Dedicated The Last of Us Part II players have discovered that an easter egg in the end credits awaits anyone who completes the game the new Grounded difficulty. The mode was added to the game only recently in a free update for players. It significantly increases the difficulty of the game, makes enemies smarter, limits collectible materials, and even removes the in-game HUD. The update also added a permadeath mode, where one death in-game sees all progress erased.
The Last of Us Part II is one of the most divisive games in recent memory. Many critics, including Screen Rant's own, adored the title and lauded its immersive combat and heartrending story. That same story caused a lot of hatred and rage from other players who were disgusted at certain story beats and decisions made by characters that they didn't agree with. The debate spurred by this game is a truly intense one, but despite some pretty severe review-bombing, it's one of the fastest-selling PS4 exclusives of all time.
Despite the controversy still surrounding the title, it has a lot of fans. If it didn't, then it's unlikely that someone would have already beaten the game on the Grounded difficulty and found an easter egg waiting for them in the credits. But that's just what Twitter user BeingHuman1993 discovered. After playing the game all the way through on this wildly heightened difficulty mode, the fan found that the character Joel performed the song "Future Days" by Pearl Jam all the way through as the credits rolled. This is a callback to an emotional scene early in the game, when Joel gifts Ellie with a guitar and sings just the start of the song before stopping.
Upon finding this news, another Twitter user pointed out that playing the game on any permadeath difficulty will result in Joel singing "Through The Valley" over the credits. Given how recently Grounded and permadeath were added to The Last of Us Part II, and how wildly difficult they make the game, it's pretty impressive how quickly enthusiastic players were able to find these secrets. It really is a testament to how many fans this game has.
Easter eggs like this are always an admirable and lovely way for developers to give back to the fans who love and support them. Anyone with the dedication necessary to beat an already difficult game like The Last of Us Part II with such extraordinary restrictions deserves a special little reward for their efforts. If any devoted fans of The Last of Us Part II are waiting to dive back in and try a challenge like none that have come before, Naughty Dog has given them some truly special motivation.
The Last of Us Part II is available now on the PlayStation 4.
Source: BeingHuman1993/Twitter