Despite The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II first being released in 2013 and 2020 respectively, the post-apocalyptic franchise developed by Naughty Dog is still as popular now as it’s ever been.
Thanks to multiple remasters, rumours of a third instalment and, of course, its HBO television adaptation, the world has gone mad for the action-adventure title centered around a girl with immunity who must learn to navigate a world full of monstrous zombies and equally monstrous humans.
Check out the trailer for The Last of Us Part II below!
If you know me, you will know that I have been a fan of The Last of Us franchise since the first game was released over a decade ago.
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My shelves are home to multiple Ellie statues (which I spent way too much on procuring) and I have joined the millions of fans who have also decorated their bodies with Ellie’s tattoo.
However, despite The Last of Us Part I and Part II being two of my favourite games of all-time, I don’t want The Last of Us Part III.
At the time of writing this, a third entry in the Naughty Dog franchise has not been confirmed, despite many rumours and potential leaks that hint at it being in development.
Neil Druckmann may pop his head up every few months to claim that “something” is in the works, but we don’t yet know if he is referring to The Last of Us Part III or just the upcoming IP Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
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Regardless, I think Naughty Dog focusing on this brand-new IP rather than another The Last of Us entry is the right choice.
But why do I think this?
Well, not to sound like a Debby Downer but I think that we need a break and not only that, but despite the open ending, I think that the way that The Last of Us Part II concluded is a good ending point.
I am not averse to media having an open ending, allowing the viewer to make up their own minds or headcanons about what happens next.
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Maybe Ellie will return to Jackson to look for Dina and JJ or maybe she will go on a journey of self-discovery, learning how to live in a world without Joel and without the thirst for revenge.
Both Ellie and Abby’s stories are mirror-images of each other and the second game wraps up their narratives and journeys perfectly, so adding another entry may just stretch the story too thin.
Of course, The Last of Us Part III could centre around all-new characters entirely, or maybe it could follow some secondary characters that we met throughout the first two games. It could be a time-skip or a prequel of some sorts and allow Naughty Dog to explore a whole new story yet set in the same world.
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However, I feel as though the elements of humanity that Naughty Dog wanted to explore have been explored. We have seen love, vengeance, anger, depression. We have seen the extreme cruelty and abundant beauty that humans are capable of, making the games so much more than your typical zombie title.
On top of all of this, we now have a television adaptation with The Last of Us season two due to air in just a few days time, following its massive success with its first season. This has brought brand-new fans to the franchise which is something that I always encourage.
That being said, thanks to Naughty Dog seemingly releasing remasters of both the first and second game on as many PlayStation platforms as possible, I feel as though there has been no escaping The Last of Us for the past decade and maybe, just maybe, we need a break to sit back, relax and appreciate what we already have.
Am I going to be a hypocrite here and still play TLOU III if it just so happened to come out? Probably. Will I enjoy it? Also probable but that doesn’t change my thoughts about the series having a solid ending as it is.
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After all, I love the series with all my heart but sometimes, contrary to the well-known saying, you can sometimes have too much of a good thing.
Topics: Features, Naughty Dog, PlayStation, The Last Of Us, The Last Of Us Part 2, Opinion