Naughty Dog is infamous for creating memorable characters; Daxter from the Jak and Daxter trilogy, Crash Bandicoot from the Crash Bandicoot series, and of course, the suave and stylish Nathan Drake from the Uncharted series. No other studio brings a realism to their characters quite like Naughty Dog. From the previous The Last of Us trailers alone, I instantly feel a connection to Ellie and Joel. They both have different personalities, they’re both different ages, and the voice and mo-cap acting is brilliant, allowing them to truly come to life. Recently, Naughty Dog released a new video introducing a new character named Bill, who is played by actor W. Earl Brown (There’s Something About Mary).
I don’t normally get excited over trailers for even the biggest blockbusters of video games unless it’s gameplay, but this particular trailer had me tensed up until it was over.
Bill is a gruff, old man who, essentially, zombie-proofed his house. So, imagine how happy he is to see Joel and Ellie, who just brought zombies into his trap-filled home. Not very. He’s also obviously witnessed someone transform into one of the fungi-like mutants, because he searches Joel for cuts, bites, and plants growing out of his body. A big question on peoples’ minds is how the infected actually got infected. Was it through an airborn virus? Drinking water being poisoned? Naughty Dog hasn’t given us any details on that, and chances are, they’re keeping that little tidbit locked up tight. However, we now know that, in stereotypical zombie fashion, the infection can be spread through the infected biting their victims. Although Bill wasn’t taking any chances with the airborne part, as he was a gasmask in the trailer.
In the trailer, the mission at hand revolves around getting a new set of wheels so Joel and Ellie can get out of the NYC. It’s not certain whether or not this trailer is set before or after the gameplay demo shown off at E3; actually, it’s not even certain this is set after the Ambush trailer, but one thing is for sure; if all the characters are as vibrant and varied as the three revealed so far, this will turn out to be the crown jewel of Naughty Dog’s collection.