New Last Of Us Part II trailer reveals release date (and Joel!!)

Sony and Naughty Dog dropped a bombshell of a trailer for The Last of Us Part II today. Revealed during PlayStation’s State of Play livestream, the trailer showed some brand new footage and gameplay, which is enough to get anyone hyped for the game. But then they went one step further, and finally unveiled the release date:

The Last of Us Part II will release on the 21st of February, 2020.

As for the trailer itself, it starts off surprisingly peaceful, before ratcheting up to the series’ standard level of violence. Ellie is significantly older than she was in the first game. She is smoking with a woman who she seems to be romantically involved with. They both appear to be members of a safe haven for humans, similar to the kind seen in the first game. After a horrific event that isn’t shown on screen (but is heavily implied, and makes me sad to think about), Ellie begins a spree of vengeance against those responsible.

Apart from the release date, a secondary shock reveal is Joel! The crotchety protagonist of the first game is still in Ellie’s life, crotchety as ever. He appears at the end of the trailer to help Ellie on her mission. She doesn’t seem surprised to see him, but still seems to not know why he’s there. Some folks love these games for the violence, some like it for the well-acted zombietime soap opera. This is captivating stuff.

While the come on just call them zombies Infected are still present in the world, Ellie spends most of the trailer hunting and killing people. Human enemies certainly provided the tensest battles in the first game. It’ll be interesting to see how the sequel makes use of them.

Also, judging by the trailer, horse-riding seems be a major component of the game. Sounds kinda familiar, but we don’t mind one bit.

The release date reveal must be a big relief for fans, but also the cast and crew. Director Neil Druckmann took to Twitter to humorously express his thoughts.

Now can you please leave me alone about the release date. ❤️

— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) September 24, 2019

The State of Play Livestream further announced that the PlayStation Plus free games for October will include The Last of Us Remastered. Looks like Sony’s going all in on making The Last of Us Part II a huge release next year.