Naughty Dog’s controversial game,The Last of Us 2,has been out for almost a month now, and fans are getting treated with unique and interesting behind-the-scenes facts, directly from the game developers themselves. For example, the studio recently revealedhow they performed one of the game’s best visual boss fights, while using an untraditional style of motion capture, or mocap for short. Now some of the actors are also weighing in, taking to Twitter to give fans a closer look at some of the more memorable scenes within the game. Spoilers ahead, especially for those who have yet to complete the game.
Note that the rest of this article will contain MAJOR SPOILERS forThe Last of Us 2. Proceed with caution.
The Last of Us 2contains a slew of emotional, heart-wrenching scenes, so it seems only right that the developers try to lighten the blow with these clever tricks behind their gentler scenes, specifically those between Dina, Ellie, and JJ. Fans are still divided about many in-game story elements, though many would agree that the interactions at the Farm are a compassionate and welcome change of pace. Despite the controversy that arose around the game,Last of Us 2was June’s best selling game, and this is not only due to the fact that it has a unique and immersive storyline, but also the technical marvels within it, such as this unique form of mocap.
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When players arrive at the farm that Ellie and Dina are living at about 3/4 through the game, Dina has given birth to Jesse’s baby, named JJ. The two of them take care of the infant, and begin to portray the idea of a happy family. Through a recent tweet, actors revealed that the team did not use an actual infant when filming these scenes, but rather motion captures of adults, gurgling and cooing like an infant.
[embed]https://twitter.com/Marianne_Hayden/status/1284204319940636672[/embed]
According to the tweet, Ellie’s voice actor Ashley Johnson wasn’t holding a baby during the filming of these scenes. Rather, she was alternating between two full grown women, propped on stools to simulate being held. This decision makes a lot of sense for Naughty Dog, considering it would be very difficult, not to mention expensive, to have an actual baby be on their best behavior throughout the filming of each scene.
By using adults, it was undoubtedly cheaper and easier, but also downright hilarious for those watching the scene in the studio. The reveal of this peaceful and funny mocap technique may even almost allow fans to forgive Naughty Dog forforcing them to kill dogs throughout the game.
However, the Farm setting was not entirely peaceful, as there are numerous scenes within which players see intense, detailed flashbacks to Joel’s murder, which hit hard on Ellie and ultimately caused her to leave the farm. When she cries out or falls to the ground, a legitimate infant would have likely exploded into tears and squirming, which further enforces the studio’s reasoning behind using mocap adults to personify JJ.
Additionally, the scene at the Farm was originally going to be more traumatic for Ellie when she is out hunting, though the team ultimately decided to have a moment of calm mid-game, ending with Ellie’s flashback in the barn and Tommy’s arrival.This deleted scene was detailed by the game’s director, who revealed that Ellie saw Joel’s murder when she killed a boar.
Naughty Dog introduced a wide variety of characters within their newest game, and the fact that many of them were relatable led to fans genuinely enjoying this unique experience. Ofthe most likableLast of Us 2characters, the adult mocap JJ is a particular favorite of fans. Despite his background of not actually being a baby, some players commented on Twitter that JJ was one of the most genuine looking infants in video game history.
Although fans may still be divided over the ending toThe Last of Us 2, a general consensus has been formed that the Farm, including the family of Ellie, Dina, and JJ is a welcome light in the dark world of Naughty Dog’s game.
The Last of Us 2is out now, exclusively for PlayStation 4.
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