Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed (yet highly divisive) The Last of Us Part 2 will assuredly be in the running for game of the year 2020 but it certainly won’t be winning any accolades for its feel-good story. Ellie and Abby’s hate-fuelled tale of revenge set against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic America is so relentlessly bleak, in fact, that you’ll likely find yourself in need of some feel-good entertainment immediately following the game’s conclusion as a means of detox, especially given how the story finally comes to an end.
But wait; hold the phone – it appears as if the tragic conclusion to Ellie’s journey may not be the tearjerker many had initially interpreted it to be, after all. As spotted by one user over on Twitter, an otherwise inconspicuous comment found on one of many video reviews for the sequel suggest Ellie got a happy-ever after-ending with Dina, and it’s all thanks to a bracelet.
As the comment and images below describe, Ellie’s bracelet, given to her by Dina, is noticeably missing from her right arm when she departs on her final mission to kill Abby in retribution for Joel’s murder. Ellie ultimately manages to break the cycle of violence by letting Abby go free and later returns back to her home only to find that the settlement’s inhabitants have gone and seemingly abandoned her in the process. In this scene, however, Ellie is shown once again wearing her bracelet and, what’s more, doesn’t appear to be visibly distressed or surprised to find that her friends and family are no longer present.
The implication, then, is that these events take place long after Ellie’s encounter with Abby and that the former has since reconciled with Dina, with this visit simply being a means to gather up some belongings accidentally left behind in the original exodus.
Believable? Absolutely. Factual? Who knows. Despite fans’ best attempts to get him to comment, The Last of Us Part 2 director and writer Neil Druckmann has yet to acknowledge the theory’s accuracy, but what do you think? Is this the original message Naughty Dog had intended or the result of a simple oversight? Let us know in the usual place below!
