In the weeks leading up to launch, Naughty Dog and Sony will share development diaries centered around The Last of Us Part II. Aptly titled “Inside The Last of Us Part II,” the dev diary series will release in four separate parts. The first is already live on PlayStation’s YouTube channel. According to a PlayStation Blog post by Scott Lowe, the studio’s Senior Communications Manager, the next three dev diaries are slated to premiere on the following dates:
- May 13th — Inside the Story
- May 20th — Inside the Gameplay
- May 27th — Inside the Details
- June 3rd — Inside the World
Check out the dev diary from today in the video below, which features commentary from Neil Druckmann, Co-Game Director Anthony Newman, and Narrative Lead Halley Gross.
At its core, TLoU Part II is meant to honor Ellie’s and Joel’s growth as characters. As such, the story takes place five years after the first game’s events–25 years after the outbreak. Ellie is 19 now, living with Joel in the somewhat “tranquil” community of Jackson. For the first time, she’s found some sense of stability. The same holds true for Joel, who no longer works as a smuggler. Although, Druckmann notes the citizens of Jackson do heavily rely upon Joel’s abilities as a capable killer.
The good life doesn’t last for too long, unfortunately. According to Druckmann, “Jackson and Ellie are shaken by a violent event.” As a result, simply living is no longer enough. People have wronged her; in turn, she craves retribution. In trying to achieve it, Ellie’s journey takes her to Seattle, where she winds up caught between two warring factions feuding over control.
Apparently, the philosophical questions raised in the forthcoming sequel proved divisive at Naughty Dog, even more so than those presented in the first title. Players, then, should expect to be forced to interpret the material for themselves and draw their own conclusions.
The Last of Us Part II is just over a month away; it’ll come to the PlayStation 4 on June 19th.
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
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