To begin, there will be a dedicated jump button in The Last of Us 2, which gives Ellie, TLoU2’s protagonist, the ability to vertically traverse spaces in a way that was not possible in the preceding game. Indeed, Ellie will be able to freely jump across small gaps and to certain areas above her in The Last of Us 2, which means that players can maneuver through the game more openly than they could in 2013’s The Last of Us.
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Furthermore, there is a dedicated dodge button in The Last of Us 2 as well. This more open approach to dodging in TLoU2 will give players new evasive options in combat, and while it will not reinvent the action that was at the core of The Last of Us, it does free up design space for encounters that demand that players remain more mobile.
Finally, Ellie will be able to freely crawl in The Last of Us 2. Not only will crawling be used to navigate through tight spaces, it has stealth applications as well. More specifically, Ellie can go prone in order to avoid being spotted by nearby enemies — a tool that will be critical to success as players make their way through The Last of Us 2’s story.
Beyond offering increased agility and mobility, the ability to jump, dodge, and crawl at will in The Last of Us 2 informs some of the puzzles that the game throws at players. Fans that may find themselves stuck at certain portions of the game will need to turn to the expanded moveset that is at the center of The Last of Us 2’s gameplay, which may just make the game’s puzzles feel more complex and rewarding than they did in The Last of Us.
The Last of Us Part 2 releases on February 21, 2020 exclusively for PS4.
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Source: Sony, IGN
