After years of anticipation, speculation, and excitement we only have a three week wait until all is revealed in Naughty Dog’s newest epic, The Last of Us Part II. We may have had a few major leaks, but this most recent State of Play reminded me why I loved the previous game so much. It also made me very aware of how this sequel could potentially surpass the original in so many ways.

Since this is a sequel, I went into the State of Play thinking I knew what to expect. I have seen previous gameplay trailers and thought I saw what The Last of Us Part II would shape up to be, but thankfully I was wrong. I thought that Ellie would play like a faster Joel, with more of an arsenal that would include a small upgrade tree like in the original The Last of Us. However, it looks to be that upgrading will be more varied and customizable. Weapons will have their own upgrades for maximum customization and will cater to a multitude of different play styles.

Ellie is much more agile than Joel and will be able to shove herself into tight spaces, lie under vehicles and go prone in high-grassed areas. This seems to give players much more flexibility and will allow for multiple different approaches to combat scenarios. The Last of Us Part II is designed to be a bit more vertical than its predecessor, so Ellie can use the newly heightened terrain to get the jump on her enemies or avoid them all together.

Along with this new terrain there will also be new infected, like the stalkers who will hide in the shadows and wait for their next victim to pass by. It seems like there will also be a new enemy that will rival the terrifying presence of a bloater and that would be a creature I will gladly call “behemoth”. However, it seemed to be more armored and a lot faster than its smaller brother-in-law. Shamblers are covered in pus-like fungus that when shot will release a gas that poisons its enemies. It looks like that isn’t all and more enemy types will be revealed when we get our hands on the game.

The story has been intentionally vague over the years, and only a few things have been clarified with the most recent story trailer. The main humans Ellie will be facing will be the W.L.F. (Washington Liberation Force) and the Scars. The W.L.F. were a rebel faction that liberated Washington from the army occupation. These enemies are highly trained, using military weapons and dogs to hunt Ellie down. The Scars are a religious group, though we don’t really know who or what they are worshiping. They will be the more stealth-oriented enemies, using bows and arrows as well as axes.

The Last of Us Part II will be Naughty Dogs’ biggest and most ambitious game to date. Game Director Neil Druckmann even stated that players may not even see and uncover everything in a single playthrough. I think that Naughty Dog will have another hit on their hands, and since this is a follow-up to my second-favorite game of all time I may be a little biased. Regardless, I have all the faith in the world in the creators and game itself.

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