The Last of Us Part 2 is packed with surprising twists and much longer than anyone might’ve presumed based on the relatively short length of The Last of Us Part 1. The original game isn’t egregiously short, to be fair, but The Last of Us Part 2 easily eclipses it with a runtime that includes a foreshadowed yet startling perspective swap from Ellie to Abby as well as a brief third act that takes players to a wholly unique setting in the blistering heat of Santa Barbara.
The Last of Us Part 2’s tragic events all work in tandem to express the sequel’s themes, and the distinct lack of player choice is purposefully alarming, such as when players mash ‘square’ to defend themselves against Alice as Ellie or when players must fight Ellie as Abby backstage at the theater. However, it’d be interesting to see certain beats or sequences play out differently. Ellie finding herself ensnared in a Rattler trap is no coincidence since she journeyed out to Santa Barbara in pursuit of Abby, for instance, but it might’ve been neat to see how Ellie and Abby would have interacted if she, too, had been taken captive.
The Last of Us Part 2’s Rattlers May Be the Key to a Gear System
The Last of Us Part 2's Rattlers may have received a comeuppance with Ellie's arrival in Santa Barbara, but the faction could still be of some use.
How the Rattlers Reunite Ellie and Abby in The Last of Us Part 2’s Ending
Neither Abby nor Ellie is aware that they’re wading ignorantly into Rattler territory when they arrive in Santa Barbara and search for 2425 Constance. Indeed, Abby and Lev arrive here and successfully find traces of Fireflies having inhabited the house, using its basement as a bunker and communicating with other Fireflies via a radio. Upon heading out via the garage, Abby and Lev are ambushed by Rattlers.
Ellie arrives in Santa Barbara after learning about Abby’s whereabouts from Tommy and makes her way through a lush neighborhood full of sun-kissed infected. Ellie is then strung upside-down by a snare trap and struck by a spike jutting out from the tree she’s dangling beneath. Blood-soaked and awakening after passing out, two of the same Rattlers who captured Abby stumble upon Ellie.
The ‘Small Rattler’—played by rapper Logic—only attempts to feed Ellie to a dangling clicker because she was mocking him and considered too damaged for slavery due to her injury.
Ellie manages to not only defeat these Rattlers but also cut through multiple Rattler mobs on her way to a resort where Abby is held. She discovers a group of slaves that is fully prepared to arm themselves and rebel against their captors once Ellie frees them, and one slave—played by Matthew Mercer—informs Ellie that Abby was taken to “the pillars” for attempting to escape.
This leads to players learning that Abby is emaciated after months of torture. Ellie and Abby fight where the beach’s shore meets the water and, just when it seems like Ellie is going to finally murder Abby, Ellie withdraws and allows Abby to leave on a speedboat with Lev.
In Another Lifetime, Ellie and Abby Might’ve Bonded as Rattler Slaves
In an alternate universe, it would be interesting to see how Ellie and Abby might have interacted as slaves, especially if they shared a cage. Perhaps Ellie would’ve gained a more complete understanding of Abby killing Joel due to Joel killing Abby’s father, but it seems obvious that Ellie would have tried to kill Abby like she did on the beach’s shore as soon as she saw her.
Abby and Lev trying to escape and being taken to the pillars could have happened anyway, leading to the same ending in The Last of Us Part 2, but it would’ve been compelling if the two found a way to help one another escape. It seems impossible that Ellie and Abby would ever become friends, given all the death that they have caused and plagued each other with, and yet a shared predicament as cruel as torture and slavery might’ve had the hope of recontextualizing their relationship somewhat.
Either that, or Ellie getting her hands on Abby sooner may have led to Abby’s death, assuming that the Rattlers wouldn’t intervene to keep their slaves from killing one another. Ellie and Abby meeting again in The Last of Us Part 3 would have an unprecedented atmosphere since they’re no longer trying to kill each other, though, and Ellie not being able to go through with killing Abby after all suggests that time together as tortured slaves could’ve allowed them to bond in ways that neither of them may otherwise imagine.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 89 /100 Critics Rec: 90%
- Released
- January 19, 2024
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Naughty Dog
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Proprietary Engine
- Franchise
- The Last of Us
- PC Release Date
- April 3, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- January 19, 2024
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
