The Last of Us Part II director Neil Druckmann has said that Naughty Dog’s aim is to treat in-game violence realistically, and in order offer a grim and authentic experience, human enemies are designed in such a way that they won’t appear to be just another “brain-dead obstacle.”
In an interview with the PlayStation Blog, Druckmann explained:
We want to treat violence as realistically as we can in an action game. One example is that every human enemy in the game features a unique name, such as Omar, or Joe. For Naughty Dog, implementing this was a nontrivial task. [This was] a big effort that required not only new tech, but a lot of recording investment. The way they communicate is much more sophisticated. We do that in order to make you feel it’s not just like an NPC or braindead obstacle. Your thoughts are provoked in really interesting ways in the way some of the best stories are done. That’s what we’re striving for.
Druckmann added that Naughty Dog is taking into consideration that some players might want to avoid bloodshed and although that could pose a serious challenge, there are sequences where players can “ghost completely.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Druckmann told fans that Naughty Dog has been “very protective” of what it has shown off so far and doesn’t want to spoil anything for players who have been patiently waiting.
“Even though people here are playing the demo and we’ve put out a story trailer, we’ve been very mindful not to spoil the story and what makes the story special, and what twists and turns are in store,” he said.
The Last of Us Part II will release on February 21, 2020.
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
