Here's How Freakishly Detailed The Last Of Us 2 Is
It's no secret that many gamers and critics loved The Last of Us 2 when it released in 2020. Even though some twists and turns divided fans, Naughty Dog's followup to The Last of Us certainly got people talking. Almost a year later, players are still discussing The Last of Us 2's plot and technical achievements. Now, a new video exploring the out of bounds details in the game has offered a fresh perspective on how much effort the developers put into the sequel.
YouTuber Speclizer gave fans a look at The Last of Us 2 by showing out of bounds details that were created for the game but hidden just off screen. Some of the details included elements that make the world of The Last of Us 2 feel more believable, even if players can't see them. For example, in one specific pool, tadpoles wriggle just beneath the surface. While it's unlikely that players would spot these creatures in the pool (or even investigate the pool to find them), the tadpoles show that designers considered the believability of the world when creating the game.
If nothing else, The Last of Us 2 provides consistency for players who feel tired of the slapdash animation sometimes seen in games. In one instance, Speclizer discovered that bullets have animations that leave Ellie's gun and travel towards their target. These animations are impossible to see without viewing the out of bounds game content, but by animating bullets Naughty Dog's developers provided a certain reliability that helped make The Last of Us 2 so impressive.
Perhaps most amazingly, Speclizer discovered that the animation models in The Last of Us 2 have detailed fingerprints. When zooming in on Ellie playing guitar, Speclizer showed fingerprints carefully detailed over each animated finger. During normal play, there's a slim possibility players would see that kind of detail, but that didn't stop Naughty Dog developers from including it anyway.
The Last of Us 2 may have upset some fans upon its release, but it remains one of the most visually stunning games in recent years. The worldbuilding Naughty Dog included brings the title to a new level of immersion. Of course, The Last of Us 2 isn't entirely built out behind the scenes. But, as seen in similar videos, breaking into otherwise inaccessible areas can result in some pretty amazing and weird adventuring.