Why The Last Of Us 2 Is The Most Important Video Game Of This Generation
Marketing Can Be A Narrative Tool
Lots of people will take an issue with The Last of Us Part II's approach to marketing, but really, what did you expect?
Joel is basically a deepfake on every trailer we've seen before release, wearing the face of Jesse and making us believe he'd be joining Ellie on her vengeance quest across America. But before you feel betrayed by this, remember this is the man that built his own life on the back of one of the biggest lies in this game's universe. Why would he be honest with us now?
Joel Miller is the driving force of everything we do in TLOU2. He might not be there in person, but his presence is felt in every grimace that crosses Ellie's face, in every gory death played out in bitter determination to survive, in every step we take in the hunt for Abby. He didn't let us do this alone, despite what many feel at losing him so early in the game, and having this narrative left-turn kept as a surprise (for those who resisted the leaks, at least) blows the whole title open to experiencing unknown territory like never before.
Everything we learned about this game can no longer be trusted, which makes for the most intense and downright thrilling experience you could have possibly wanted from a game like this.
It's an incredible feat to pull it off in gaming, and marks a salient moment where trailers can't ever really be trusted in the same capacity again. Yes, it's been done before, but never quite on this scale, and you can be sure that fans are going to get plenty more.
Of course, Joel's death is more of a point of contention than the marketing strategies employed around it. But again I must ask: what did you expect? Willing this man to live because we love him and felt every ounce of his fierce commitment to Ellie doesn't take into account the reality, and the gravity, of what he did to the world. The entire world.
The man was destined to death, and that we know he enjoyed the four years before it came knocking for him is a gift graciously received. But to go further into the topic...