The Last of Us 3: Why Catalina Island is Likely to Play a Major Role

Now that there’s confirmation of a general concept for The Last of Us 3‘s story, it’s highly likely that Catalina Island will play a major role in the game. Although The Last of Us 3 is still in its early stages, featuring Catalina Island is almost a guarantee after the events of the previous game.

The location was never officially featured in The Last of Us 2, but Catalina Island played an important part in Abby’s story. Near the end of the game during the Santa Barbara chapter, Abby and Lev venture into a basement where they find a radio. To their relief, the radio picks up a signal from a group of supposed Fireflies who have set up a new headquarters on Catalina Island. Thanks to a Rattler ambush stopping Abby and Lev from reaching their new safe haven, the island was never seen in the game. However, a simple change to the game’s menu screen after completing the story hints at Abby and Lev making it to their destination.

Catalina Island Could Return In The Last of Us 3

After completing the story, the game’s menu screen changes. Originally, the menu screen was an old boat wading in dreary, gray water, but after the game is completed, the menu screen changes to a boat beached on the shores of what appears to be Catalina Island. The ending of The Last of Us 2 showed Abby and Lev riding off via boat, presumably towards Catalina Island, and this change in the menu screen implies that the two made it.

Catalina Island’s Role

If Abby and Lev did indeed make it safely to Catalina Island, then The Last of Us 3 has no choice but to explore their journey further. The relationship the two began to form throughout the events of The Last of Us 2 was incredibly compelling, and it would be a shame for Naughty Dog to not see that through. It’s likely that The Last of Us 3 will switch back and forth between stories again if Abby is alive, and getting a deeper look into life on Catalina Island would be exciting.

Life On Catalina Island

The radio message Abby and Lev received in the basement in Santa Barbara held a lot of promise, claiming that the new version of the Fireflies was growing strong in numbers and seemingly thriving on the island. If the radio message is legit, seeing how Abby and Lev adjust to life on a thriving island would be an interesting contrast to their previous lives which were filled with rigid rules and danger. The lore of The Last of Us is some of the most fascinating to be brought to life in modern gaming, and Catalina Island would offer more opportunities to learn about the Fireflies and how they have managed to survive through all the chaos.

Abby and Lev’s Story Continues

The Last of Us can’t abandon Abby’s story just yet, since it would be compelling to see how the events of the last game shaped her. After the final fight between Abby and Ellie at the end of The Last of Us 2, Abby offered to take Ellie with them, but the offer was rejected. Although Abby knew she was responsible for hurting Ellie in some horrible ways, she still offered a helping hand at the end, showing that the events she had gone through had started to change her.

A major theme in The Last of Us 2 is how hollow revenge can ultimately be, and Abby now knows this, so it would be interesting to see how she handles living with this knowledge. Although the character was incredibly divisive at the game’s launch, time has revealed what a terrifically written character she is. The complexity of Abby makes her truly fascinating, and her assumed arrival on Catalina Island hints that the island will be a major setting in The Last of Us 3.

The Last of Us Part 2

Franchise

The Last of Us

Released

June 19, 2020

Engine

Proprietary

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs

How Long To Beat

24 Hours

Metascore

93