The Last of Us was probably one of the most impressive narrative-driven game I have ever played. And it’s not my own personal opinion either, considering the slew of awards that the game was given following its highly successful launch. No doubt this is the reason why ‘The Last of Us: Part II’ is the most anticipated and coveted game of 2020.
Though most of the details about the game are still under lock and key by its developer Naughty Dog. The voice actor handling the protagonist of the first game Joel, Troy Baker, gave an interview to Push Square at Manchester Comic-Con to provide fans a little sneak peek into the game.
‘Most Ambitious Game Ever’
Of course, Baker did not mention a lot about the real game to keep it as a secret up until launch. Nonetheless, he did comment that the sequel was “far larger”, larger than anything he had imagined to be possible. The first Last of Us was already a massive and immersive experience all in itself. With this comment we can’t help but imagine what the game would actually be like if it’s going to be larger than even its predecessor.
In fact, he went as far as saying that ‘The Last of Us: Part II’ is actually the most ambitious project that Naughty Dog had ever taken on. The studio was also the master-mind behind the blockbusting ‘Uncharted’ series. And if this game even surpasses the scope of Uncharted, it’s going to be quite mind-boggling.
Ashley Johnson - the actor and voice behind the protagonist of this new game, Ellie, during an interview with a YouTube channel had let slipped a possible release date. Speaking of the blooper, Baker said that people just took her words out of context and joked that Johnson might have gotten a call from Sony saying: “Shut up!”
They Don’t Actually Know the Release Date, Either
If you’re wishing to know the release date, don’t worry, you’re not alone in it. Apparently to prevent leaks, the voice actors themselves don’t even know when the game would be ready.
One thing that Baker can say about the game is that: “We are still cranking on it, I can tell you that much.” He also wittingly commented about the gaming industry, saying with a laugh: “Where it’s at in development, I have no idea. Everybody feels like it’s broken until it’s shipping, and then when it’s shipping they’re like, ‘We shipped a broken game!’ And that’s the gig of making a game.”
So of course, even after all of the interviews, we still don’t know much about the game itself. But the fact that we do know, at least a little bit, of its scope and ambition, all of us have a lot of reasons to actually be excited about it.
Recently, Naughty Dog has been going toward a more open approach to gaming. With their latest masterpiece ‘Uncharted 4’ moving away from a linear plot arrangement, with several areas in the game the players can explore to their hearts’ contents. So it is very possible that the next ‘Last of Us’ could also adopt this approach.