Naughty Dog reveals how it made The Rat King so scary in The Last of Us 2

A behind-the-scenes video from the mo-cap floor of The Last of Us 2 has revealed more of The Rat King, a mid game boss from Naughty Dog's PS4 exclusive, in action.

The video was posted by Naughty Dog lead animator Jeremy Yates, showing four separate shots of the Rat King's reveal to demonstrate how the sequence was captured via motion capture, and then translated into the game world itself. 

To authentically emulate the Rat King's eldritch mobility, several mo-cap actors were tied together for the performance and, as you can see for yourself, the results are just as terrifying in real life as they are in game. 

Naughty Dog sound designer Beau Anthony Jimenez also offered more insight into how the team built tension via the game's audio, explaining that the studio originally considering leaning on jump scares, but opted for a sequence that built tension much more organically. 

The results of Naughty Dog's efforts, as anyone who has played the boss fight for themselves can tell you, make for a genuinely harrowing encounter, and one that few Last of Us fans will forget anytime soon. 

With the game having almost been out for a month, Naughty Dog is continuing to share "Behind the Moment" videos that present a fresh look at The Last of Us Part 2's development. 

Here's hoping a full making-of documentary is in the cards as we near the inevitable PS5 re-release. 

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