THE LAST OF US PART II Developers On The Game's Use Of Violence & How They Aim To Make Players "Uncomfortable"
It was made clear in the first game that Naughty Dog wouldn't shy away from depicting violence in a realistic way, and The Last of Us Part II will continue this approach as it tries to make players feel uneasy.
No matter the medium, it’s not uncommon for a story to be criticized for the way it depicts violence. It wasn’t too long ago that Quantic Dream’s Detroit: Become Human received backlash for the way it handled domestic violence. And though the reactions to The Last of Us Part II haven’t been as severe, the Naughty Dog game has shocked some with its graphic moments.
But, if you’re worried the sequel to The Last of Us may contain gratuitous amounts of gore and violence, the game’s developers maintain that all of these instances of brutality serve a purpose in the story.
“This game is really about the cyclical nature of violence. It’s something we’re really excited to have a conversation about,” The Last of Us Part II co-writer Halley Gross explained. “So I think it’s exciting that people are talking about it.”
Also, Gross continued by explaining how these violent acts will prove traumatic for Ashley Johnson’s character: “Well, it’s this idea that, sort of, violence begets violence begets violence, and the sort of growing trauma that ... creates for Ellie and on Ellie’s soul.”
Director Neil Druckmann also chimed in on the subject by revealing if the game will ever use these brutal events solely to make gameplay more fun.
“For us, with The Last of Us specifically (Uncharted is a little different in our creative approaches), we don’t use the word "fun." We say "engaging," and it might seem like a minor distinction, but it’s an important one for us, which is, we believe that if we're invested in the character and the relationships they’re in and their goal, then we're gonna go along on their journey with them and maybe even commit acts that make us uncomfortable across our moral lines and maybe get us to ask questions about where we stand on righteousness and pursuing justice at...ever-escalating costs.”
In other words, we can expect the game to not only include violent displays that are “as grounded and real as possible” but scenes that will also make players feel uncomfortable, “because art at times should be uncomfortable.”
All things considered, these comments from two of the folks behind the game are comforting, but isn’t very surprising to those familiar with the first entry in the franchise.