The Last of Us 2 is critically acclaimed for many reasons, with its storytelling and Naughty Dog’s attention to detail both being consistent points of praise. Recently, a fan of The Last of Us 2 highlighted a detail that seemingly combines both of these strengths.
The Last of Us 2’s narrative, much like the first game, is built entirely around the relationship between Joel and Ellie. Instead of telling a story that is ultimately about love, though, the sequel focuses primarily on the concepts of violence and revenge. This is reflected in the tone of the game’s scenes, with both Ellie and the player constantly reminded of the tragic events that take place near the start of The Last of Us 2. As it turns out, one of these reminders is extremely subtle.
Early on in Ellie’s story, players will have to find a gate code, with gamers eventually coming across a member of the WLF that Tommy tortured for information. This dead member of Abby’s faction had eventually given up the info, writing the code in their own blood on the floor. The numbers can be seen in the image above, with the bottom portion of the code being 7302. However, the decision to frame these numbers upside down made Reddit user xX_melog_Xx see the name Joel.
While this could simply be a case of pareidolia, with the player seeing exactly what they are hoping to, most commenters believe this was done intentionally. After all, The Last of Us 2 is full of subtle details and carefully hidden secrets that players have picked up on months and years after release. Further, Naughty Dog could have just shown the numbers facing upward, but the developer chose to frame the scene this way. Given how much sense it makes for Ellie to be seeing reminders of Joel everywhere she looks, spotting his name written in blood seems fitting.
While they do not provide a source, Reddit user Phoenix2211 says that a developer has already taken to Twitter to confirm players are meant to see Joel’s name during this scene. They also point out that this tactic was used by Naughty Dog in the past, as an Easter egg in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End saw a license plate incorporating the name Elena Fisher. With Naughty Dog already utilizing this trick in the Uncharted series, it seems even more likely that this is a proper reference to Ellie’s father figure.
With plenty of posts focusing on cool gameplay moments or funny The Last of Us 2 glitches, it is a nice change of pace to see discussions about the game’s many details. Next time gamers replay The Last of Us 2, they may want to look closely at the upside down gate code.
The Last of Us 2 is available now on PS4.