The Last of Us Part II trailer may be the most brutal and brilliant ever released

Warning: The video above contains graphic animated violence that may disturb.

The second trailer has been released for The Last of Us Part II, showcasing extreme brutality and teasing the brilliance fans are expecting in the game.

It also shows that the first trailer, released in December, may have been somewhat of a red herring.

Developer Naughty Dog released the new video during PlayStation's showcase event at the Paris Games Week.

The intense clip includes torture and murder displayed so graphically it has caused controversy. In the world of violent videogame marketing, that's quite an achievement.

That content represents the very grim, uncompromising nature of The Last of Us that made it such a success. It's an adult game and it takes seriously what life would be like in a post-apocalyptic world, which is anything but pleasant.

There are several characters showcased in the trailer, none of whom are Joel and Ellie - the protagonists of the first game, the add-on Left Behind and the first Part II trailer.

A second video released features creative director Neil Druckmann discussing Part II and the new technology it uses to make everything look so lifelike.

He also suggests that the game will not focus on the two characters most well-known to fans.

"The Last of Us at its heart is about Joel and Ellie and their journey, but it's also an ensemble piece," says Druckmann.

"This time we wanted to focus on some of the other really important characters."

Druckmann adds that Naughty Dog won't be revealing more about the game's narrative or new characters for now, instead allowing the five-minute video to do the talking and let its mysteries remain unsolved.

"We talked about the theme of 'hate' and how much this story revolves around that. [The new trailer] in a lot of ways speaks to that and instead of giving you an adjacent puzzle piece about Ellie and Joel's journey, we wanted to go somewhere else and give you something else, and to see how people make the connections."

The Last of Us Part II looks even better than fans could have been hoping for, and will be released in 2018.

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