Summary
For fans that desire moreThe Last of Uscontent, the recently releasedThe Last of Us Part 2Remasteredbrought about some fresh content with No Return, and the Lost Levels. Within these Lost Levels, players will explore early concepts and rough levels that were months away from completion from Naughty Dog. These levels, introduced by Neil Druckman, guide players through what would have been inThe Last of Us Part 2if they were not cut for a variety of reasons.
When exploring these Lost Levels, players are given deeper insight thanks to developer commentary. It’s a great insight into just a small part of how developers make AAA games, and Naughty Dog allows audiences and players to learn new and interesting details featured inThe Last of Us Part 2’s Lost Levels, includingcut story momentsand gameplay.
6Ellie Wins JJ’s Toy At A Carnival
A Milk Bottle Game Saw Players Win Ollie The Elephant
Since the first Lost Level, Jackson was supposed to be a flashback, players would have seen how Dina and Ellie shared their first kiss. They would have also paired this mission with Abby and Ellie’s fight at the theater, providing a seemingly necessary change of pace after the intense battle. In this party at Jackson, players could play a few minigames, one of them being a milk bottle game, where they throw balls at stacks of bottles to knock them down and win prizes.
This was an interesting development choice, as it showcased the throwables mechanic that Ellie uses for explosives, bottles, and bricks, but in a much more light-hearted way, showcasing a juxtaposition ofEllie’s life before her vengeful quest to avenge Joel. Even more interesting, is that if she won, she would be awarded a stuffed elephant toy, which she later gives to JJ called Ollie the Elephant. In the main game, only Ollie wasn’t cut.
5The Clicker Kid’s Game
Ellie Pretends To Be A Clicker Showcasing Child Innocence In A Brutal World
Also at the Jackson level, players would have played a game with a group of kids, in which they were playing a twisted version of Marco Pollo. In this version, one kid pretends to be a clicker, in which they are blindfolded, and have to listen to try and catch the other kids. Ellie joins the game as a Clicker, and players have to use the Listening Mode to find the kids. Except, instead of defeating them, Ellie grabs them in an adorable hug to show they have lost.
This game didn’t make the final cut and was instead replaced with the snowball fight in the first mission in the main game. It showcases the child-like innocence, and how this relative safety in Jackson and growing up with Clickers, hasa vital effect on the games that they play.
4Ellie’s Ex-Girlfriend, Cat
Cat Can Be Found Doing Face Painting In Jackson
Cat was an artist who was only mentioned inThe Last of Us Part 2, but within the Jackson Lost Level, she can be seen directly. Although the model might not be final, and neither is the animations or dialogue, the inclusion of Cat showcases how Ellie has a history with Jackson, and used to have a relationship with Catbefore it went sour.
Cat is the one who designed Ellie’s tattoo and gave it to her. Their relationship after their break-up seems somewhat disconnected and awkward, but players only receive a brief glimpse of this due to the little time spent together in the Lost Level, in which Ellie gets her face painted by Cat.
3Persistent PTSD
Ellie Can’t Get Joel’s Corpse Out Of Her Head
Ellie’s PTSD was set to play a more vital role during Ellie’s quest for revenge. This demanding odyssey took a physical and mental toll on Ellie, and within the second Lost Level, Seattle Sewers, players are tasked with traversing through the sewers of Seattle just before the confrontation at the Seattle Hospital with Nora. In this level, players have to crawl through tunnels and solve water-flowing puzzles to progress to freedom.
Yet, one tunnel has a dead Clicker, with fungus stretching through the sewer. As Ellie crawls closer, the Clicker’s face quickly flashes into Joel’s, showcasing how Ellie can’t get the horrific look of Joel’s beaten and bashed body out of her head, and the deformed face of the Clicker isa harsh reminder of why she’s doing all of this.
2Ellie Kept Joel’s Coat
Despite Their Strained Relationship, Ellie Can Never Let Joel Go
The third and final Lost Level, The Hunt, showcases Ellie after the events of Seattle, where she follows a trail of blood. Whilst this mission is cut, there’s an immediate recognition of her clothing, as Ellie is wearing the same coat that players see Joel in throughout the flashbacks ofThe Last of Us Part 2and his demiseat the hands of Abby.
It might be a harsh reality for the player, as much as it is for Ellie since Joel is gone at this point in the story. Audiences don’t get to see Ellie wear this coat in the main game, but it’s nice to see that she kept his clothes, even if it’s a stark reminder that he’s gone, and it was not a gentle death. The Hunt itself asks players a few questions. Who is Ellie hunting, where is Dina, and is this a flashback or a flashforward? It’s not long until the mission reveals the answer: a boar hunt after Seattle.
1The Boar Hunt
Ellie’s Sadistic Hunt Brings Up Her PTSD
The third Lost Level is referenced in Ellie’s journal, in which she talks about hunting a boar and hearing its screams, which triggers a harrowing memory of Joel’s screams when Abby was beating him to death with a golf club. Whilst the hunt itself is reminiscent of a boss fight, it’s not until players corner the boar after shooting it a few times do they really see the trauma that Ellie is witnessing.
Through the boar’s whimpers and wheezing, they can hear Joel’s screams, so much so that Ellie cannot take it, and she looks at the boar with shame and horror, before leaving it to bleed out. It re-opens the wound that never closes, thatJoel’s killer is still out there, and the peaceful life Ellie thinks she can live with Dina, just doesn’t exist.
