The Last of Us Part 2 is a sequel to the popular game Last of Us, which ranked a 95/100 score on Metacritic.
It presented the story of teenager Ellie and Joel, her smuggler protector.
They wandered across America as scientists were developing an infection that turned half of Earth’s inhabitants into zombie-like creatures and provoked the collapse of society.
The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger for the series’ fans, who were hoping that a sequel continues the story of Ellie and Joel.
Focus On Diversity
The sequel’s focus is Ellie’s follow-up story and evolution among a diverse set of characters.
The sequel includes a trans person, people from various ethnic backgrounds and sexualities. This is a big step in the world of gaming, considering that past games were criticized for lacking diversity.
Game Director Neil Druckman said that the decision wasn’t made just to be done:
“We didn’t say, ‘Let’s get diverse just to stand out.’ It was more like an option to give us a richer story.”
Neil also added that the studio has been working on broadening the scope of the characters in their games for a few years now.
“Some of the stuff we did with the first game, like even putting Ellie on the front of the box was a bit controversial. I don’t think it should have been, but it was at the time.”
He said that he doesn’t believe that the added diversity necessarily makes the game better. However, it gives more people the chance to relate to some in-game characters, which broadens the audience and thus makes them happier.
Still, Neil sees the move as a risk. He stated that the game studio has had “a series of commercial successes,” which makes risk taking easier for them.
