The Last of Us 2 Player Points Out Easily Missable Joel Reference

gamerant.com:

The Last of Us 2 is critically acclaimed for many reasons, with its storytelling and Naughty Dog’s attention to detail both being consistent points of praise. Recently, a fan of The Last of Us 2 highlighted a detail that seemingly combines both of these strengths.

The Last of Us 2’s narrative, much like the first game, is built entirely around the relationship between Joel and Ellie. Instead of telling a story that is ultimately about love, though, the sequel focuses primarily on the concepts of violence and revenge. This is reflected in the tone of the game’s scenes, with both Ellie and the player constantly reminded of the tragic events that take place near the start of The Last of Us 2. As it turns out, one of these reminders is extremely subtle.

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Early on in Ellie’s story, players will have to find a gate code, with gamers eventually coming across a member of the WLF that Tommy tortured for information. This dead member of Abby’s faction had eventually given up the info, writing the code in their own blood on the floor. The numbers can be seen in the image above, with the bottom portion of the code being 7302. However, the decision to frame these numbers upside down made Reddit user xX_melog_Xx see the name Joel.

While this could simply be a case of pareidolia, with the player seeing exactly what they are hoping to, most commenters believe this was done intentionally. After all, The Last of Us 2 is full of subtle details and carefully hidden secrets that players have picked up on months and years after release. Further, Naughty Dog could have just shown the numbers facing upward, but the developer chose to frame the scene this way. Given how much