Contrary to popular belief, it turns out that players do not have to kill Bear the dog in The Last of Us Part II. Naughty Dog’s sequel to 2013’s The Last of Us released on June 19, 2020, and is set five years after the events of the first game. While Last of Us 2’s gameplay received decent reviews, the game still sparked some controversy among reviewers, such as Naughty Dog’s depiction of violence, which dominated trailers and gameplay showcases.
Regardless, The Last of Us Part II has received a tremendous amount of attention in the months leading up to its release and continues to spark said attention after its launch. The Last of Us Part II continues the story-driven content content established by its predecessor, forcing players to make difficult choices in terms of how they deal with conflict. The tale focuses on an apocalyptic situation occurring within the United States, though, mentions little-to-nothing about the rest of the world, sparking theories that may or may not explain the state of other countries.
According to Gamesradar, players do not have to kill Bear the dog in Last of Us2, a presumably forced act that many detractors cite in their criticisms of the game. The publication suggests gamers should avoid killing the recurring character so he will show up in a later section of the game. Should players avoid killing him when playing as Ellie, they will be able to “pet and play catch with Bear before heading out for patrol” when playing as Abby after the story transitions to her point of view.
There’s a common idea among storytellers, particularly in the literary and cinematic fields, that suggests fans are among the most loyal consumers if creators tell a compelling story. However, one sure way to take advantage of – and most likely destroy – that loyalty is to show the death of a dog in the narrative. Fans will stay with creators when human characters die, even when the idea of billions of deaths (think Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope with the destruction of Alderaan) rears its ugly head. Kill the dog, however, and fans will burn a writer’s house down.
This isn’t to say that the death of a dog is an unused trope within storytelling ventures. Indeed, the action does occasionally occur to punch the audience in the gut with a deluge of emotions. The Last of Us Part II making the death of a dog a potential situation isn’t an obscure implementation, though, it’s certainly a risky one considering people’s love of animals. Even games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare feature the killing of attack dogs, but players have no emotional investment in or attachment to them.
The Last of Us Part II is available on PlayStation 4.
Source: Gamesradar
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