The Last of Us 2 is full of ways for Ellie and Abby to die, and none of them are particularly pleasant. While this in and of itself is no different than The Last of Us, the way the death scenes play out is very much different. Fans will no doubt come across many of these during their time playing through either game, as neither one is particularly easy, but this trend can be somewhat difficult to notice without seeing one of the many death montages found on YouTube and other sites.
The Last of Us 2 is not unfair to the player by any means, as it gives them numerous chances to avoid death. Inevitably, though, the player will die a few times on their quest for vengeance, especially as things get more and more intense. Most players probably don’t pay too much attention to the scene which plays out after the player dies, but looking closely at these moments can show a little bit about what’s important in the game and what it’s main themes are. In fact, the death scenes details one of the major differences between the first game and the new sequel.
Dying in The Last of Us
Paying close attention to the death scenes in The Last of Us, it becomes clear that the deaths themselves are rarely explicit. In the cases of the player simply running out of health from getting shot or punched it is pretty obvious that the character died, but in the actual cutscene deaths it usually isn’t. The game cuts away from the action before the character actually dies, leaving the player to create the rest of the scene in their imagination. In this way, the deaths are almost more gruesome than if they were shown, and the game doesn’t have to show anything overly gratuitous.
When the player sees Joel bitten by a runner, for example, it is possible, likely even, that the bite doesn’t kill him. The game over happens anyway because no matter how it plays out, Joel will turn and Ellie won’t be able to make it on her own. Even the scenes that portray instant death, like the Bloater death scene, cut away while Joel is still screaming. While The Last of Us never shied away from depicting violence, torture, and other things, it negates the need to show gratuitous gore against these characters fans are supposed to love.
Dying in The Last of Us 2
It doesn’t take long to realize how different things are in The Last of Us 2. Although the same thing applies to standard 0 HP deaths, many of the deaths see Ellie and Abby brutally murdered right before the player’s eyes. Some of the death scenes from the previous game (such as the bloater kill or the infected bite) still remain the same, but most are shown in excruciating detail. The player is forced to watch Ellie’s lifeless body fall to the ground on multiple occasions, for example.
These deaths don’t cut away before the deed is done, in fact, some of the Rat King boss fight deaths even show Abby being literally torn in half. This leaves nothing to the imagination and can come off as gratuitous, leaving many uncomfortable. Over the top violence and death is nothing new in video games, just look at the hundreds of Dead Space death compilations on the internet, but that was never The Last of Us’ thing, leaving many to find these graphic scenes in The Last of Us 2 odd or out of place.
Death Scenes Emphasize The Last of Us 2’s Themes
The Last of Us 2 has made it clear since before the game released that it would be about violence, revenge, and dark themes. This would not be the story of a hardened survivor learning to open up around a relatively innocent young girl like the first game was, and that is made even clearer in its death scenes. The Last of Us avoided showing these gruesome moments in full detail because it wasn’t necessary, players could grow to love Joel and Ellie without these moments, and those characters were supposed to be likable despite their flaws.
By contrast, The Last of Us 2 seems to double down on each character’s flaws, and showing their deaths in such graphic detail seems to say something about the game itself. Theoretically speaking, the same approach could have been taken as before, and the story of revenge and violence could still be shared, but it is clear that Naughty Dog wanted to add in as much shock value as possible to the game. Even still, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what purpose these death scenes serve. Depending on how the player feels about the character, they sometimes motivate the player to survive while other times they encourage dying.
Does Violence Undermine The Narrative in The Last of Us 2?
All of this begs the question, does combat and violence undermine the narrative of The Last of Us 2? There’s a very compelling argument for both sides of the debate, but most will agree to a certain extent that it does. The game presents a very strange gameplay loop where players are forced to kill people as either character and then immediately made to regret it by the game’s narrative, but despite this idea there’s still a need to show deaths in such a graphic manner.
These conflicting ideas make playing through The Last of Us 2 confusing at times, and it’s no wonder that the game has been so utterly controversial and dividing among fans and critics. Whether or not this is the masterpiece that critics claim it to be is up to each individual fan to decide, but it certainly feels very different from the original game even if it plays in a similar way.
The Last of Us 2 is available now exclusively for PS4.
