New The Last of US Part II Details From State of Play: Revenge, Danger, Seattle and PS Vita

The latest State of Play dedicated to The Last of US Part II has finally happened. Neil Druckmann, the creative director of the game, spoke about the basics of gameplay and revealed some new details. Suddenly, there’s a PS Vita cameo. We gathered everything important here for you:

As you know, the story of The Last of Us: Part II takes place a few years after the original game events. Joel and Ellie settled in Jackson, Wyoming. Unfortunately, a peaceful life quickly comes to an end. Something bad happens to Ellie, which forces the girl to go on a new adventure. She hopes to find revenge and get justice.

During her travels, Ellie will visit completely new regions of the United States. The events will cover several seasons and time periods. The players will see both snow-covered hills near Jackson and the green spaces of the northwest United States.

Each location will offer truly expansive levels with a maze of interiors and spectacular wilderness. The developers approached each part of the gaming space with incredible attention. In terms of scale, the game is much bigger than any previous Naughty Dog works.

Much of the story will take place in Seattle and its suburbs (or rather what’s left of them). Seattle as a whole is a remarkable step forward from the original project locations.

Ellie will have much more opportunities to move and interact with the world. Now the girl can use a rope. Thanks to it, she has the ability to safely descend from a dangerous height or overcome a wide gap, in the manner of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End mechanics.

The increased “verticality” helps not only to explore the world and overcome obstacles, but also significantly refresh the collisions with the opponents. For example, you can take an advantageous position somewhere on the hill or even pass the battle, cleverly using the features of the environment.

One of the central storyline conflicts of the game is a confrontation between two groups militarized by WLF (Washington Liberation Front, also known as Wolves) and the religious sect Seraphites (or Scars). Where the WLF is a well-organized group of militants armed with military equipment, Seraphites prefer to stay in the shadows, hide, and rely on more silent weapons such as bows and arrows.

Of course, terrible mushroom-like infected are still a threat. Ellie will face some old “friends” like Clickes plus some more: fast and fierce Runners, stealthy and sneaking Stalkers, as well as heavily armored Shamblers. This is not a complete bestiary: some creatures are waiting for us to play the game ourselves.

The combat system has also some serious changes. Since Ellie is fast and agile, she will have to use literally every available tactic, including constantly moving, hiding in high grass, squeezing into narrow areas and mastering improvised equipment and weapons on the move. A noteworthy innovation of Part II is a separate button for dodging. It allows you to bypass damage and counterattack. Seems like this mechanic is tied to an enemy’s timings.

Another interesting aspect of the new combat system is the collision with several groups of opponents. Ellie might find herself in a situation where the fight is conducted by different groups. It will depend on the player how to solve the situation. For example, you will be able to set WLF soldiers and infected against each other and then finish the ones who survived. Also, you can completely ignore the battle and take advantage of the turmoil in order to hide from view.

Ellie can master her weapons and skills. Players have to make strategic decisions about the development of the heroine as well as her equipment. All the weapon upgrades will be visually reflected. It should give you a strong sense that the events on screen are part of your personal journey, which you share with Ellie.

Unexpectedly, PS Vita’s appeared in the virtual world. Ellie’s enemy was playing Hotline Miami. Right after the event, HM developers wrote on Twitter: “Hotline Miami is available on PS Vita.” That is funny because PS Vita’s support was discontinued on March 1, 2019.

Hotline Miami is available on @PlayStation Vita.
— Hotline Miami (@HotlineMiami) May 27, 2020

The full State of Play presentation dedicated to The Last of Us Part II is available below. The Last of Us Part II will be available exclusively on PlayStation 4 on June 19.