'The Last Of Us Part 2' Has Heartbreaking Reference To Sam And Henry

At time time of writing, I've played through The Last Of Us Part II once and have just kicked off a New Game+ playthrough. But despite having played through the game's opening hour twice now, it took the official PlayStation UK Twitter account pointing it out for me to notice that the sequel contains a wonderful reference to two of the first game's best characters.

If you've played The Last Of Us, there's no way you've forgotten Sam and his older brother Henry. Joel and Ellie meet the fellow survivors about halfway through the game, and the four travel together for a time. Ellie and Sam bond over their attempts to maintain some form of youthful innocence in such an ugly world, while Joel and Henry do what they can to keep their younger companions alive.

Things come to a tragic end for Sam, when the group wake up one morning to discover he's been infected. In a heartbreaking scene, it's Henry who pulls the trigger on his little brother... before turning the gun on himself. It's easily one of the most powerful and affecting moments in the game.

Now, PlayStation UK has pointed out that Ellie lives with a constant visual reminder of the brothers in The Last Of Us Part II. As you can see below, Ellie has a Transformers-style action figure sitting on the shelf at her place in Jackson. It's the same toy that she stole for Sam in The Last Of Us. You know, the one she gives him the night before he dies? I'm not crying. You're crying.

I honestly feel like a bit of a chump for not making the connection sooner, but it's an awesome touch from Naughty Dog. The Last Of Us Part II is obviously filled with all manner of Easter eggs and throwbacks to the past designed to tug on the heartstrings and flesh out the characters further.

One I did spot, for instance, was the copy of a book called Space For Dummies on Joel's bedside table. Given Ellie's love for outer space and the emotional distance between the two at the start of the game, I get the feeling Joel was trying to find a way to connect with Ellie. Just another heartbreaking moment in a game full of them, I guess.