9 Ways The Last Of Us 2 Was Almost Completely Different

9. The Dance Was Originally Playable

One of the final scenes in TLOU 2 is actually one of the very first that Naughty Dog showed off (albeit, not in its entirety). The sequel picks up the night after a community dance in Jackson, where Ellie drunkenly kisses Dina and Joel threatens a man for being a homophobic ass.

While this night is conveyed beautifully in a cutscene towards the end of the game, Halley Gross revealed that it was originally a fully-playable section. Here, you could freely explore the church the dance was held in, have an optional conversation with Ellie's ex Cat, and take in the Jackson atmosphere.

There were even specific mini-games, with Gross elaborating to The Washington Post:

“Our designers built out these amazing games, and you could mix drinks, and you could pretend to be a Clicker and chase little kids using Listen Mode.”

What's even more interesting is this scene wasn't always saved for the end of the game (which could explain why it was shown off in the marketing). Gross explains that originally it was the opener, but kept being moved around until it was placed at the end to underscore Ellie and Joel's final reconciliation.