The Last Of Us Part 2 Minigame Removed Over Offensive Artwork

Warning: The Last of Us Part 2 spoilers ahead

The Last of Us Part 2 was certainly one of the most talked about games of 2020 (has it really been that long?), but Ellie's tale of revenge almost had a little more whimsy to it – until playtesters ruined it.

Halfway through the game, players take control of Abby. Up until then, Abby has been the game's primary antagonist and the subject of Ellie’s anger because of, well... you know.

Abby's story is more nuanced than we'd initially have believed, and she's in an on-off relationship with Owen, her childhood sweetheart.

At one point when the two are in an aquarium, Owen is painting Abby. In an initial prototype of the game, Abby was going to be able to pick up the paintbrush and continue the artwork herself.

The Last Of Us Part 2 Testers Show Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

So, why didn’t it make it into the game, like Ellie’s guitar-playing minigame? According to Anthony Vaccaro, Principal Environment Artist at Naughty Dog (thanks, TheGamer), it's because initial testers immediately tried to draw a swastika, a piece of Nazi iconography. Lovely.

"First outside playtest someone drew a swastica [sic] to see if they could," Vaccaro revealed in a tweet. "We swapped to the bow and arrow mini game," he explains.

While the archery section is a fun look at both Abby and Owen's competitiveness and flirtatious banter, we can’t help but feel a nice, artistic interlude may have felt more apt for what is a very tender moment.

In case you've missed it, The Last of Us TV show is out right now.

For more on the series, be sure to check out what we know about a two-hour Director’s Cut of the heartbreaking episode 3, and the potential for a spin-off starring Bill and Frank.