The showing The Last of Us Part II had at E3 2018 certainly gave us a bit more information about the game’s direction, but it didn’t address if you’d be playing as both Ellie and Joel again.
We obviously know Ellie is playable and is clearly the main protagonist this time, but the glimpses we’ve seen and heard about Joel suggest he’s still involved, but to a playable degree? Unfortunately, it seems he will not be.
During an extended version of the E3 2018 demo played behind closed doors, IGN probed the game’s director Neil Druckmann about Joel’s role in the game, and if there were any other playable characters besides Ellie. Druckmann would confirm that Ellie is the game’s only playable character.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we won’t see Joel, he’s been seen and talked about in trailers. He’s no spring chicken in the first game either, so having already endured a fair bit in his time, he’s probably not the best person to play as. Plus, Ellie really should be the star if a sequel is to work.
There is also the chance Druckmann is dealing in a bit of misdirection to keep things secret, but we’ll have to wait and see about that.
We recently learned that The Last of Us Part II will feature a multiplayer mode similar to that found in the first game.
We also analyzed the latest trailer to see what it might hint at for the full game.
The Last of Us Part II currently has no release date.