Summary
The Last of Us 2presented players with one of the most brutal and heart-wrenching stories in gaming, and the introduction of Abby was first met with much controversy due to her role in the story. However, as the game moved forward andAbby’s backstory was further shown, she was revealed to be an incredibly complex character that allowedThe Last of Us 2to illustrate the game’s morally gray world in an eye-opening way.
Although the character was first met with a lot of criticism from many players when the game first released, the passage of time has brought many fans to understand what an interesting character Abby truly is. It was no secret beforeThe Last of Us 2that the world Joel and Ellie lived in was a brutal landscape, butAbby highlighted the moral challengesthat come with surviving in a post-apocalyptic nightmare that seemingly has no hope. If Abby’s story is continued in a new chapter of the story, it would be better served as one of the main narratives inThe Last of Us 3instead of a side story.
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Abby’s Story is Important to the Fabric of The Last of Us' Future
The Last of Us 2forced players to walk in the shoes of two opposing characters, Ellie and Abby, andThe Last of Us 3should continue this back-and-forth. While the second game was a story about the emptiness of revenge, the next main game would best be suited as a story of forgiveness and accepting the chaos of the world Abby and Ellie inhabit. The tragedy that happened to both Ellie and Abby is magnified by their helplessness in both situations, and a third game would send a powerful message by allowing both characters to heal from the pain both parties have caused to one another.
AfterAbby and Ellie’s fightduring the game’s finale, Abby seemed more open to forgiveness, inviting Ellie to tag along with her and Lev to Catalina Island. However, Ellie clearly had more healing to do before that was a possibility, leaving the two characters to part ways. A third game should still continue to follow both Abby and Ellie on their quests to heal, because the events ofThe Last of Us 2made Abby just as important to the story as Ellie now.
Exploring Abby in a side story or a DLC wouldn’t do the character justice. The ending ofThe Last of Us 2held a great anti-violence messagethat beautifully illustrated the hollowness of vengeance, and Abby was just as much of an important part to that narrative as Ellie. None of the hard work and killing would bring their loved ones back, and this sets upThe Last of Us3for a much more uplifting story than the second chapter. A third game could finally be presented as a story of hope, showing that these two characters who were once filled with hatred and rage can become whole again, but the opportunity would be wasted if the story only focused on Ellie.
Showing the different paths both Abby and Ellie take on their road to healing would be an incredibly compelling story, serving as an uplifting and cathartic mirror tothe bleak brutality ofThe Last of Us 2. This can only be a truly healing story if both characters are involved and showcased evenly. Abby may still be a controversial character to some fans ofThe Last of Us, but she is now as much a part of the fabric of the game’s world as Ellie, and a third game would be able to tell a powerful story by embracing that.
