Much of The Last of Us: Part 2's story takes place in Seattle as Ellie hunts down Abby. While the critical and fan response to The Last of Us: Part 2 has been somewhat mixed, no one can deny the fact that the developers at Naughty Dog clearly worked hard to create a realistic, life-like environment.
This begs the question, however, as to how accurate The Last of Us: Part 2’s portrayal of the Washington city of Seattle really is. However, by making some comparisons to real life locations, it's easy to see that the game gets it pretty close.
While The Last of Us: Part 2 is not an open world game, it often gives players that feeling, particularly when exploring through Seattle as Ellie, since there is much to do and see. Coupled by the animations in The Last of Us: Part 2, which are wonderfully detailed and crisp, the game's Seattle segments provide for a truly immersive experience, one which is made even better by the fact that Naughty Dog obviously put in the effort to make the game's world so clearly resemble Seattle.
How Naughty Dog Paid Close Attention To Seattle’s Details
The similarities between The Last of Us: Part 2's Seattle and the real-world counterpart are striking. A comparison video posted to YouTube by ElAnalistaDeBits showing side-by-side images of the real-life Seattle and the post-apocalyptic version in The Last of Us: Part 2 is extremely telling. Entire streets and corners look exactly the same, minus the city’s degradation in the video game due to its context, even down to the trim on buildings and the placement of trees.
The Last of Us: Part 2 used various real-life buildings. For instance, Ellie needs to go to the courthouse in order to find fuel, and this courthouse resembles a functioning courthouse which operates in Seattle today. Perhaps even cooler, the Seattle Public Library, distinct for its unique shape and glass and steel frame, looks the exact same in The Last of Us: Part 2, though Ellie can easily walk by it, missing it entirely. Similarly, when walking along the abandoned highway, players can spot the Polyclinic Madison Center, though its signage is missing in the video game and half of the windows are broken in.
Seattle isn’t the first city that The Last of Us franchise has gone to great lengths to accurately portray. In the first game, Ellie and Joel spend a portion of their time in Pittsburgh. Players must enter via 376 West and are later forced off the main road, all of which look similar to its real-life counterparts in side-by-side images. The yellow bridge featured in the game’s Pittsburgh, for instance, is scarily similar to the real-life one. Similarly, once Ellie and Joel reach Salt Lake City, players can find buildings inspired by their real-life locations, including Salt Lake Temple, a gothic-style church from the 19th century belonging to the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints.
Regardless of how players feel about the franchise, it’s clear that Naughty Dog played close attention to the details of The Last of Us game environments, particularly when it comes to Seattle in The Last of Us: Part 2.