Naughty Dog studios launched the single-player action-adventure-horror survival game,  The Last of Us Part II, June 19. Part II comes out seven years after part I dropped in 2013. The story takes place five years after our two protagonists Joel and Ellie, a tough, grey-bearded middle-aged man, and an innocent teenage girl leave Boston. They travel across the United States while transporting the vaccine of a post-apocalyptic virus to safety. 

The world is set in the post-apocalyptic United States, where an estimated 60 percent of the world’s population has succumbed to this virus that affects the mind. A single scratch from an infected, shambling corpse will eventually turn an innocent into a rabid zombie. The infection is called Cordyceps Brain Infection, a fungal sort of brain infection that works in several stages. Zombies infected for longer periods, become mutated and may take a myriad of forms. 

Ellie is the main protagonist in part II, and she has changed tremendously since the first game. In the first game, she’s an innocent, young teen, and now she’s five years older: a grizzled survivor of many dangerous encounters. She has grown utterly ruthless. Ellie is not the same girl that left Boston 5 years ago. 

For five years, Joel and Ellie have settled in Jackson, Wyoming. They live amongst a thriving community of survivors, living in peace and stability, despite battling off the constant threat of infected, and bringing in desperate survivors.

When the peace is disrupted, Ellie embarks on an epic journey to bring justice to the disrupters of order. As the story progresses, Ellie must deal with the devastating emotional and physical consequences of what she’s done. 

The player will experience Ellie’s moral conflicts, and embark on a complicated story. The violence left in her wake will challenge the player’s thoughts about good and evil. Who is the hero and who is the villain?

Evolved gameplay systems immerse the player in intense life-or-death stakes through Ellie’s hard journey. The player struggles with Ellie through improved features like high-intensity gameplay combat, open-ended stealth options, and fluid movement. Similar to the last game, Ellie will upgrade her arsenal. A broad array of deadly weapons, skills, upgrades, and crafting items let the player customize Ellie’s combat style. 

Part II is home to a beautiful and dangerous world. Journey through peaceful mountains and lush forests. Encounter survivor groups and continuously be on edge as who to trust, or brand as an enemy. Unfamiliar environments will be home to terrifying fungal evolutions of the infected. The newest edition of the Naughty Dog engine is home to bolstered graphics, the deadly world and characters are more realistic and methodically created than ever before.

Fans of the Last of Us series are wondering what secrets will be uncovered in part II that were hidden in part I. Fans look forward to many cliff-hangers, turning points and most of all: who Ellie will become as the story progresses. Joel, wizened by age and tormented by the past, should play a vital role in part II. Fans are excited about what Naughty Dog can produce, and The Last of Us Part II should have a fantastic turnout.