The original Last of Us didn't shy away from making you reflect on your actions. In the sequel, developer Naughty Dog aims to hit that theme even harder. The Last of Us Part II has a new, seemingly small detail that could add a lot of weight to each kill: Every human enemy has a name. And they do not like it when you kill their friends.

　　During a pre-release event, we interviewed The Last of Us Part II co-director Anthony Newman about the upcoming game. What we've played so far is incredibly intense, and a lot of your victims are healthy humans, not just infected. How this brutality affects Ellie's humanity is a core aspect of the sequel, Newman explained.

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　Thompson: The Pop Culture Icon’s Strange Legacy - Loadout

　　Firearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Saeko Mukoda Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Seonhee Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Koichi Adachi Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Yu Nanba Character Spotlight Trailer

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto HD High Low

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter

　　Now Playing: The Last of Us Part 2's New Additions Make For Tougher And More Brutal Combat

　　"I think a big part of the theme of the game is the parts of your humanity that are lost or potentially stripped away when you pursue justice, or the lengths that you go for justice can potentially have, again, a very high human cost to you personally," he said.

　　The Last of Us 2 News

　　The Last Of Us Part 2 Review (Spoilers) The Last Of Us 2 Collectibles Guides - Where To Find Everything In The Game The Last Of Us 2 Walkthrough, Guides, And Beginner's Tips (Spoiler-Free) + Show More The Last of Us 2 News Links (1) How Long Is The Last Of Us Part 2: Game Length Explained

　　A major part of this is an emphasis on the humanity of the enemies you face. Every single one has a name, Newman told us, and they'll often refer to each other by name when coordinating. "Not only does it show how intelligent they are that they're able to coordinate, but by naming them they become that much more of a real human," he explained.

　　"One thing that happened to me was I was fighting a couple of enemies. I grabbed one as a hostage to protect myself from another one. I shot the other one and the guy in my arms yelled, 'Steven! No!' Just showing ... this very real concern for his compatriot that just fell. I was taken aback. I had never seen that particular confluence of our games' systems and it really--it makes the enemies you're fighting against feel more human, more deadly. It makes the combat situations that you're in--it makes you just really realize how high the stakes are."

　　From what we've played of The Last of Us Part II so far, it's shaping up to be thematically heavier even without the guilt of killing someone's friend and being forced to think of it that way. Dogs also have names and must be killed, which is also quite upsetting.

　　The Last of Us Part II is set to release on February 21, 2020, for PS4. If you haven't played the original yet, it'll be free through PS Plus in the month of October. We also learned a lot more about the game from the event; check out our full preview for The Last of Us Part II.