The Last of Us 2 - Differences from The Last of Us

Differences from The Last of Us

The Last of Us 2 improved on many of the features from the first title. Here, we’ll take a look at the key differences between the two games.

Brand New Characters

The trailer brought many new characters to life, some being allies while there are still others who oppose them. So far, we were introduced to Dina, a girl who’s probably around the same age as our protagonist, Ellie, and their interaction gives us a glimpse of their blossoming relationship. Next to Dina is Jesse, her ex-boyfriend, a resident of Jackson County, and also Ellie’s friend. Even more characters appeared on a separate trailer. There, we witnessed the clash among the former Seraphites and those who continue to fight for their beliefs. Still, another trailer showcased Ellie confronting Nora, a member of another opposing organization called the Washington Liberation Front.

Characters

New Enemies

The Last of Us exposed Joel and Ellie to many threats which consist of human and non-human enemies. The sequel expands on the roster by introducing enemies for both types. The trailer showed an uninfected dog accompanying members of the militia group, the Washington Liberation Front. Another type of human enemy include the members of the zealous cult known as the Seraphites. On the other hand, a new infected joins the fray. Known as the “Shambler,” these enemies likely pay tribute to the Bloater. However, we can’t tell if the predecessor’s Bloaters would be obsolete at this point.

Enemies

Possible Weapon Changes

We got to see plenty of gameplay across the trailers. Among them, we caught Ellie wielding what appears to be a switchblade. The switchblade was already shown in the previous game and there’s a chance that it might replace the crafted Shiv, a staple weapon that works best for stealth takedowns.

Weapons

New Traversal Mechanics

The sequel builds on the exploration features by adding new surrounding objects to interact with. In the 23 Minute gameplay presentation, Naughty Dog showed that Ellie can make use of new objects like using ropes to rappel or swing in order to go from one place to another. Ellie can also board boats to get across water. On top of that, a returning feature is the use of horseback.

Combat Changes

In the Last of Us 2, Naughty Dog’s creative director Neil Druckman mentioned in an interview that the human enemies draw some inspiration from human behavior. For instance, he stated that the regular human enemies will have their own names. In other words, when Ellie fires at an enemy, the enemy will not only acknowledge that he was spotted but also call out the name of his comrade to trace the source. These enemies can also monitor and relay the status of Ellie to other surrounding enemies which adds some complexity to the AI and makes for some interesting encounters that weren’t shown before. Another feature is going prone by crawling through tall grass to sneak past or plan stealth kills when crossing high traffic areas.

New Dynamics

Given the enemy types, there are also spots where both the human enemies and infected coexist in the same area. When crossing these areas, Ellie can opt to either go for takedowns or force the enemies to interact which can buy time for an escape.

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