Releasing earlier this year to a polarizing reception, The Last of Us 2 has easily been one of the most divisive games in recent years. From its shocking prologue to its tragic finale, it’s safe to say it was a very different game to its predecessor, offering a more painful insight into the cycle of revenge and the nature of grief than many expected. That being said, while it was largely a more close-ended story than its 2013 prequel, there’s still a lot of room for a third game to expand upon the series’ narrative.
Creative Director Neil Druckmann’s even hinted that team would tackle a Part 3 if the story was right, and looking at the narrative of The Last of Us 2, it’s clear that there’s a number of loose threads Naughty Dog could string together into a deeply compelling third entry. The question is, what are these lingering narrative questions and how could Druckmann and the team use them to construct a worthy finale to the award-winning video game trilogy?
Following Ellie and Dina’s first encounter with Abby, the pair decide to leave the traumatic events of Seattle behind and settle down on a farm with Dina and Jesse’s son JJ. As those who’ve played the game know, the happy scene doesn’t serve as an epilogue for the story, with Ellie unable to leave her need for vengeance behind and tracking down Abby once again. When she returns, Dina and JJ are gone, with Ellie’s twisted desire for retribution leaving her entirely on her own.
Yet, it seems likely that the pair could resurface in a sequel, especially as diving into the relationship of Ellie and Dina made for some of the most interesting moments of The Last of Us 2. There’s unfinished business between the pair, and it feels imperative to revisit the strained romance between them to see the full aftermath of Ellie’s actions. Perhaps a third entry in the series could take place many years down the line, seeing Ellie travel across the country with JJ in a symbolic parallel to her and Joel’s adventure in the first game? Regardless, it seems Dina and JJ will make some sort of appearance in a potential third iteration.
Throughout The Last of Us 2’s campaign, there’s more than a fleeting reference to The Fireflies still being alive and kicking despite Joel violently murdering some of their most dedicated members. The suspicion is potentially confirmed during the game’s final few hours, with Abby venturing into the basement of a dilapidated Californian home and managing to get in contact with a branch of the Fireflies currently based on Catalina Island, unless it was all a trap.
Abby and Lev depart there following the former’s emotional final showdown with Ellie, and the game’s intro screen appears to hint they made it, with their boat sitting in front of the Catalina Casino which is based on Catalina Island. But, the question remains, what happens next? Will the fireflies’ return mean they’ll resurrect their quest to create a cure? What will Abby and Lev’s role be in the group? And does this once again mean Ellie will be put on a collision course with the Fireflies? Seeing where the thread goes is easily one of the most important aspects of a potential third game, especially as the Fireflies have always been portrayed as one of this world’s most morally ambiguous forces.
Although fans know a lot about Joel’s life 20 years after the emergence of the Cordyceps virus and have a decent knowledge of what he got up to before the outbreak, the time between these two events is one The Last of Us’ biggest mysteries. Throughout both games, there’s a steady stream of hints suggesting that a lot happened in the two decades that separate pre-apocalypse and post-apocalypse Joel, whether that be the fact he knows brutal torture methods, has countless bitter enemies, or that Tommy abandoned him because the things Joel did gave him nightmares.
Although there’s likely many who would prefer to see the story press forward, there’s definitely a case for looking backwards to give fans a better lens on Joel’s past and the man he used to be. Whether that’s a story similar in format to The Godfather 2, shifting between Ellie’s current-day journey and Joel’s twisted past, or maybe something more along the lines of Metal Gear Solid 3, taking a break from the narrative to offer a dedicated character-focused prequel, it seems like a strong focus for a follow-up. Besides, fans still haven’t seen much of the story’s actual apocalyptic event, so following a grieving Joel as he learns to survive in the early days of the Cordyceps outbreak could be a worthwhile shift in perspective.
Although it’s the inciting incident behind the first Last of Us’ story and the sole reason Joel executed the fireflies actively working towards a cure, fans actually know very little about why Ellie is immune to the Cordyceps virus. Although it’s unlikely that the game is going to offer some sweeping plot twist that reveals a shocking origin for Ellie’s rare immunity, it does seem likely that a potential threequel could flesh out whether the protagonist is the only person capable of withstanding the deadly infection.
Whether that’s through Ellie meeting a second immune survivor or maybe learning more about how her gift can be passed onto others, The Last of Us 3 could do a good job of expanding the world’s scope to show just how unnatural the protagonist’s immunity is. With it seeming likely that a third game will revolve more around a potential cure, it could be an interesting idea to put the actual infection itself in the antagonistic role rather than the humans that exist in this world. Naturally, The Last of Us has always been about character interactions and the human conflicts that would emerge from living in a post-apocalyptic society, but perhaps learning slightly more about how this virus functions and why Ellie isn’t affected by it could make for a unique plot.
Branching off the last point, The Last of Us 2 did a pretty stellar job of embracing its zombie-horror core, making sure to include new infected enemies such as the Shambler. Ever since the first game though, it’s become abundantly clear that the infection grows much more deadly over time. Clickers, for one, are zombies that have slowly but surely been overtaken by the Cordyceps fungi, becoming much more powerful albeit losing their sight. Bloaters and Shamblers are the result of the infected seeping much deeper into its host as well, with the games instilling into players that any infected left alive could potentially become something much more menacing.
Entities like The Rat King could be much more prevalent in the future of The Last of Us’ world, with Abby’s encounter with the merged form of several early contractors of the virus showing that the infected might pose a much bigger threat in the years to come. Assuming a third game will take place following another hefty time jump, it stands to reason that the survivors may be battling more overwhelming adversity from their infected foes. Admittedly, it feels a bit too world-altering in scope for The Last of Us’ relatively grounded story, but perhaps Ellie having to pursue a cure against an overwhelming wave of Rat-King-scale threats seems like a strong focus for a third entry.
Although The Last of Us 2 has a number of major foes to contend with, including The Seraphites, The Rattlers, and the infected, very few are as deadly as the Washington Liberation Front. Headed by their cold and merciless leader Isaac, the group becomes Ellie’s most prevalent threat throughout her side of the story and even cross Abby after they murder Yara and try to kill Lev. Of course, the plan goes awry, with Yara using her last moments alive to shoot Isaac and allow Abby to escape with a grief-stricken Lev. Yet, it’s not too far-fetched to believe Isaac survived the bullet, especially as he was hit in the back.
Seen as the Wolves were also attacking the Seraphite’s island with the intention of burning it to the ground (which the finale of the sequence seems to allude was a success), there’s a decent chance Isaac and his men regrouped, took over Seattle, and are now more powerful than ever. For those who played The Last of Us 2, it’s fairly clear that the intimidating group leader didn’t really get his time to shine, so seeing him return in a sequel could be a great way to better flesh out the character. He likely would have no great love for Abby or Ellie either, seen as both violently murdered many of his best men on their individual journeys. Although it’s likely more realistic to assume Isaac was a one and done antagonist meant to represent how there’s no good or evil in war, The Last of Us 2 definitely left the door open for the character to return.
The Last of Us 2 is available now, exclusively for the PlayStation 4.
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