Editor’s note: The below contains major spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.
While Season 1 ofThe Last of Usmay have been some people’s first introduction to the post-apocalyptic world overtaken by the infected, many have been infatuated with the story of Joel and Ellie since the first game came out for PlayStation 3 in 2013.The Last of Usserved as a turning point for the gaming industry, impressing the world with its emotional storytelling and cinematic cut-scenes that weaved the story together. In 2023, the HBO adaptation helmed byCraig Mazinand game creatorNeil Druckmannsimilarly took the world by storm, making the wait for Season 2 even harder. With anew teaser trailer and April release window for Season 2 ofThe Last of Us, the audience is hungry for more content, and if you’ve played the games, theGrounded II: Making The Last of Us Part IIdocumentary is the perfect watch to hold you over until the spring. (However, if you haven’t played the games, and don’t want to be spoiled for upcoming plot, steer clear.)
What Is ‘Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II’ About?
Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part IIgives the audience aninside look into the trials and tribulations of crafting and launching a game of this magnitude. The biggest worryNaughty Doghad going into the creation ofThe Last of Us: Part IIwas living up to the level of quality thatThe Last Of Usdelivered. Not only did the story need to be one worth telling —making sure it expanded on the events of the first entry in the franchise, but the game also needed to level up its gameplay, visuals, and mechanics to ensure it made an impact on the video game industry as a whole.The Last of Us: Part IIis much larger in scale than its predecessor, taking at least 10 extra hours of gameplay to complete the story. It covers so much ground story-wise that Craig Mazin has statedit will take multiple seasons to adapt it for the TV series.Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part IIfully showcases the meticulous attention to detail needed when crafting a game like this — from design to story to animation to gameplay to sound to marketing.
Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part IIgives the audience a deep look into the stressful process of meeting deadlines, crafting a trailer for a video game, and how the pandemic affected production on the game. The documentary outlines the free spirit of how Naughty Dog operates and thrives on being a creative-based company but also reveals the downfalls of now having powers that be to reign that freedom in when necessary — especially when the company was in the middle of working on two game properties at once, and how that affected the production ofThe Last of Us: Part II. It also givesa behind-the-scenes look at the ebbs and flows of the storytelling processand its effects on the creative team and the talent,includingThe Last of Us’s main actors—likeTroy Baker, who portrays Joel, andAshley Johnson, who plays Ellie.
The main reasonThe Last of Usresonates with so many people across the globe is its pure depiction of humanity. Although the franchise is based around an infection that wipes out most humans, the brutality and violence juxtaposed with the love and connection you may find in such a bleak world among the human characters makes it the most interesting.Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part IItakes that to another level byexploring the team that created this masterpieceand the lengths they went to in order to create a visual and realistic product. From recreating blood spatter in various environments to imitating bone-breaking to recording live noises from nature, it’s incredible to witness the level of thought and craft put into a project like this.
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‘Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II’ Explores the Effects of ‘The Last of Us’ Most Controversial Moment
Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part IIalso coversthe massive Sony leak that spoiled a major plot pointof the second game, a moment that will shock unaware viewers once the same fate impacts Joel(Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in the series. This leak deeply impactedLaura Bailey, who portrayed the newly-added character Abby in the game, as some fans rebelled against the idea of Joel’s death rather than waiting to see how it played out from a narrative perspective. Even though Abby had a justified reason to do what she did, some players couldn’t deal with the loss of a beloved character. At the end of the day, these are actors performing fictional characters, and it’s a shame to see toxic fans lash out at talent for something that isn’t real. This pivotal shift in the franchise remains such a hot topic thatKaitlyn Dever, who will portray Abbyin Season 2 ofThe Last of Us,had to have extra security while filming the series.
Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part IIwill give viewers a deeper appreciation of the lengths Druckmann and company went to deliver an experience that’s an amalgamation of cinematic scenes that feel like a film or TV and intense and anxiety-inducing gameplay, one thathas been converted to our TV screens for wider consumption.The Last of Usis a property that strives to be as accessible as possible — from its representation within the game, and including features to allow players with disabilities to enjoy it as well. The most impressive component is how Naughty Dog navigates deadlines and how several delays were deemed necessary to deliver a premium video game and not settle just to meet a due date. The fan reaction to teasers and marketing drove the team to up the ante andcreate a revolutionary and generational video game, one that set a new bar for the industry.
Druckmann eventeases the future of the video game franchiseat the end of the documentary, claiming there’s still more story to tell about Ellie in a potentialThe Last Of Us: Part III, which could even be adapted in future seasons of the hit HBO series down the line. Viewers even get to see the video game actors react to the impact of the TV series and witness their performances adapted into a new medium with new actors. The documentary is the ultimate watch for fans of storytelling and video games, especially those who loveThe Last of Us.
Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part IIis available to stream for free on YouTube.
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Grounded II: Making The Last of Us Part II
