#The last of us 3 manuals#

The paramount scene of the original game was not the heartbreaking choice made at the hospital. Her actions embody the philosophy of the franchise: вЂњlife goes on.вЂќ Alongside the arrow-savvy Lev, she is going to find the Fireflies and help repair humanity. On the other hand, a seen-better-days Abby closes Part II having let go of her hatred. ItвЂ™s mostly just a sense of regret and emptiness. There is not an obvious driving force compelling her forward into another adventure. By the time she comes around, sheвЂ™s lost her family, her ability to play music, and her sense of purpose in life. The true twist of Part IIВ is that like Joel before her, Ellie is not able to overcome her darkest emotions when it truly matters. It was perhaps this focus, and JohnsonвЂs likability, that blinded most of us from the path Ellie had been set on.

Franchise creator Neil Druckmann has even stated that, despite her supporting role in the game, he often viewed The Last of UsВ as EllieвЂ™s coming-of-age story. Even with early advertising propping up Joel as the storyвЂ™s leading man, fans could tell that it was the young Elliot PageВ look-alike, doing battle against fungal beasts, that would steal the show.

ItвЂ™s a hard pill to swallow, and one that left a lot of emotionally invested fans feeling understandably drained.Д®llie has been the core of The Last of UsВ from the very beginning. Players witness the true consequences of JoelвЂ™s killing spree at the end of the first game. Yet, when the game switches perspectives, AbbyвЂ™s experiences suddenly show us our protagonist murdering relatively innocent people, including a pregnant woman. When we follow the events of the game through EllieвЂ™s eyes, we feel her pain, and we want JoelвЂ™s killers to meet their end just as badly as she does. She provided players with a viewpoint that allowed them to see the atrocities Ellie was committing. If someone wanted to do a little psychological digging, this fact is probably part of the reason so many gamers took issue with AbbyвЂ™s role in the first place.

#The last of us 3 manuals#

Ellie Williams, as Japanese gaming manuals like to call her, was not the hero of The Last of Us Part II. In fact, it almost feels like the most recent game went out of its way to set her up as the heart of a hypothetical third installment.

And yet, despite all of this, she may be the franchiseвЂ™s best shot at an actual happy ending. She brought out the worst in everyoneвЂ™s favorite protagonist, Ashley JohnsonвЂs Ellie. For a lot of fans, she is the person who killed Troy BakerвЂs soulful southern brute, Joel. Even if a lot of that hate comes from less-than-desirable places. Laura BaileyвЂs Abby Anderson is not the most universally loved character in the history of video games. I imagine that a lot of people clicked on this article out of anger, and I sort of get it.