but it's highly refined. The AI is better, the encounters are better, and the character movement is better.
@Loftimus It's pretty good.
@AdamNovice Hey, I loved Ace Attorney’s gameplay! That and Danganronpa successfully do enough to separate themselves from strict VNs to make the gameplay engaging imo. Of course, I do understand the point you were making 😉
@kohiba99 Just finished the game, both in your first playthrough.
@alexefth1996 Awesome! That's what I was thinking too.
So once again, NaughtyDog has given the game to loads of influencers (4 weeks in advance - even though presells are tracking better than Spiderman) to drip feed you content so that everyone makes money while you pay full price.
I do not care what any of you think - I will be banned soon
I LOVE PushSquare - but why is Naught-Dog complaining about spoilers and then giving masses of 'influencers' the game 4 weeks early while presells are setting records - it makes no sense
Trust your community and release the game
@80sGamer Going into Chapter 9 of Death Stranding now, in fact, and depending on how it ends, it’s looking to be one of my favorite games, so I’ve no problem with that 10/10. Looking at their 10’s over the years, probably Velocity 2X was the one that seems a little generous.
@1_W1NG3D_4NG3L I had a few of them from when I got the remaster in 2014 so I’m not sure how long it will take over all but as far as I know there is a way to cut the time in half if you google it.
This will be 10/10 GOAT. No escape from it. Cant wait!
The list of second movies, films and games that were better than the original is very short...i hope ND nails it...they did it before, but to do justice to TLOU is almost impossible...
@DrJames To give people time to play the game and write their reviews, unless you want reviews to come out after a game releases then I don't know what to tell you.
@Nepp67
@clvr lol it’s not like this site is the only ones doing it hell every preview that’s been compiled on resetera for this game is overwhelmingly positive saying it’s a masterpiece,best graphics they’ve ever seen,the gameplay is amazing etc.
@Nepp67 dude a couple of reviewers who have played and beat the game have already stated in Twitter that a lot of the leaks that weren’t the video footage are completely made up and wrong.
@Nepp67 I’m sorry that’s crap and a lie. Death standing and days gone to use has recent examples had extremely mixed previews which showed in the reviews as well as the order 1886 and tons of other games.
@Th3solution no way for the type of game velocity 2x is its damn near perfect and top of its arcade class.
@dark_knightmare2 Thank you for making it clear then. After what happened with Niell I just could not trust him afterwards.
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