Sony used a new brutal preview of The Last of Us Part 2 to close its Paris Games Week conference, but as impressive as the video was, fans were probably felt even more puzzled after seeing it than they were before. The video shows a whole set of new characters that offer a glimpse at the expanded world of the series, with the religious fantism used as a device to develop the theme of hate that will define this new adventure.
To shed some light over the new footage, Sony has released a new video interview with Naughty Dog Creative Director Neil Druckmann, in which he teases the part this scene plays in the overall adventure, and gives an update on the development of the title. After completing Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, the studio is now fully engaged with the survival adventure, and part of the impressive graphic appearance is directly related to the technology and engine improvements the studio used for the latest Uncharted, including lighting, muscle definition, rain effects, and facial performance.
Druckmann suggests that the reason why the trailer features so many new characters is to give a glimpse to the side-world the game presents beyond the main hero, a callback to the various secondary characters that appeared on the first entry, even if that was mainly a story about Joel and Ellie. The studio is staying mute on purpose on some details like their identity, conflict, location, and more insterestingly, timeframe, suggesting that the scene could be separated in time from the main course of the adventure.
Luckily, Naughty Dog’s Twitter account did reveal more information about the identity of the characters and their voice actors. Victoria Grace plays Yara, the woman who is tortured in the video. Ian Alexander plays Lev, the young boy who attacks using a bow. Emily Swallow makes a guest appearance as Emily, the leader of the fanatics we see in the video, and finally Laura Bailey (Nadine on the Uncharted series) plays the unnamed muscular girl, ending all speculation about her being an updated model of Ellie.
The Last of Us Part 2 hasn’t determined its release date yet. Watch the interview below.
The Last of Us Part II Interview: A New Look at the World of The Last of Us | PS4
