![]() ![]() Her immunity makes her precious to the Fireflies, a revolutionary militia that’s trying to restore civilization and develop a vaccine. Shortly after the game begins, he meets Ellie, a teenage girl who’s immune to the fungal infection that has turned most of the population into mindless and murderous hosts. In The Last of Us, released first for the PlayStation 3 and in remastered form for the PS4, the player takes control of Joel, a self-interested smuggler who’s not above the bloodletting that it takes to thrive in the post-apocalyptic America of 2033. Naughty Dog made me do it.Īn Ode to the Best AI Sidekicks in Video Game History I followed Ellie’s lead reluctantly, killing under duress. But even before I failed to make her confront her reflection, I never felt fully in control. If I were Ellie, I wouldn’t want to look in the mirror either. What it doesn’t ever do is implicate the player in its protagonists’ transgressions. The Last of Us Part II is among its medium’s most painstaking portrayals of suffering, a game that convincingly simulates the experience of scraping by in a broken, cruel world. It’s fitting, though, that when I looked in the mirror, I saw only Ellie’s face reflected. It’s a testament to Naughty Dog’s often-understated storytelling and uncanny animation that this act of rebellion conceivably could have been intentional. I’m not sure whether that apparent revulsion was a conscious design decision or a serendipitous quirk in the code when I tried pointing her toward a different mirror, she grudgingly complied. All screenshots via Sony Interactive EntertainmentĬonsidering Ellie’s actions up to that point, it made sense that the sight of herself might make her ashamed. But now, when I tried to force her to face forward, she obstinately looked left or right, as if unwilling to meet her own gaze. In an earlier, light-hearted scene, I had maneuvered her into the same spot, and she had obligingly looked dead ahead and made funny faces. No matter which way I moved my joysticks, Ellie-a beloved but mostly computer-controlled companion in The Last of Us, elevated to a primary, playable role in both the downloadable prequel to Naughty Dog’s 2013 touchstone and in the newly released sequel-refused to look at herself in a certain mirror. At one point in The Last of Us Part II-to tell you when would be a spoiler-a character I controlled briefly disobeyed me. ![]()
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