PaigeFTW: The Unnecessary Sequel?
Last week was full of unusual game announcements to finish off the year — more Death Stranding from Hideo Kojima, now starring Mads Mikkelsen, Guillermo del Toro and 100 percent more fetuses than the last, Norman-Reedus-crying-on-the-beach teaser.
But I don’t know what I’d really add to that conversation (besides that I’d buy it, so help me god), so let’s talk The Last of Us: Part II. (Yes, we are stalling another week because I need more time with Final Fantasy XV before I write about it.)
Needless to say, spoilers follow.
My initial reaction was, “Why?” Because The Last of Us works pretty damn well where it stops. Joel is given a choice: try to save all of humanity at the cost of one life, or save that precious life and damn all the others. And he makes his choice, and he lies to Ellie about what he’s done. It’s a beautiful note of moral ambiguity that leaves the future hanging open, tantalizingly. In a way, I don’t want to know what happens.
But now we’re going to find out.
The teaser is pretty straightforward: Ellie (now the main playable character) sits amidst bloody bodies, playing a vengeful, mournful tune on the guitar before Joel walks in and she vows to “kill them all.”
The obvious (and hopefully unlikely) conclusion is that the Fireflies have come to get revenge for Joel’s hospital massacre. Ellie will learn the truth and denounce Joel. Everything will be sad and miserable. Another theory is that Joel has long since died, and Ellie is speaking to her own illusion of him. Also depressing, that one.
Naughty Dog, one hopes, would shy away from these obvious stories. After all, six years have passed since the events of the last game, and there’s no sign the apocalypse is anywhere near over. Surely there are other, character-driven tales to tell that still have ramifications on the events of the last game?
I know. I’m worried, too. Keep your eyes on this one with me.
