Naughty Dog unveiled its breathtaking The Last of Us Part 2 trailer at PlayStation Experience 2016 and it no doubt left us begging to learn more about Joel and Ellie's journey. Naughty Dog director and writer Neil Druckmann shed some light during a panel at yesterday's PSX.
First and foremost, the narrative in The Last of Us 2 shifts from Joel to Ellie, which means Ellie is the new main playable protagonist in the sequel while Joel steps back into a supporting role. Secondly, the timeline of Part II will take place several years after the original game. Ellie is now 19-years-old.
Check out The Last of Us Part 2 panel at PSX below:
The Last of Us 2 creative director Neil Druckmann made it clear the story takes place a few years after the events of the first game. And while The Last of Us was told from the perspective of Joel and utilized story, music, interaction and gameplay to create a theme of love of selflessness between Joel and Ellie, Part II will use the same tools to create a theme of hate told through the eyes of Ellie.
Ellie is now 19-yars-old in Part 2 and it's clear that the years have not to be kind to the characters. The transformation that struck us most is seen in Ellie – her hands are trembling and there is a new tattoo on the sleeve of her right arm. While Ellie voice actress Ashley Johnson refused to go into the meaning behind it, it's important to remember that the first bite mark Ellie received was on her right arm. Of course, Ellie is immune to the infection and in the screenshot, we can still see reddened skin or a scar where the bite mark used to be.
The bloodied knuckles also show the violence that Ellie put herself through over the years. The Last of Us Part 2 trailer begins with a symbol of the Fireflies on a stop sign. Could the theme of Ellie's hate be channeled towards the Fireflies in this sequel?
For fans that would like a refresher, Joel and Tess met up with Marlene, the head of the Fireflies, at one of her hideouts and was tasked to deliver some sensitive cargo that turned out to be a little girl named Ellie. Ultimately, Joel and Ellie set off on a journey to the Saint Mary's Hospital, where the Fireflies hoped to create a cure from Ellie's rare immunity. SPOILERS HERE But when Joel realized the cost of reverse engineering a vaccine will cost Ellie her life, Joel changes his mind and kills the Fireflies to rescue Ellie from the hospital and return to his brother Tommy's home.
There's obviously a lot of unfinished business after what transpired at Saint Mary's Hospital. The Fireflies gang would inevitably learn what happened and no doubt chase after the duo. Meanwhile, even though Joel lied to Ellie about why they were leaving the Fireflies' lab, the trailer suggests that Joel and Ellie are still quite close.
Assuming that Joel and Ellie made it to Tommy's home after the end of The Last of Us and were eventually forced to leave, then Ellie's words from the trailer, "I'm gonna find and I'm gonna kill every last one of them," may be a statement of revenge for something terrible that may have gone down at Tommy's.
Was Tommy killed by the Fireflies? Did Joel ask Ellie to stay out of it while he set off after them to avenge his brother? Did stubborn Ellie not listen to Joel and set off to face the Fireflies with an anguished vendetta of her own? Did Joel then double back to find Ellie and ask if she's really going to go through with facing the Fireflies?
It's only a theory, but it does somewhat connect some of the dots. What are your theories for The Last of Us Part 2? Let us know in the comments below! Stay tuned as we learn more about The Last of Us Part 2 in the months ahead.
