The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us Part II is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4. Directed by Neil Druckmann and Anthony Newman, it continues the story of Joel Miller and Ellie Williams from The Last of Us. Set in post-pandemic United States, its outbreak is caused by the Cordyceps brain infection, while human factions and personal loyalties drive the conflict.

Several years after the first game, Ellie and Joel live in the Jackson, Wyoming settlement led by Joel’s brother Tommy and Maria. Joel is killed early in the game by Abby Anderson, a member of the Washington Liberation Front. Abby seeks revenge because Joel killed her father, surgeon Jerry Anderson, during his rescue of Ellie from the Fireflies. Ellie, joined by her girlfriend Dina, travels to Seattle to hunt Abby.

The game’s Seattle chapters are structured across three days and alternate perspectives. Ellie confronts WLF soldiers, Seraphites, and infected people, including Shamblers. Her pursuit damages her relationships: Jesse arrives from Jackson, Tommy is badly injured, and Dina becomes pregnant. At the Seattle theater, Abby finds Ellie after Ellie kills several of Abby’s friends, including Owen and Mel. Abby kills Jesse and shoots Tommy, but spares Ellie and Dina after Lev, a Seraphite who has fled his community, intervenes.

The narrative then follows Abby, revealing her relationship with Owen and her growing bond with Lev and his sister Yara. Abby turns against the WLF to protect the siblings. After Yara dies during an assault on the Seraphite island, Abby and Lev reach the Fireflies’ reported base near Santa Barbara. They are captured by the Rattlers, a slave-holding gang.

Later, Ellie leaves Dina and their baby, JJ, at a farm to resume her search. In Santa Barbara, she frees Abby and Lev from the Rattlers but forces Abby into a final fight. Ellie ultimately lets Abby live after recalling Joel playing guitar. Returning to the farm, Ellie finds it abandoned and struggles to play Joel’s guitar because she has lost two fingers.

The game uses third-person combat, stealth, crafting, exploration, and a guitar-playing feature. It launched on June 19, 2020 after being delayed from February 21 and May 29. At The Game Awards 2020, it won Game of the Year and six other awards. The Last of Us Part II Remastered released in January 2024, adding No Return roguelike survival and Lost Levels.