Countless story behind Lev’s voice in “The Last Part II”

Before you know it Enter Lev Last letter II, you see his arrows pierce the cheek of a man about to hit Leven’s sister Yarari with a hammer. Lev’s introduction is nothing subtle. He is quick and calculated, wandering among the trees in the dark like a spirit, or perhaps even a small wild animal, to hide and escape from a religious cult that has tried to escape his sister.

Abby — the antihero and divisive focus of the last half of the game — is squeezed by the neck and loses her life and is just seconds away when she first hears Lev. When her sharp, quick, high-pitched, anxious voice calls her sister’s name, she is selling herself over a stone barricade with the ease of a 13-year-old boy, drawing a bow, inserting an arrow. Abby thinks she is saved.

Lev looks at his sister, and then at Abby – his head shaved, his forehead bent, his mouth mouthed – not sure if he should cut Abby down, as his people have long been at war with his people in a post-apocalyptic struggle to control Seattle. a world destroyed by infections.

So when Yara orders Levi to cut him off, Lev uses his voice to back off. “He’s one of them,” he says. But Yara is stubborn. He needs to be saved. All life is price. Lev does what he’s told, albeit reluctantly, and when Abby is released, the three of them begin a rough night’s journey.

I: There are two sides to every story

Lev is a secondary character Last letter II, probably the most divisive and most talked about game in the last generation was released a year ago. Players get into Abby’s skin in the last half of the game as he embarks on a path to recovery. But the story of Lev, a 13-year-old transgender teenager who is forced into exile when his community rejects him, is even more appealing.

He flees from Lev Seraphim, an authoritarian religious cult whose members fulfill strict pre-determined roles. She has challenged her role as the wife of the old seraphim, and has beheaded her, a decision reserved for men. By thus regaining his identity, he puts himself and his family in danger.

“One of the things we wanted to explore was religion, and how religion, especially organized religions, can take on these amazing and horrible things in terms of spirituality, as well as xenophobia and the rejection of certain identities,” says Neil Druckmann, creative director and Naughty Dog, co-chair, game developer. “Every time you do something like that, you want to make sure it’s not tokenism, it’s something that fits the story.”

Lev’s story is riddled with complexity. In a world full of violence and unbearable grief, it is easier to worry about the enemy than to care for others, Lev wants to be left alone to live his truth in peace. He is full of hope and certainty – he certainly knows who he is and the kind of person he wants to become – and in return he demands nothing more than permission. exist. Lev’s story resonates with many in the LGBTQ community because it is a well-known narrative of belonging and survival.

But throughout the game, Lev has gone from being a quiet, reserved boy struggling to find his place in the world to being the most engaging character in the game and the only voice of reason. Actually, the second half The Last of Us II He hangs on to every word of Lev, every action, and every opportunity to recognize his voice.

II: Scars of past lives

The authenticity of the representation was key to reviving Lev. It’s a big challenge for an actor. As a secondary character, Lev’s development is driven by AI as opposed to what the player, like Abby, is doing. Hundreds of lines were registered to report each variable or potential outcome of the game.