It is without a doubt thatThe Last of Us 2is one of this year’s highly anticipated games, and luckily for fans of the franchise, the sequel is set to launch in just a few weeks from today. Of course, giventhe successful release ofThe Last of Usin 2013, developer Naughty Dog is tasked in creating a sequel that will hopefully live up to, and even surpass, the original. Given this challenging task,The Last of Us 2’sdevelopment took longer than expected and was delayed a few times. Now, Anthony Newman, co-director of the game recently shared interesting details about it, especially regarding its smarter AI.
In an interview with UnGeek, Newman was asked whetherThe Last of Us 2will be introducinga smarter AI system. Newman then revealed that enemies in the game will now have a “vague awareness” state. This means that if an enemy sees one of his comrades killed without actually seeing the killer, that particular enemy will be on-alert and will be more vigilant in looking for the perpetrator. Newman also said that while the enemy won’t know the exact location of the player, they will be aware of their presence and will have a good idea of where the player could be hiding.
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Of course, this in itself is not new in most stealth games. In bothMetal GearandTomb Raiderfranchises, enemies will also be in a state of alert, whenever they see one of their teammates killed or injured. However, after a short period of time, or when the alert phase ends, enemies would usually go back to their usual routines as if nothing ever happened.
Now, Newman has revealed that this would not be the case inThe Last of Us 2. Whenever the player alerts enemies of their presence, they will be in constant pursuit of the player, and won’t be stopping their search until they catch the perpetrator. This means that players can’t fully let their guard down once enemies are alerted of their presence, which definitely adds a touch of realism during enemy encounters.
Apart from realistic enemies, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann previously revealed thatThe Last of Us 2’scharacters and environmentsfeel as real as possible. In an episode of Sony’s “Inside” mini-documentary, Druckmann explained that the game’s graphics are designed for players to see the most minuscule detail on characters. Whenever someone shows any form of emotion, their animation is designed to show that particular emotion as real and as natural as possible. Of course, just like the realistic enemies, this feature is in pursuit of Naughty Dog’s mission to makeThe Last of Us 2as immersive and realistic as possible.
The Last of Us 2is scheduled to launch on July 24, 2025, for the PlayStation 4.
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