The Last of Us 2 proved to be a hugely controversial game when it launched in 2020, with some of the controversy stemming from one scene early on in the game. The scene in question is one of the most shocking scenes in the entire Last of Us franchise, and some may be surprised that it was actually partly based on a real life event experienced by game director Neil Druckmann. In order to discuss the scene, this post will have MAJOR LAST OF US 2 SPOILERS so anyone that has yet to play the game for themselves should turn back now.
The scene in question is an early scene involving Last of Us 2's Abby and Joel. The scene, which infamously leaked online prior to The Last of Us 2's release date, shows Abby and her group capturing Joel and his brother Tommy. Abby, wanting revenge for what Joel did to the Firefly hospital at the end of the first game, beats him to death using a golf club. As it turns out, Druckmann came up with this idea because of an experience he had when he was 16 years old.
Druckmann told The Washington Post that when he was 16, he went golfing with a friend. A botched golf club swing saw Druckmann get hit in the head, leaving him bloody and needing 30 stitches. According to Druckmann, the impact of the golf club left a permanent dent in his skull. This real-life trauma helped Druckmann come up with the idea to have Joel beat to death with a golf club at the hands of Abby, but originally Joel's death in The Last of Us 2 was going to go down a much different way.
According to Druckmann, the original plan was for Abby to stab Joel in the back with a knife, leaving him paralyzed. It's possible that Joel would have even survived this ordeal, but would have been resigned to a wheelchair or something along those lines. In any case, it was decided that a knife is more of an Ellie-style weapon, and so it became one of her primary weapons throughout The Last of Us 2 storyline, while Abby uses more brute force.
Since her introduction, Abby has proven to be one of the most controversial characters in gaming history. Laura Bailey's performance as Abby has earned critical acclaim, but some disgruntled fans have expressed their dislike for the character, which was amplified when they were forced to play as her in the second half of the game. Some fans have taken their dislike of Abby to an extreme, however, targeting Naughty Dog developers and Bailey herself with harassment.
Over time, it's possible that The Last of Us 2 will be looked back on in a more favorable light, even by its early detractors. The Last of Us 2 has won more Game of the Year awards than any other game in history so far, and there's no denying its impressive level of technical polish. Whether or not some fans may be able to get over what they dislike in the narrative remains to be seen, however.
The Last of Us 2 is out now, exclusively for PS4.
Source: The Washington Post