Halley Gross on Naughty Dog’s decision to make a game about ‘the cycle of violence and empathy’.

The Last of Us Part 2 is a violent game, and this violence cannot be easily avoided.

In this section of the game, Ellie must either sneak or murder her way through an area full of Seraphites, members of a mysterious cult-like group that has emerged as one of the roving factions in the post-apocalyptic hellscape that Ellie traverses (technically, it’s Seattle — or, it used to be).

When asked about real-life inspirations for the two factions in the game, Gross pointed out that co-writer Neil Druckmann “is actually from the West Bank, and he is obviously very much interested in talking about that sort of entrenched conflict.

[...] Naughty Dog is meticulous in their research and in trying to make this game feel as grounded and authentic as possible, as much as we’re living in a hyperbolic world.”.

“We’re always going back to this conversation about the cycle of violence and empathy,” Gross continued.

“What we care about and what we really wanted to elucidate in this game, is that there are no heroes or villains,” said Gross.

I asked Gross if the team had any concerns about this game focusing less on Joel and more on Ellie.

“Hopefully, even if you are not a 19-year-old lesbian, you are still seeing parts of Ellie and parts of her decision-making that resonate with you,” said Gross.

I can’t play a violent game about a pandemic, about warring factions, and about the times when violence turns out to be necessary, and not think about the world outside my door

“And hopefully with this game, you’re seeing these characters who get knocked down by the world, who make mistakes, who make hard choices and continue to pick themselves back up and pick themselves back up