The Last of Us was praised hugely for its story, characters, and depiction of a brutal dog-eat-dog world. The Last of Us Part 2 has so far chosen to focus on one very specific part of that – the killing. The newest trailer shows Ellie taking the reins from Joel and picking up with the violence that left her so disturbed in the first game.

Near the end of The Last of Us, Joel finds Ellie crying after a traumatic run-in that forced her to kill two men. Of the two of them, Joel was the rock in the relationship, and Ellie was the reluctant one coming up in the world. Not so much anymore. The first trailer that came out a year ago showed much the same, with Ellie covered in blood and stating she was going to “to find and to kill every last one of them.”

The who isn’t much hinted at, and the why isn’t yet either. It is possible, like fans have speculated, that something will happen to Joel, which is why he is so absent from the spotlight in all three trailers for the game. However, he is clearly alive and speaking to Ellie in the first trailer after she has decided to go on a murder spree. Naughty Dog also teased him in the newest trailer, with a reference to her “old man” being thrown about.

Surely, The Last of Us Part 2 isn’t just going to close that chapter without some explanation. But for now, Joel seems like he will be with the living, at least for a little while. The new trailer has introduced a new character that might meet the chopping block, however. Ellie’s love interest, whom she shares a kiss with, might be one of the many victims that fall to bandits or killers. Ellie and Joel are a part of a new group, that much is evident, but clearly something will go wrong to break the peace that they have. The jump cut from loving kiss to murderous violence could also imply that it is this woman’s death that sparks the mayhem that follows.

The trailer also reiterated for a third time that The Last of Us Part 2 will be particularly gory and violently. Like the first game, the emphasis on survival is made stronger by the brutality of the people in the world. The creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann, has stated that violence is a key component of the games. How characters interact with it, and are forced to use it, is important. It also helps that it is pretty fun for most players to brutally kill a guy they just watched disembowel someone.

The trailer showcases many newer or polished mechanics. For instance, Ellie can fire from a prone position now, and she can also grab and utilize weapons while running. Holding enemies hostage has been made easier – or at least more intense – with better movement controls. Stealth has also been reimagined in the game. Ellie will now have degrees of stealth provided by her surroundings. Stealth will determine how far enemies can spot her from, with the more coverage allowing enemies to get closer without seeing her. Enemies can also now whistle to one another to convey danger, instead of everyone sort of aggroing all at once.

While all of this exciting, two things are still left completely unanswered.

1) Where the hell is Joel, and do we get to play him?

2) What is the release date for The Last of us Part 2?

Unfortunately, Naughty Dog hasn’t given any answers to either question yet, so we’ll just have to keep waiting.