The Last of Us Part 2 Was Once More Open World, Spent more time in Jackson

The Last of Us Part 2 takes many design cues and lessons from developer Naughty Dog’s recent games, including its direct predecessor and the Uncharted series. The end result is a linearly focused adventure, but one that often opens up in the larger settings and settings of the studio. And at one point, it could have been an even bigger departure from previous games. Speaking to IGN prior to the release of The Last of Us Part 2, director Neil Druckmann discussed how the game’s early ideas had taken on an open-world design.

Warning: The main spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 follow. Back off if you’re not done!

“The game was initially this open world thing. And you spent all this time in Jackson, ”explained Druckmann, who also told us about the ambitious story of The Last of Us Part 2.

Jackson, Wyoming is the first major location for the sequel, which spends most of its time in the Pacific Northwest. However, in Jackson, we see where Ellie and Joel lived in the years since the end of The Last of Us. There’s a full community here, and in the final release of the sequel, we meet other citizens like Dina, Jesse, Maria, and Seth, while hearing stories about others like Eugene.

The longer time the players would have spent in Jackson also altered the way Abby, the second main playable protagonist, was introduced.

“Abby joined the community and you played as this new character until she betrayed Joel later,” Druckmann explained. “And it just didn’t work because Joel’s death is the inciting incident, and you want to get to the inciting incident as fast as you can.”

And so, Abby’s introduction and fast playable levels start early, before Joel’s death sends Ellie on her quest for revenge to Seattle.

Druckmann explained how Abby’s role was actually shortened from previous iterations of the sequel’s story, but that the team ultimately settled on a playable part that felt enough to convey what was needed.

“Abby was the concept that made us want to do this game about empathy, interactivity; knowing that we could use Joel and Ellie to create that feeling from the beginning, “he said. “Her role actually kept shrinking and shrinking until we thought this is the right amount for what we need you to feel about Abby.”

Stay tuned to IGN for more information from Druckmann about the sequel, and if he hasn’t made sure to check out IGN’s The Last of Us Part 2 review yet. To learn more about the Naughty Dog sequel, read our dive into the accessibility features of The Last of Us Part 2, how much The Last of Us Part 2 sold in its first weekend, and why the sequel probably won’t get DLC. . And if you’re playing, be sure to check out IGN’s The Last of Us Part 2 Complete Guide for help with collectibles, trophies, and more.

Jonathon Dornbush is a senior news editor at IGN, host of Podcast Beyond !, and you can’t stop listening to Pearl Jam in your head right now. Talk to him on Twitter @jmdornbush.