The Last of Us Part 2 – whenever it arrives – will see us playing as Ellie instead of Joel, but in some form or another, Joel is still very much going to be involved in the story. In the first game, Naughty Dog crafted him as a complex character with a conflicted morality who, in spite of being the protagonist, wasn’t always doing what you’d consider the “right” thing. The game’s ending is the most obvious example of such an incident.
Recently, at Manchester Comic Con panel (via Gamebyte), Troy Baker – who played Joel in the first game and will be reprising his role in the sequel – spoke about his character, opining that in his view, Joel doesn’t always look at himself as a hero- to the contrary, he thinks he’s more of a villain, who’ll do what needs to be done to survive.
“I don’t think Joel believes he’s a hero,” said Baker. “If he was to lean anywhere I think that Joel would consider himself a villain, which is why he can say that he’s been on both sides. Like he can say ‘I’m just a guy trying to get by. I’m not here to save anybody, I’m not here to upset anyone’s plans. I’m just trying to live one day at a time.'”
This isn’t the only stuff Baker has said about the upcoming sequel in recent days. Recently, he also teased that fans aren’t ready for whatever it is that Naughty Dog has in store for them with the upcoming action adventure title, while also calling it the most ambitious game the studio has ever made.
As for when it’ll be out, though the game doesn’t have a confirmed release date yet, a recent report indicted that one will be announced for it in November this year. Read more on that through here.