A fan of The Last of Us 2 has posted new images of a detail on Ellie’s shoes that highlights the lengths that developer Naughty Dog went to in order to create a game world that felt truly lived in. Fans of the narrative-heavy PlayStation title have found all sorts of interesting details in The Last of Us 2 since the game’s release, but this might be one of the most impressive ones yet.

A follow-up to 2013’s somber, story-focused The Last of Us, developer Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us 2 let players take control of Ellie and new character Abby as they face new threats in what’s left of post-apocalyptic Seattle. While The Last of Us 2 received near-universal praise from critics, fan response to the sequel was decidedly mixed. The introduction of new protagonist Abby, combined with a visceral dislike for the sequel’s reframing of elements of The Last of Us Part 1’s ending, led some disgruntled players to review bomb The Last of Us 2 before the game was even released.

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In a post on r/thelastofus, a Reddit user shared a series of screenshots that illustrate just how dedicated developer Naughty Dog was to creating a world that felt vividly, and depressingly, lifelike. In the 2 screenshots posted to the thread, players can see the soles of Ellie’s shoes worn nearly bare by her journeys through Cordyceps-infested Seattle. It is such a small detail that most players of the game are unlikely to ever notice it, but it serves as a perfect example of the staggering attention to detail that is present throughout every inch of The Last of Us 2.

One of the commenters responding to the scuffed shoes in the screenshots cited them as an example of the sorts of small touches by Naughty Dog that make fans love The Last of Us 2. While the inclusion of wear and tear on Ellie’s sneakers is undoubtedly impressive, with the original poster stating that they looked remarkably similar to their own pair of worn-down shoes they’d been wearing for years, one user noted that it would be even more realistic if the black band was peeling off. Another user quipped that, since Ellie’s shoes are Converse, “They have no traction to begin with.”

Modeling the loss of traction on Ellie’s shoes may seem like an odd use of development time at first glance, but it serves as a subtle bit of visual storytelling that helps make The Last of Us 2 feel more grounded in the real world. This sort of well-crafted world building helped The Last of Us become one of the most admired franchises in gaming, and is hopefully carried over to the small screen when The Last of Us premieres on HBO in 2023.

The Last of Us 2 is available now on PS4.

Source: Reddit

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The Last of Us Part 2

The Last of Us Part II is the follow-up to the original game in the series. This time around, players control both Ellie and Abby. The game won many awards, including smashing the record for the most Game of the Year awards.

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The Last of Us