In just a few more days, we’ll finally get our hands on the much anticipated The Last of Us Part 2. The game is a sequel to Naughty Dog’s acclaimed and beloved post-apocalyptic title. For a lot of gamers, particularly those who are maybe younger and a little less well-read, it was their first introduction to this kind of raw and unforgiving fictions of a post-societal people surviving in brutal ways. While it may be easy to draw parallels with some works, it also aims to reflect the world around us.
In an interview with Sector, Co-writer Halley Gross talks about the game’s story and themes. She said that there were obvious influences from post-apocalyptic fiction, but also said the team looked to recent events and news. The game’s story reflects a lot of current events we’re seeing, making it a believable world even if not set in ‘modern’ times, particularly in how differences of opinions and cultures confront one another, something that has become a flashpoint in recent years for societal woes.
“The aim of our story is to reflect on the world around us, differences of opinion and everyday diversity. We want our characters to confront each other, to have different views on the same situation. Much of the game is about empathy, about judging characters based on just a few scenes, but then you recognize them, you begin to understand them, even if you don’t agree with their decisions. Although you may not agree with them, there are parts of these characters that you can identify with.
“Neil was inspired by the books The Road by Cormac McCarthy and The City of Thieves by David Benioff. However, I think we also drew a lot of inspiration from the world around us and the news. Even though the game is set in a post-apocalyptic world, we tried to make it look believable, to make it look authentic, to make it look realistic. We wanted everything we did to look as believable as possible.”
The Last of Us Part 2 will release on PlayStation 4 June 19th. For a new look behind the scenes of the series, you can check out the official The Last of Us podcast that launched today.
