An unused conversation between Joel and Ellie in The Last Of Us 2 has been unearthed and pieced together.
It has now been more than a year since the launch of The Last Of Us Part 2. Despite it being a linear game with no multiplayer elements, it keeps on giving. Its free PS5 update arrived a short while ago, and now its players have discovered unused dialogue from the game. Dialogue that continues to add layers to Joel and Ellie's relationship.
The dialogue between the game's two main characters surrounds Ellie's tattoo. The one she has on her arm to cover up her bite that she previously tried to hide by burning it with acid. The meaning behind the tattoo used in the finished game is inspired by Joel's guitar. However, these few lines give it a different origin.
RELATED: Matthew McConaughey Would Have Made A Terrible Joel In The Last Of Us
Joel reveals to Ellie that he has been reading the Savage Starlight comic. He then asks her if the hero's moth hologram inspired her tattoo. Ellie says “maybe”, calling Joel judgy in the process. YouTuber Evil Banana 202 appears to have been the one who initially discovered the lines, and Reddit user taegukie managed to piece those lines together.
(Unused dialogue) Joel and Ellie talk about her moth tattoo from
thelastofus
“It just took a bit of work to make sense of everything because turns out Joel’s lines weren’t in a logical order and a lot of Ellie’s lines seem to be missing,” taegukie explained on Reddit. They have added that the dialogue might not actually be missing and that Ellie's responses to Joel's questions about her tattoo were supposed to be short. It's thought the interaction would have taken place during a flashback when the pair go looking for guitar strings, at which point Joel and Ellie's relationship was already pretty fractured.
It's fascinating to hear this kind of thing. Alternative thoughts and plans The Last Of Us's creators had for what is a pretty major part of the sequel's story. Ellie and Joel's connection through music is an integral part of the game, so changing the meaning of Ellie's tattoo would have been a pretty major decision. As touching an interaction as the above clip is, connecting the tattoo to music makes a lot more sense.
NEXT: FIFA Makes Enough From Ultimate Team To Follow eFootball's Lead