While The Last of Us 2 features some meaningful scenes where Joel and Ellie spend time together, fans never get to see them playing the guitar in unison. However, one The Last of Us 2 fan has made this moment a reality.
The guitar is crucial to the plot of The Last of Us 2, as it features in some of the game’s most important scenes. At the opening of the game, Joel smooths things over with Ellie by singing for her and playing the guitar – something that she had always wanted to see him do. The moment is an emotional introduction to a story that would take some major risks with Joel and Ellie’s relationship, and it also sets the stage for one of the key symbols of the sequel.
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Given the guitar’s importance at the start of the story, throughout the game, and in The Last of Us 2’s final scene, it makes sense that a fan would want to pay tribute to the guitar playing in Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic game. Reddit user RipleyintheDarkRoom shows off a gorgeous digital art piece that is made completely in black and white, mimicking the cover art color scheme from The Last of Us Remastered. The art piece fits with the tone of the series, and it does a terrific job of capturing the franchise’s two most popular characters.
Wanted to see Joel and Ellie play together, so I made this from
thelastofus
As mentioned in the comments, the entire piece is drawn using a 6b pencil brush, with only the firefly symbol and The Last of Us logo being stencils. Joel and Ellie, as well as the guitars and background, were made by RipleyintheDarkRoom. As for the scenes used for inspiration, the artist confirms that Ellie’s image was based off her moment with Dina in the record store. As for Joel, the inspiration comes from his first performance for Ellie. Both characters are incredibly detailed, with amazing shading used to make their faces and clothes look natural.
Part of what makes the moment so special is that players never actually got the chance to see Joel and Ellie play guitar together. While the commenter nortonhearsahoot is correct that they would have had to do it at some point, as Ellie becomes extremely skilled at guitar playing, fans never get the chance to experience what would have undoubtedly been an amazing moment. While there is a small chance that a Joel flashback in The Last of Us 3 could show this scene, it is currently up to players to imagine what it would have looked like.
For now, this art piece and the two characters singing together in The Last of Us 2’s credits are the closest fans can get. Thankfully, RipleyintheDarkRoom does a stellar job of capturing the off-screen moment.
The Last of Us 2 is available now on PS4.
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