The Last of Us Part 2: Everything We Hope to See Tomorrow

PlayStation fans will finally be treated to another glimpse of The Last of Us Part 2 during Sony's PlayStation State of Play stream tomorrow. Here's everything we hope to see and what could be revealed leading up to the presentation.

The Last of Us Part 2: Everything We Hope to See Tomorrow

Naughty Dog has remained tight-lipped on The Last of Us Part 2 since E3 last year, hardly divulging any information outside of performance capture updates and job listings. Thankfully, the title is finally set to re-emerge during Sony’s PlayStation State of Play stream tomorrow. Here are a few details we hope to see next.

More gameplay

Hiding is a stellar part of the fun!

Hiding is a stellar part of the fun!

It should go without saying that the vertical slice that people were treated to at last month’s GameStop event should be shown off to the public in the near future. The gameplay reportedly sees the return of Clickers and shows off how players can use the Cordyceps-infected beings to their advantage. Given how the video places a lot of emphasis on stealth, it’s possible that fans will be treated to a new look at Listen Mode. We may even get to witness Ellie bait foes with bricks and bottles again if we’re lucky.

Joel

Foreboding...

Foreboding…

Joel is one of the most mysterious things about The Last of Us Part 2, as the character made a brief appearance during the game’s announcement trailer back in 2016 and hasn’t shown up in promotional materials since then. Naughty Dog hasn’t said a word about the character’s fate in the sequel, though creative director Neil Druckmann did say that Ellie will be the only playable character in the game. One fan theory suggests that the former smuggler could return as a ghost after the Fireflies besiege Tommy’s Dam and murder him as payback for the events of the first title – but this remains to be seen.

While Naughty Dog may want to keep Joel’s role in The Last of Us Part 2 a secret until the game ships, a brief glimpse of the character could help remind fans that this franchise is much more about Joel and Ellie’s dynamic than it is about Ellie herself. The character’s absence from most trailers so far may serve as a nice way of building suspense, but some acknowledgement of his appearance in the title could help consumers easily draw a connection between the sequel and the original PlayStation 3 game.

Of course, the developer could also revisit the new characters it introduced in The Last of Us Part 2‘s Paris Games Week 2017 trailer. It’s still largely unknown what roles Yara, Lev, and Laura Bailey’s character will play in the game and what significance they’ll have in Ellie’s journey. Having the game’s protagonist interact with any or all these characters in a new trailer could help tie everything together.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer

Multiplayer

The Last of Us Part 2‘s co-director, Andrew Newman, confirmed last year that the sequel will include a multiplayer component of some sort and stated that more information regarding the online mode would be revealed at a later date. Over 14 months later, fans have yet to learn anything about the game’s multiplayer, outside of the fact that Naughty Dog has been periodically hiring people for quality assurance and development support.

It would make sense for the developer to build on the original The Last of Us‘s well-received online Factions metagame, the likes of which tasks players with building and maintaining a clan through the supplies they collect in the title’s team-based competitive modes. Naughty Dog may bring back features like Supply Raid and Interrogation, too, as each offers a unique spin on Team Deathmatch and fits in with the post-apocalyptic world the studio has created.

Whatever Naughty Dog decides to do with The Last of Us Part 2‘s multiplayer, it should show off some footage of it in action sooner rather than later. While the fine print on Days Gone‘s box that states the game won’t include an online mode is most likely a fluke, it would be nice for the developer to assuage our fears with some multiplayer gameplay this year.

A Release Date

Ellie

Ellie

Considering the aforementioned fact that The Last of Us Part 2 was announced nearly three years ago, a release date announcement seems like it’s just around the corner. Naughty Dog typically develops a full-blown title within three years, meaning the sequel is poised to launch either late this year or early next year.

This lines up with recent comments by Kotaku’s Jason Schreier and Chinese gaming forum A9VG, both of which have indicated that the game is set for a February 2020 release date. As if these details alone aren’t enough to go by, Ellie voice actress Ashley Johnson nearly spilled the beans on The Last of Us Part 2‘s release date in an interview with Critical Role this past June. When asked when the game is coming out, Johnson states “Um, I think it’s coming out in Fe-” before being interrupted.

Whenever The Last of Us Part 2 launches, there’s a chance it’ll set the world on fire in the same way its predecessor did in 2013. Here’s hoping that Naughty Dog is able to live up to the hype and delivers an emotional – albeit hate-filled – story that makes fans fall in love with Ellie all over again.

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