A sequel to The Last of Us, one of the most celebrated games of all time, has been announced with a powerful, four-minute trailer.
The Last of Us: Part II was unveiled at the PlayStation Experience event on Sunday morning (NZ time) in Anaheim, California.
For those unfamiliar with the original, it's a post-apocalyptic survival game that won awards for what critics praised as superb scripting and voice-acting, coupled with intense, thrilling gameplay.
The trailer for the sequel centres on Ellie, now a 19-year-old with her mind firmly on vengeance.
She sits injured in a house playing guitar with corpses strewn about the place, having just overcome some sort of gang assault.
Joel walks in, gun drawn, concerned about what Ellie has just done - but apparently more concerned about what she's going to do.
"I'm gonna find, and I'm gonna kill, every last one of them," she announces.
The way The Last of Us ended, there's a lot of room for a sequel - particularly with Ellie's journey.
But at the same time, a sequel could easily tarnish the first game's legacy. The team at Naughty Dog seem well aware of this.
"I can't tell you how satisfying it is to finally be able to say that Ellie and Joel are back for another intense, harrowing, and emotional adventure," says creative director Neil Druckmann.
"Like many of you, we have a deep love for the world of The Last of Us and its characters, and while a sequel may have seemed like a foregone conclusion, that wasn't the case.
"We knew that it needed to be a story worth telling and, perhaps more importantly, a story worthy of Joel and Ellie. After spending years on different ideas (and almost giving up), we finally uncovered a story that felt special - a story that evolved into an epic journey."
Druckmann also stated: "This is a game about hate," whereas the first game was about love and friendship, and the bond between them.
It was confirmed that the sequel will be played via Ellie's perspective and while details on who was attacking her haven't been announced, a Fireflies logo is seen in the trailer. Given how the original ended, it's likely that militia group will be out for revenge.
No release date was mentioned at the announcement, but it's likely some time in 2017.
Newshub.
