Naughty Dog's 'The Last Of Us' heavily influences 'A Plague Tale: Innocence'

The Last Of Us II — "The Last Of Us Part II" is a game developed by Naught Dog and was announced on December 2016. Facebook/The Last Of Us 2

The appeal of “The Last Of Us 2” is arguably heavily dependent on the relationship between Joel and Ellie as they try to get themselves safely across their infested world. A new title in the gaming world, “A Plague Tale: Innocence,” plays on the same sort of equation but in a new and rarely discussed setting.

As noted by Games Radar, the main premise of the game is for gamers to play Amicia, who must get her younger brother Hugo to safety. The setting is 14th century France, and Inquisitors are searching for both central characters during the day. At night, they must steer clear of the devouring rats that infest the city.

Hugo, as much as Amicia tries to keep his innocence intact, is more already a lost cause. Amicia's killing of the Inquisitors, which is essential to their survival, have a growing and amoral effect on Hugo. His environment is also to blame. The publication spoke with Kevin Choteau, the lead game designer of Asobo Studio, and pointed out the similarities with Naughty Dog’s “The Last Of Us” franchise.

“‘The Last Of Us’ is an absolute reference for us,” he admitted. “We are a huge fan of Naughty Dog’s work and it’s certainly one of the things that made us react the most in recent years. All this discussion about ‘The Last Of Us’ with what it does with emotions has certainly been a huge influence on what we’re trying to do here.”

Much how Ellie was learning how to survive from the actions of Joel, Hugo will be watching every move as the players control Amicia. It is not clear at this point whether or not the main protagonist will attempt to hide the horrors of their world from Hugo, or if she will eventually teach him that killing is necessary for their own benefit.

In the upcoming game, players learn that the siblings come from a noble family. Their father is killed mercilessly by the Inquisition. It remains a mystery where their mother is, a woman who was doing research on what is speculated to have centred on the rat plague. Hugo, as Choteau confirmed, will eventually lose his innocence -- much like Ellie did eventually.

The full parallels between “A Plague Tale: Innocence” and “The Last Of Us” remain unclear at this point. Moreover, it is still a question as to whether or not the game from Asobo Studio will be a success. PC Games has reported that there is currently no release date for the upcoming game.