Why our last part, the second part, is not an open world, but the biggest game of Naughty Dog at the moment

Naughty Dog did not intend to make his biggest game ever with The Last of Us Part II, according to Creative Director (and co-writer) Neil Druckmann, the ambitions of this history required it. Making the biggest game we've ever done, we decided to tell this really ambitious story that has become the biggest game we've ever done. And that's why we took all the time we have, "said Druckmann after my recent meeting with The Last of Us Part II.

"The story we told four years ago is very complex and has a lot of characters. The bottom line is simple, but the results are complex, he said. "We needed more time for cutscenes, we needed more places, we needed more types of enemies. So, the scope of it has continued to grow. "

But for those who fear that padding is more important, Druckmann assured me that the team had the intention to keep up with the pace and fluidity of the original game.

"It's not stuffed, it's the rhythm of the first game, you're going on this crazy, emotional and heart-wrenching roller coaster ride, with these highs in tension and those slower, more challenging and more thoughtful moments … Kind of events are scattered throughout the match, "Druckmann said, showing the silent and amusing conversations between Dina and Ellie that I saw during my demo.

This demo equates to just over two hours of play. While this sounds like an important part of the game, Druckmann has highlighted the full scope of this upcoming adventure.

"[The demos and E3 2018 gameplay are] a tiny fraction of the size of this game. I'm not exaggerating, it's by far the biggest game of all time we've ever played with Naughty Dog, "he said.

"Bigger" does not just apply to the amount of content, but is a philosophy that plays in global design and gameplay.

In terms of building the world, Druckmann said the Naughty Dog team wanted to keep up with recent studio games such as Uncharted 4: The End of a Thief and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. So, they are not trying to make The Last of Us Part II a sequel, but there will be areas that will allow players to explore the periphery.

"Depending on where you are in history, we can open things up significantly and say: Here are optional things you can explore, side stories or you can go straight to to where you are supposed to go? " he said. "But the tension is not that high, and as the tension rises, we could tighten things up, you could play a very scripted scenario designed by Naughty Dog. And we know that we can go back and forth according to the needs of history. "

Druckmann explained that this balance between larger areas and more scripted segments is based on the tension that Naughty Dog strives to provide.

"Unlike an open world game that is usually open all the time, this [type of] The game does not work for The Last of Us because it loses tension. If I need to go save someone, and [the game] said, "OK, save them now … or do those other 10 things aside," you lose tension, "he said.

A major game change also allowed some design changes and expansions – Ellie's ability to jump. She now has a dedicated jump button in the sequel, which not only allows her to be more agile in combat, but introduces the simple idea that it is much easier to reach. higher areas, such as the second floor of a building.

"Now we can create verticality, Ellie can reach heights, second floors … it's largely a matter of escaping enemies by moving around them, at above them, sometimes going into basements below them, "explained Druckmann at a time. the fight and exploration uses this change provides.

For more on what's next, be sure to read our detailed and in-depth look at The Last of Us Part 2, and read what Druckmann had to say about Joel's role, as well as about the relationship. Ellie and Dina in The Last of Us, Part 2.

Jonathon Dornbush is the editor of News at IGN, host of Podcast Beyond, and he is thinking about the final of the original The Last of Us at least once a week. Tell him about his demo on Twitter @jmdornbush.