We get the distinct impression that The Last of Us: Part II is going to be a challenging game to play – not just because of the gameplay difficulty, but because of the message that Naughty Dog is trying to convey. And while Neil Druckmann didn’t really tell Buzzfeed anything new in a recent interview, he did reiterate that the theme of the game is hate. Spoilers: Ellie’s girlfriend Dina is clearly going to die within the first hour.
“A lot of our conversations are about hate, but it’s a more complicated, kind of nuanced thing, which is... I’m sure you’ve been in a situation where you’ve witnessed an atrocity,” he pondered. “You’ve seen someone torture an animal, or they’ve pushed you too far and, for a second, your mind goes somewhere... primitive, where you want to hurt someone.”
Druckmann continued: “And with this game, we’re like, ‘How do we explore that? How do we make you feel those feelings and lean into them, and then make you reflect on them?’ And I can’t say more than that without kind of spoiling the whole story. But everything we’re constructing, the situation we’re putting the characters in, is to explore that basically.”
In other words: it’s going to be really, really bloody horrible. Co-writer Halley Gross continued that the title is about the “cyclical nature of violence”. She explained: “Well, it’s this idea that, sort of, violence begets violence begets violence, and the sort of growing trauma that [...] creates for Ellie and on Ellie’s soul.”
Heavy stuff.
[source buzzfeed.com]
Comments 39
Willing to bet Druckmann role plays evil characters in RPGs. The kind of characters that kill innocent NPCs when they fail speech checks.
That's a disturbing thing to say...
Excuse me for a minute. I have to return some video tapes.
I wonder if he means "hate" as in "revenge" or "discrimination"...? In some ways it sounds like it could be revenge or something universal, but it's hard not to think "discrimination" when you think about the presumably-antagonistic religious group Seraphites and the Asian and lesbian good guys from the trailers.
Whatever it is, I think this will fit perfectly into the setting and themes setup in the first game. Now...HOW ABOUT A RELEASE DATE?!
sounds like good ole revenge..
I taught it was about sega genesis vs super Nintendo.bloody hell.merci mon ami.Vive la france .word up son
@smelly_jr Seeing as revenge and discrimination are both closely tied to hate, we'll probably see them both fairly often in the game. I imagine that coming to terms with whether or not that hate is justified will also be a large part in Ellie's development as a character, and maybe the story as a whole.
LOVE THIS GAME!!!!!!
Um the stuff i have read about the...
Omg so voilent ... and now this HATE lol
Its a game , its fictional.
Calm down
Play the first one then you'll see this next game just builds on that.
(Davids meat locker?)
So looking forward to this
Been playing through the rerelease ps4 game hard mode!!!!!
game+ is a real good option.
Naughty dog NO.1!!!!!
Hey we want more uncharted! More sully he cracks me up
(To survive in the last of us realm you have to be morbidly evil to the bad people dont hold back have fun!)
Pps seriously has ellie infected that woman?????
The mind boggles lots of questions needing answered!!!!!!
Could've made a neat-o Red Lantern game with that theme in mind.
Love the Gareth Southgate in the background. Not sure you’ll convince them for the final cut
If Southgate is in the game, I will boycott it...
I think I’ve spotted about 5 hidden Southgate pics in the articles this week. This is one of the more obvious. (I actually didn’t know who it was until just now although I assumed it was some soccer guy from England) 😂
So pumped!! PS4 continues to crank out high quality and fun games
I’m ready for it.
So the Hate on this game it's getting real and btw I think Croatia it's gonna win tomorrow 😝
ellie really doesn't have much luck with her girlfriends!! wonder if we will get to see the other side too - someone does something to ellie and we play her getting revenge - then we play the other side getting revenge for what ellie did - would certainly explore the cyclical nature of revenge but think it might break you out of the story to much
It'll be interesting, for sure.
Also, I see the guy yelling in the background of the header image.
I don't know who he is because I'm a filthy American that doesn't follow the World Cup.
@PS_Nation TLoU2 isn't coming home.
I'm not sure I'd describe Dina as Ellie's 'girlfriend'. Kiss aside, the whole scene starts with Ellie talking to the guy about him and Dina getting back together.
That's what made the scene seem a little odd to me. Unless of course everyone's at it like a box of hamsters during the apocalypse, which is entirely possible I suppose.
Anyway, I guess now we know why they put out the "controversial" trailer. They knew what reaction it would get, and that plays right into the narrative they're trying to weave.
@Constable_What Don’t forget the dry cleaning.
@LaNooch1978
Fair, I generally feel the same about books & films. I tend to prefer the light hearted and fun stuff. I hope this game isn't too depressing.
This game needs more Modric!
While I applaud the approach and the philosophical dealings with the "cycle of violence", which has been discussed plenty of times during humanity's history (and apparently we've learned zilch) I'm not really sure that I want to PLAY this. Also I foresee a new discussion about violence in videogames and this time, I'm not sure on whose side I'd be.
Whereas it's comical to credit violent video games where you kill off cartoony characters in an over-the-top fashion with things like school shootings, I'm not so sure how "healthy" it is to expose potentially unstable persons to simulated psychological trauma that aims to create the same emotions in the player as the character in the game is experiencing.
Druckman even says it himself. "Do you know that feeling, that overwhelms you and you just want to hurt somebody?" - paraphrased.
I'm not sure if it's a sane idea to go to that "dark place" with millions of people who are gonna buy this game.
Just my thoughts.
The more I read about this game the less interested I get about buying it.
@Nkuk Yeah, seems like they are trying to be controversial for the sake of it at this point.
@Rob_230 On the contrary, they're picking up where they left off trying to depict the cycle of violance and offer a nuanced (hopefully) take on how it can affect a person (which games generally don't do).
I pretty much agree that the first one had the perfect ending and didn't need a sequel but since they've decided to do one that angle seems like a reasonable choice.
And i'm still wondering
How joel Will fit in all this.
if Ellie turns "evil" because of her actions then there is no way
That she Will keep On believing joel's lie from the end of the first game.
@JoeBlogs
Nowadays? It'd definitely be, "Excuse me for a minute. I have to thank my bus driver."
Or BluRays or whatever. Redbox is pretty normal, so I think Patrick Bateman would use that as an excuse to leave a situation.
It'd be weird though. I just imagine him listening to Despacito or something while he puts on his raincoat, grabs his axe, and has Paul Allen waiting for him in the living room. It's just not the same.
@LobsterJohnson
Thanks for reminding me. If that stain isn't out I don't know what I'm going to do.
Wheres joel.i hope i dont play as ellie the whole game.i want to play as joel.joel made last of us a legendary game.word up son
@Constable_What Just take one of Paul Allen’s suits. Remember, he has better apartment than you.
@LobsterJohnson
Better card too...
Look at the subtle coloring... The tasteful thickness.
Oh my God. It even has a watermark...
Sweats profusely
And he has a reservation at Dorsia...
@LaNooch1978 Oh yeah, the book is definetely full on. I found it really hard at times, the film is a lot better in my opinion. Plus, it doesn’t have the rat scene
@Constable_What That’s the best one yet 😂😂😂
Hey we arnt talking about bill here!
Wonder if he checked the fences and marked the bomb locations on the map? I hope to see him turn up somewhere in last of us 2
S'up bill
@LaNooch1978
You're right. That part was gross. Pure insanity and I'm glad that part wasn't in the movie.
I still got through the book though, and I think it makes sense once you get to the end of the book.
Every instance and scene is an allegory for something more mundane. I loved it.
@LaNooch1978 The decapitations are why I picked up the book!
lets goooo, games going to be TLOU 1 all over again
Wow, cannot wait to pass on this trash.
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