The Last Of Us Part II Gameplay Detailed In New Video

The Last of Us Part II is on the horizon, and ahead of its release, Sony and Naughty Dog have decided to give us a look at the gameplay it'll offer. The two companies did that in a new video that runs nearly 9 minutes long, in which a number of Naughty Dog developers explain the philosophy behind The Last of Us Part II's gameplay. If you're looking forward to the game's launch in June, it's a must-watch video – unless, of course, you're trying to go into release completely unspoiled.

Naughty explains that, compared to Joel, Ellie is a small, nimble person who isn't always going to be the strongest person in the room. While she may not be able to overpower opponents as easily as Joel could, she'll still have plenty of options at her disposal. For example, we'll see the addition of a jump button in The Last of Us Part II, with Naughty Dog promising more vertical gameplay sequences dotted throughout the game.

Ellie will also be able to go prone as you play through The Last of Us Part II, and it sounds like you'll have access to all of her weapons as you're in that position as well. Ellie will be able to crawl under objects like cars to hide from enemies, but as Naughty Dog shows us, enemies will still be able to find her and pull her out of those hiding places.

Ellie can also dodge in combat, which opens the door for her to counterattack or run away from threats. Naughty Dog says that jumping, going prone, and dodging all play into exploration and combat, allowing the studio to focus on making larger, more open areas than what we saw with the first game.

So, it sounds like these new movement abilities will play a big role in all aspects of the game, and they should help make The Last of Us Part II feel at least somewhat distinct from its predecessor. After a series of delays, The Last of Us Part II is out on June 19th, 2020, so we'll see if it's a worthy successor to the first title soon enough.