How The Last Of Us 2 Adds A New Dimension To Stealth

We recently got hands-on with the much anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive The Last Of Us Part II. One element that’s making a significant change to how gameplay will flow in the sequel is the inclusion of enemy dogs. These canine foes will make stealth much more challenging and involved this time around.

GameSpot editor Phil Hornshaw spoke to the game’s co-director Anthony Newman, and Phil noted that–during his gameplay session–he couldn’t just watch enemies for their patrol routes and take them out safely because they’re a lot more proactive. But that’s not the only reason why stealth is tougher.

Newman noted, “In stealth gameplay, in almost every stealth game you’ve ever played, the goal is to just stay out of sight. If you just stay out of sight, if you just hang back, you’ll be fine. What I’m really excited about with attack dogs is that not only do they create an interesting melee challenge, an interesting aiming challenge where they’re so fast and low to the ground it can be really difficult to aim at them, but by sniffing out your trail, you can’t do that anymore. You can’t just hang back.”

From Phil’s experience, enemy dogs force you to be more mobile, but you can distract them by throwing objects to make noise or keep moving to break your scent trail. Newman continued, “You can’t just remain unseen because now there’s this new dimension of perception that you’ve never had to deal with before. You’ve always had to try to stay quiet; always had to try to stay out of sight. Now you actually have to worry about the sense of smell of your enemies as well. I’m really excited about that new dimension that’s opened up.”

We have the game covered from every angle; be sure to read our in-depth The Last Of Us Part II preview and watch our hands-on impressions from the preview event. Sony’s recent State of Play livestream showed new gameplay from The Last of Us Part II which also hinted at the involvement and roles of some very important returning characters.

This is going to be a big game, and it was revealed that The Last of Us Part II will come on two discs, a rarity for PS4 games. Special editions of the game are flying off shelves, and if you manage to get one, you’ll get a heartfelt note from co-director Neil Druckmann. The Last Of Us Part II launches on February 21, 2020 exclusively for PS4.

If you still want to hear more about The Last of Us Part II, check out the latest episode of the GameSpot After Dark podcast.