With all the controversy leading up to the launch of The Last of Us Part 2, there is one thing that cannot possibly be denied: the game is a technical showcase. Along with the story and gameplay, the detailed world and graphical fidelity is part of the reason The Last of Us Part 2 reviewed so well. And now, a month and a half after release, the studio animator is sharing information how the realism was achieved.
Leading up to the launch of the game, it is was becoming apparent that The Last of Us Part 2 would have stunning facial animations. For anyone who played the full game, it become impossible to ignore the details. Not only are the character models photo-realistic, the emotion on the face of each character is intricate. Whether Ellie is mulling over artwork in a room or Abby is showing distress in her eyes, each emotion looks and feels genuine, and this is because Naughty Dog built subtle facial reactions to basically everything in the game, creating what could be considered the most realistic rendering of in-game characters a game has yet seen.
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In the PS Blog post, Keith Paciello, the studio animator, talks about how the photo-realism in facial animation was achieved. He points out the fact that Naughty Dog collaborated with multiple teams during the development, and how 25 key characters (from leads to partners to even the infected) have a range of nearly 20 different emotional states in The Last of Us Part 2. He explains the process in the most straightforward of ways, as the actual development of the game took around six years.
Paciello talks about one instance in the game that many players could have easily missed. In Seattle, towards the beginning of The Last of 2, players are in control of Ellie as she is walking through a room that has some paintings in it. Ellie makes incredibly subtle facial expressions when looking at the artwork. The game is designed so that the camera turns to look directly at Ellie for what Paciello calls a “look at target” moment. When she sees the artwork, he animated small eye darts within her facial idles to indicate a thought process, and her mouth opens just slightly. This subtle but realistic animation creates the look of someone focusing and processing thought.
Paciello claims that “everyone was stepping up their game for TLOUII.” It shows, as the amount of detail in each moment, that could easily be passed over by players, is why The Last of Us 2 face model actors break down in tears when they see themselves in the game, because it’s just that real.
The remarkably strong cast of The Last of Us 2 exists thanks to strong storytelling, amazing voice acting, and wonderful writing. But the detail in the facial animation is just as important. The characters’ struggles are believable because it is visible on their faces. And that advancement in video game design is something that can be celebrated by all.
The Last of Us 2 is out for PS4.
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Source: PlayStation
