The recent announcement of the remaster of The Last of Us Part 2 has caused new controversy among fans of the game from Naughty Dog. This time the point of contention was the differences between the original and final designs for Abby’s character.
The second part of The Last of Us caused a lot of controversy among fans of the series, and the echoes of some plot decisions still do not subside. Due to the writers’ choices, Abby’s character became one of the most hated in the entire series, but things could have been different, as evidenced by the original concept art that is now experiencing a second youth online.
They depict a completely different Abby than the one that ended up in the game. Many of the comments under the special Reddit post believe that the original design was more like a “dark reflection of Ellie”, which, in their opinion, would have better influenced the perception of the plot. Many also believe that Abby’s more compact appearance in the older sketches adds a certain darkness and depth to her.
However, there were some interesting arguments in defense of Abby’s final design, as well as attacks from fans against others for “focusing on the attractiveness of the character.” As usually happens in online discussions, there are more and less meaningful statements, but the topic is quite interesting. Players, for example, are wondering whether it is even possible or realistic to maintain such an athletic physique in a post-apocalyptic world.
Some also point out that Abby’s appearance does little to change the perception of the character, since her role in the plot of The Last of Us Part 2 essentially dooms her to hostility from fans. Perhaps the situation would be slightly different if we were introduced to the game’s storyline in a slightly different way, but for such changes it is perhaps too late.