While The Last of Us 2 followed the physical fallout from Joel’s actions, Ellie’s emotional baggage has yet to be explored in TLOU 3.
Naughty Dog hasn’t announced yet The last of us part 3, but if it were made, it would be good to face Ellie’s greatest moral dilemma. Naughty Dog’s next project in TLOU series is a remake of the first part, called The last of us part 1. You’d expect the studio owned by PlayStation to release a sequel to The last of us part 2 at some point though, and to build that story on Ellie’s journey over the previous two games.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Last of Us series.]
Joel and Ellie form The last of us‘ heart, but the complex moral dilemmas at its core have made it a timeless classic. With a cast of well-crafted, recognizable characters, the complicated decisions they face in their post-apocalyptic world feel unique and personal. The foundation of the entire series was Ellie’s immunity, a sign of hope in the first game, but essentially rendered irrelevant by Joel’s actions in the hospital. The last of us part 2‘s core story follows the consequences of these actions, but also leaves Ellie in a unique dilemma. Starting with her best friend and crush Riley changing, Ellie’s surviving guilt has fueled the need to prove that her immunity was given to her for a reason. Through the whole story of TLOU Part 1, she embarks on a long and treacherous journey with Joel to achieve this goal. As she tells Joel in their last conversation together, Ellie feels like he has robbed her life of purpose by ruling out the chance for her to provide a vaccine.
This creates a unique opportunity for The last of us part 3 to finally solve Ellie’s sacrifice dilemma. At the end of TLOU Part 2Ellie and Abby go their separate ways, and Ellie returns home. Although the cycle of violence between them has ended, Ellie’s main emotional dilemma remains unresolved.
Ellie must confront her savior complex in Last Of Us 3
A way Part 3 could tackle is to bring back the ability to make a vaccine. Ellie’s rescue complex came about because the choice to sacrifice her life was initially made for her by Joel The last of us, and for better or worse, she’s just been left to pick up the pieces. If the choice were to come up now, it would finally be Ellie’s prerogative to choose whether or not she’s willing to make that sacrifice. The first time, Ellie was a child with no attachments that made her think twice about giving herself up. Since Ellie is believed to be reuniting with Dina and JJ at the end of this year Part 2now Ellie would have to choose whether it was worth leaving them behind, raising the stakes much higher.
Alternative, Part 3 could escape the concept of immunity and help Ellie overcome her dilemma. For her, self-sacrifice is an easy way out. All her emotional and physical trauma would finally be justified. She would have something important to offer to a broken world, and she would be remembered for it. Last of us part 3 could help Ellie turn around and realize that her immunity is just a gift, not a reason for her to throw her life away. Through the love and support of Dina and her friends, Ellie was finally able to find new meaning and relieve herself of the trauma left on her shoulders by the horrific events in the hospital.
Series creator Neil Druckmann recently confirmed that he and co-writer Halley Gross have created a concept for: The last of us part 3. For now, it’s unknown if the game will come out or if it’s even still about Ellie. Even if Part 3 never sees the light of day, players will have the chance to relive the events that started Ellie on her emotional journey when The Last of Us Part I starts on Sept 9.
About the author
0 Comments