TheLast of Us: Part 2director Neil Druckmann reveals during a PlayStation Experience 2016 panel that Ellie is the main character of the upcoming game from Naughty Dog.
WhilePlayStation Experience 2016had plenty of exciting moments, it’s safe to say that most Sony fans were more blown away by the surprise unveiling of Naughty Dog’s forthcomingThe Last of Us: Part 2than by any of the other reveals. Naturally, with the game’sfirst official trailernow out in the wild, fans are currently wondering exactly what kind of roles the title’s two familiar faces of Ellie and Joel will be playing in the followup to what many consider to be one of the best games of the last generation.
Asreported by Polygon, during this afternoon’s PlayStation Experience 2016 panel forThe Last of Us: Part 2, Naughty Dog writer, programmer, and creative director Neil Druckmann revealed that Joel will be playing second fiddle to Ellie for the duration of the title. As it happens, when fans get a chance to play the the forthcoming title, Ellie will be the lead protagonist for most of the game.
As evidenced by the teaser forThe Last of Us: Part 2shown earlier today, the franchise’s second chapter is going to be set a few years after the events of the original game. Although some time has passed, Ellie has grown into the skin of a 19-year-old and is propelled by anger, which Druckmann explained to be one of the major themes of the post-pandemic release.
For those unaware, Ellie was playable for a brief window in the originalThe Last of Us, and was also the starring figure in the title’sprequel DLCLeft Behind. As far as the sequel is concerned, though, players will assume the role of Ellie for the majority of the game, and her abilities will differ from those of Joel’s. However, Druckmann didn’t go into specifics of how she will play due toThe Last of Us: Part 2currently being an early build, stating that revealing any more about her “evolution” would be risky.
In terms of the nextThe Last of Us' overall progression, Druckmann went on to discuss the reason why the sequel is specifically titledPart 2instead of simply tacking a number two directly at the end of the original name. As the director put it,TLOU: Part 2can be considered a “complementary story to the first game” and that both titles are set to present “a much larger story.”
Speaking ofThe Last of Us: Part 2’s plot, there is very little available in the way of specific details. Of course, its latest trailer could offer clues as to what the narrative could touch on – the Firefly symbol on the stop sign, Ellie’s trembling hand, the new tattoo on her forearm, the lyrics in the song she sings, the fresh blood running from her forehead to her cheek – but it’s really anyone’s guess at this point in time. Hopefully, fans will be treated to more concrete notions ofThe Last of Us: Part 2’s story and its"emotionally engaging" third-person actionsoon enough.
The Last of Us: Part 2is currently in development for PlayStation 4.
