Neil Druckmann on The Last of Us’ Violence: “It’s Setting a Reality That Joel and Ellie Are Having to Deal With”

Just mentioning The Last of Us to a PS3 owner will put a smile on their face. It represents what could be the best game of 2013, and one of the best PS3 exclusives in the console’s life cycle.

One standout piece of The Last of Us is the amount of violence, something prevalent in all of the available trailers. While some people may say that the amount of violence is too high, Neil Druckmann, Creative Director over at Naughty Dog, explained in an interview with Shack News why it’s at that level:

The violence you see inside this world isn’t gratuitous and over-the-top just for the sake of being violent. It’s setting a tone. It’s setting a reality that Joel and Ellie are having to deal with. Everything has to feel tense. Everything has to feel grounded in reality. The reason why we’re going for such realistic violence is because we want you to believe that the stakes are high for Ellie and Joel.

When it comes to Ellie, Neil also explained how she handles and reacts to all of the killing that Joel performs in front of her:

She probably views violence a little differently than you and I would view it. She’s lived in a world where she’s seen people get executed, she’s seen people get infected, and she’s seen people get their heads lobbed off when they get infected. There’s still a point where Joel will do stuff that bothers her, but it’s way past the point of what we might find comfortable.

The Last of Us will make its way to the PS3 on May 7th, so stay tuned to PSLS for much more information on the game as that wonderful date approaches.

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