8 Details In The Last Of Us Part 2 That Blew Us Away

The world of The Last of us Part 2 is mesmerising. The scale, ambition and the attention to detail are a step up from that of the engrossing world of its predecessor. So much so, in fact, that we have created a list of stand out details in the game that helped solidify it as one of our favourite games this generation. These aren’t so much Easter Eggs, although seeing as it’s a Naughty Dog title, it goes without saying that there are many of those too, but rather small features that can easily be ignored in favour of the bigger story, but are testament to the care and attention put into the much-anticipated sequel.

1. Dripping Water

A large section of the game is, for want of a better word, wet. Aside from having to make her way across a sinking city, Ellie also spends a lot of her time navigating Seattle in the pouring rain. The rain itself is incredibly realistic, forming pools in cracked pavements and dripping heavier from the edges of buildings. Place Ellie underneath one of these small streams, for example under the corner of a bus stop, and she wont be happy you did. If the dripping lands directly on her head she will grimace, tensing her shoulders and looking, understandably, upset. 

2. Don’t look down

Similar, in part, to Ellie’s aversion to our strange video game version of Chinese water torture, it is established early on that Abby has a fear of heights. This phobia plays into the storyline on more than one occasion, including a stand out section that will raise the heartbeat of even the most daring of players. But what stands out here are the small ways in which Naughty Dog show Abby’s vertigo. Walk her towards the edge of a high vantage point and Abby’s breathing will become shallow, her eyes will widen and, in a stroke of genius that has caused me to walk Abby to ledges a worrying amount of times, the camera will move in an unnerving way, similar to that of Hitchcock’s film Vertigo and the iconic ‘Get out of the water’ scene in Jaws, featuring the same camera trickery whilst zooming in on Brody as he realises the danger they’re in. The technique in film is known as a dolly zoom, where the camera is physically moved forward whilst zooming out on the camera to create a warped and disorientating feeling.

3. Gotta catch ‘em all

Ellie and Abby are both collectors, Abby picking up coins in an attempt to carry on her fathers tradition, and Ellie finding trading cards. Some of these cards, however, are nods to the Naughty Dog team. The most obvious of which, of course, being Doctor Uckman, a card that Ellie can pick up whilst traversing Downtown Seattle. This card is a not-so-subtle nod to the games director, Neil Druckman. Last of Us writer Halley Gross also revealed that the character card for ‘The Imp’ is based on her. The card claims she was rumoured to have been ‘created in Dr. Uckmann’s laboratory’ and she, like Uckman, is listed as a villain.

4. Say it to my face next time!

It is common when you are playing as a non-customisable character, to hear them make comments under their breath as they play. Or, in the case of 2018’s Days Gone, they might just yell them regardless of whether they are supposed to be in stealth mode… The comments that Ellie makes in this game are particularly interesting though. Even though it feels lonely when she ventures out alone, the comments she makes, such as saying ‘Well done, Ellie’ when she solves an environmental puzzle, or commenting on seeing a ‘real tattoo parlour’ at one point in the game (at least Ellie didn’t have to book in to get hers done, though.) 

5. Joel’s Bedroom

Joel’s house, as a whole, is Naughty Dog at its most… Naughty Doggiest (?) The space Joel has been inhabiting since the pair settled in Jackson is full of personality and if we wanted to, we could write a whole list of details based solely within those four walls. Some of which are immediately clear and fit with Joel’s already established character, others, like a leaflet about dinosaurs, make sense later. Our favourite, however, resides next to Joel’s bed. As you look around his bedroom, you may notice on the bedside table there is a book entitled ‘An idiots guide to space.’ Ellie’s love of all things astronomical isn’t really shown until later in the second game, so Joel’s choice of bedtime story might not have stuck in players minds during the scene where Joel takes Ellie to a museum for her birthday. Piece those two together, though, and you’ll realise that Joel wanted to learn more about Ellie’s passions. Albeit an ‘idiots’ version. It’s touching, really. 

6. NPC conversations

In most games of this generation, NPC conversations will go one of two ways. Either the conversation will stop abruptly as you walk over, or they will happen regardless of whether you’re there or not. In The Last of Us 2, however, your playable character can oftentimes interrupt or join in on conversations that they overhear. On one occasion, for example, Abby is walking past two gossiping members of the WLF who are chatting about Owen. If your Abby doesn’t take kindly to the pairs gassing she can interrupt with a bit-so-subtle warning against the dangers of gossiping. (It’s Abby. Abby is the danger.) 

7. Things left unfinished

When you think about it, it seems obvious that an unexpected contagion would mean lives are suddenly put on hold, rather than neatly wound down until it’s a convenient time to be surrounded by infected. Because of this, you’ll often find areas where food is left uneaten, board games are half played, even a large model in a board game store is unfinished. It’s something that can easily go unnoticed, but really feeds in to the feeling that this is a living, breathing world. A world that is less living and breathing than it used to be, of course. 

8. Another way to die

This last feature isn’t too subtle, but it’s one that highlights just how far beyond our normal expectations of video games TLOU2 has chosen to venture. Throughout the game you will come up against enemies, both human and non-human, and your tactics for dealing with both will often cross the line into inhumane. When you’re fighting, however, you might notice that enemies react far more realistically to your arsenal of weaponry and attacks than in any other games before.
Take a swipe with a knife, for example, and the NPC will gain a cut in the right place (or the wrong place, for them.) Take them down with a few non-lethal shots and they react by recoiling or clutching certain areas. You’ll also hear the sound of them dying, as opposed to the immediate silence that comes from shooting them in the head.
Set a trip mine for someone to walk into, and the aftermath will either have you staring at chunks of your former enemy, or perhaps just half of their body. These are just a few examples of the visceral ways your foes can react, all of which will have you reaching for the tools to bring a quick death to your enemies, rather than throwing in a Molotov and hearing their screams long after you finish playing. 

On that upbeat note, that ends the list of details you might have missed in The Last of us 2. If you have any of your own, feel free to leave them in the comments below!