Several months ago, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog released an incredibly brutal and violent cinematic trailer for the forthcoming post-apocalyptic survival-horror title, The Last of Us: Part 2, which led to controversy, as some critics denounced the grisly scenes depicted in the clip. Following this, the publisher and developer went on to unveil fresh footage of the game at E3 2018, and it contained some moments of graphic gore as well. Now, in order to better clarify TLOU2's violent tone, its writing team recently discussed how it is used in the game.

According to Halley Gross, co-writer of The Last of Us: Part 2, Naughty Dog has attempted to make the forthcoming title about "the cyclical nature of violence" with the idea being that "violence begets violence begets violence", which is exhibited in how it affects Ellie throughout the game as a "sort of growing trauma". The sequel's director and Naughty Dog Vice President, Neil Druckmann, added that the studio isn't attempting to use violence to service gameplay in a "fun" way, but more so to create "engaging" moments for players to take part in.

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Druckmann went on to say that Naughty Dog's "aesthetic approach to violence is to make it as grounded and real as possible", with The Last of Us: Part 2's use of such extremely gory acts being an ends to a means which should "make you uneasy to move forward" at times, but willing to do so due to the story and characters being so captivating. The director also stated that he hoped players would be "reflecting on the actions that [they're] taking part in" as the plot progresses.

One way in which Naughty Dog will try to depict violence in an unfavorable light will be in the development team's meticulous attention to detail, as Druckmann mentioned how The Last of Us: Part 2's co–art director John Sweeney strove to make the gruesome visuals true-to-life. As explained by TLOU2 director, "There’s all these things that make [violence] real and make it more disturbing, and that’s really what we want to capture."

Taking all of this into account, it definitely sounds as if Naughty Dog is aiming to use violence to make The Last of Us: Part 2 equal parts intensely uncomfortable and highly believable at certain points, which should serve the darker beats of the game's story well. Plus, the sequel's developers have already revealed that enemy AI will be smarter this time around, so fans should expect to not only be challenged, but also become deeply immersed in TLOU2's realistic approach to storytelling.

The Last of Us: Part 2 is currently in development for PlayStation 4, but lacks an official release date.

Source: Buzzfeed