The Last of Us Part II Trailer Hides a Dark Secret in Plain Sight

Sony definitely went in an entirely new direction this year when it came to their E3 2018 conference. Instead of the slew of reveals, they instead shared more meaningful looks at what's to come for PlayStation 4 players. This year, though the reveals were pre-shared, the inside looks and gameplay were nothing short of incredible and that includes our stunning new look at The Last of Us Part II and more on an older Ellie.

Not only did the latest video give us our first gameplay footage (and wow, those mechanics were breathtakingly smooth) but also showed the juxtposition of two different Ellies, potentially sharing an even darker aspect to her motivation.

Spoilers Ahead

In the trailer at the top of the article, there were two very distinct tones reflected during Ellie's life. One was a sweet, tender moment - and the other? Well, the other was a brutality one would expect from The Last of Us. But as is the Internet's way, nothing expects the keen eye and one Redditor happened to notice a key detail that shows Ellie's quest for vengeance.

The new Gameplay reveals why Ellie goes on a quest of vengeance *Spoiler* from r/thelastofus

The above image shows Ellie's love interest (Dina), the one we saw her share a tender kiss with during the beginning, with a particular bracelet. Cut the brutality sequence, and Ellie can be seen wearing the exact same bracelet. Though it is possible that they had the same bracelet, that doesn't seem likely - especially given the context of the game itself.

Another interesting tidbit a fan pointed out in the Reddit comment section pays particular attention to the bracelet's roots:

"It's called a hamsa. Druckmann's referencing his Israeli roots with this, a ubiquitous symbol in the Middle East that often appears on jewelry and household items. It symbolizes the hand of G-d, a sign of protection, luck, fortune, etc., wards away evil. Like, you'd hang a hamsa charm on your front door to keep away negative energy, wear a hamsa charm on a necklace/keychain for good luck, and a lot of drivers have hamsa charms on their rearview mirrors for protection.

Pretty cool that Druckmann's tapped such a symbolic and deeply reverent part of Middle Eastern iconography for the sequel."

If there's one thing we know, it's that we are AMPED about this game! The gameplay looked so fluid, the graphics - stunning, the characters? Immersive. This is shaping up to be the sequel The Last of Us deserves.

The Last of Us Part 2 is predicted to launch 2018 for PlayStation 4 players.