Sony

Sony opened its E3 2018 presser with a gameplay debut for The Last of Us Part II, which will feature Ellie as the main playable character.

Sony made quite a spectacle of this first reveal, ushering the conference attendees into a church-like tent recreated from the demo’s opening scene. Gustavo Santaolalla, composer for The Last of Us, preceded the showing with a solo rendition of the game’s theme on a sweet banjo-guitar. It came at the cost of having to pause the conference in order to escort the crowd of attendees to the actual theatre, but it was an exciting showing nonetheless.

It was quite apparent throughout the demo that The Last of Us Part II will offer a very similar gameplay experience to that of its predecessor. In it, we see Ellie attempting to bypass groups of enemies undetected, using a bow and arrow, handgun, and brutal hand-to-hand combat to subdue those that catch sight of her. Arising circumstances like low ammo reserves and getting constantly outnumbered calls back to the first game’s back-against-the-wall dynamic.

Like the first game, The Last of Us Part II appears to be, unsurprisingly, a marvel of graphical fidelity and animation. Ellie slams into a car door after dodging a lethal blow, blood pours from the bullet wounds and machete gashes of her victims, and shelves collapse under the pressure of fallen corpses.

The Last of Us Part II is super violent.

Lastly, the demo was completely void of Joel, Ellie’s adopted father figure and the previous game’s playable protagonist. He made a brief visit in the reveal trailer back in 2016, but the extent of his involvement in The Last of Us Part II remains to be seen.

No release window was indicated for The Last of Us Part II. During its conference, Sony also showed gameplay debuts for Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding.

Liked this article and want to read more like it? Check out Brendan Frye’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider gameplay article and our Coverage of Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference.

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