Originally, The Last of Us Part II wasn’t supposed to end like this, the initial ending was much darker

Gaming News Originally, The Last of Us Part II wasn’t supposed to end like this, the initial ending was much darker

Warning: The contents of this article spoil the ending of The Last of Us Part II. If you are about to find out or plan to do so, do not read further.

In 2013, Naughty Dog released its brand new license, The Last of Us. Far from the pretentious side of “Uncharted”, the title invites us to discover a world almost completely wiped out by Cordyceps, a fungus that can control the host’s motor abilities. Can actually only affect insects and arachnids, He mutated here and attacked people. Apparently the world collapsed and some cities became real strongholds controlled by the army or unofficial/rebel groups.

In other words, it’s not good to live in the world of The Last of Us. where people struggling to survive are just as dangerous, if not more so, than those infected. Joel Miller, a survivor who lost his daughter in the first hours of chaos, became a smuggler. In 2033 we find him in Boston, settling his affairs with a certain Tess. As the duo hunts down weapons that belong to them, He meets Marlène, the leader of the Luciolesa group of rebels determined to end military rule and the epidemic.

One thing leads to another, Joel and Tess meet again to accompany a young girl, Ellie, which alone seems to support the future of humanity. Then begins a journey through what’s left of the United States, in a title that alternates between exploration, infiltration and action. Very narrative-wise, The Last of Us was very compelling. However, its construction means this Few players expected a sequel.

From there, We enter the part where the main spoiler of The Last of Us Part II begins. You can still stop reading here.

Check out The Last of Us Part II (PS5) on Amazon

The ending of “The Last of Us Part II” was imagined to be completely different and would have completely changed the meaning of the story

Contrary to all expectations, the license announces its big return in 2016. Ellie has grown up and seems to want to track down and eliminate every member of an unknown group. The Last of Us Part II is released June 19, 2020, in the middle of a pandemic. A rather unfavorable context for a game in which there is talk of a pandemic, but which in no way affects the success of the game, quite the opposite. The title represents a technical masterpiece for PS4. It takes the narrative basis, extends the lifespan and introduces a variety of new characters and themes. Voted Game of the Year at the Game Awardsit completely reinvigorated interest in the franchise. A series has gone into production at HBO, The Last of Us received a remake and the remaster of the second game was just released. From February 2nd there will also be a making-off documentary, be it on YouTube or in The Last of Us Part II Remastered via update.

And since we’re talking about the remaster, let’s talk about the new information given by Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross in the commented version. While this remaster includes a rogue-lite mode and narrated cutscenes, it also updates some of the audio narration that can be activated during gameplay. So at the very end of the game, during the final confrontation between Ellie and Abby, we find out that Naughty Dog had originally planned to kill Abby, but also Lev and Yara.

I originally didn’t know Abby would die here. (Laura Bailey)
Originally, I believe both Yara and Lev were going to die, and Abby was alone when they were found. And Ellie killed Abby. (Neil Druckman)

In a podcast, Halley Gross confirmed these claims by saying:

When I signed, a lot of things were similar to the end result. We tested many versions of the final act, but it was decided that Ellie would kill Abby at the end. In the middle of production we changed that, and Ellie finally let it go to show us that part of the old Ellie remained in her, the Ellie with her humanity, the Ellie who was influenced by Joel, this defiance of this crazy desire for revenge, this character still exists.

This would have allowed Ellie to get revenge, but would have interpreted the scenario completely differently. Ultimately, and as screenwriter Halley Gross says in the version, the fact that Ellie spares Abby brings out Ellie’s “3% humanity” and what she was a few years earlier. This therefore offers more nuance and deviates a bit from the classic “final boss” codes of a game.

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