Summary
The Last of Us Part 3 is official. It’s in the earliest possible stages so we haven’t seen a trailer, nor do we have any information about it, but creative director Neil Druckmann has confirmed that the threequel is coming.
Grounded: The Making OfThe Last of Us Part 2ended with Druckmann looking back on the production before admitting there is one more part of this story left to tell.
The sequel began life as a narrative about Tommy following the events of the previous game, but Druckmann says it has shifted into something entirely different. We have no idea what it is now, but given it was framed as the mic drop of a two hour documentary, it’s definitely something.
The Last of Us Part 3 will not be Naughty Dog’s next game however, I imagine that honour belongs to its yet-to-be-unveiled fantasy IP.
Much of the documentary spends time talking about whether Part 2 was worth the sacrifices it took to make, both in terms of physical and mental workload, and if the legacy the first game left behind was something worth revisiting. Druckmann and company questioned if they could come up with stories worthy of continuing what many considered to be a perfect ending.
To the team’s credit, they knocked it out of the park. The Last of Us Part 2 is a masterpiece because it is constantly willing to take a story and characters we fell in love with and pick it apart piece by piece, shining a light on the imperfections of a father/daughter story we had come to perceive as infallible. What Joel did to protect Ellie was wrong, both because of all the people he killed and the agency he took away from such a monumental decision. While we protested at times, throughout Part 2 we came to view his death as justified and feel bad for his killer, understanding that in this world, everyone is merely trying to survive. The cycle of violence that perpetuates their existence is nuanced, complicated, and something which cannot be broken down into simple binaries. As a sequel, it not only builds on the original, it brings into question its themes in a way that no triple-A game has managed before or since.
I played The Last of Us prior to sitting my A-Levels, and it struck a chord with me like it did with millions of others. After multiple playthroughs I formed an emotional attachment to Ellie and Joel. I wanted to fight for them, so to learn the sequel could reshape that or dare to change it made me paranoid. If we didn’t care about where this story was going, we never would have had such a hostile reaction to the unfolding death and tragedy, or how it would dare to take a character we thought we knew so well only to utterly subvert them, let alone introduce newer faces we’re expected to root for. A sequel needed to ask such questions, even if we hated the answers. The fact it was brave enough to do that and follow it through to a conclusion is a creative decision to be applauded. As Troy Baker says in the documentary to people who have protested his character’s death: “Tell me a better ending to that story.” There isn’t one.
The Last of Us Part 3 will have to face the same problem as before. Part 2’s ending is so perfect in its execution that I fear what a successor would bring to the table, or if it’d risk sullying where we left things. I went into Part 2 loving Ellie, and came away despising her and the actions she took in pursuit of revenge. My heart belongs to Abby and Lev, and if we’re lucky,a third game will follow the duo as they find a new home amongst the Fireflies. Isn’t this the continuation we’d naturally want though? So, in keeping with Part 2, part of me is eager to see Naughty Dog explore more daring, controversial territory alongside the bliss that would come from two hardened characters finally broaching peace. They’ve earned that, but it wouldn’t be right for a third game to ignore dangling threads capable of inflicting more tragedy.
We last see Ellie leaving her guitar behind after failing to play a song that connects her to Joel, lacking the fingers required to physically bridge one of the final connections she has remaining for a man she considers a father. As she walks away, presumably beginning the long journey back to Jackson where she will beg Dina for forgiveness, we cannot help but feel sorry for her. It’s a hopelessly appropriate ending to her story, or at least it was, since Part 3 would need to help Ellie get back onto her feet and perhaps find meaning in her life where revenge is no longer the defining factor.
Joel is gone, but that doesn’t mean she needs to throw everything away to mourn him. Take us on that journey, and do whatever legwork is necessary to explore a redemption arc that Ellie might not deserve at this moment in time, but through a game as accomplished as its predecessors, is more than possible.
The Last of Us Part 3 could go anywhere and do anything, and I sincerely hope it does. To justify its existence, it needs to ask massive questions and take these characters to incredible places both physical and thematic. I’m afraid of what this game could be, but I’m also excited, and have come to learn that sometimes it’s okay to be hesitant about the art I love, because in doing so I allow it to go further than ever thought possible.
Next:Yoshinori Kitase and Naoki Hamaguchi On The Changing Face Of Final Fantasy
