Anyone who has started to play The Last of Us Part 2 can see right from its opening moments that guitars are an important symbolic part of this game.
Sony clearly knows this, and that’s why one of the officially licensed products for the game via the PlayStation Gear website is a replica Taylor 314ce Guitar.
It comes at a hefty price tag though. If you want to strum the six string like Joel and Ellie, it’s going to set you back a lot. This item, labeled #1519507 in the PlayStation Gear store, is going to cost you $2,229.
According to the official product description, “Designed and developed in close partnership between Naughty Dog and Taylor, this special edition Taylor 314ce is a direct replica of Ellie’s guitar in The Last of Us Part II, complete with its distinctive rich tobacco sunburst top and a custom moth fretboard inlay in grained ivoroid. Built with solid sapele back and sides and a Sitka spruce top, this model produces a balanced voice across the tonal spectrum with a rich midrange and clear treble notes.”
If that is a little too costly for you, there’s also an officially licensed GS Mini Guitar on sale via the PlayStation Gear store for $699. This guitar is not a replica of Ellie’s instrument in the new game. Instead, it’s a black instrument featuring Ellie’s arm tattoo in white over one side.
The guitar is an important symbolism of Joel and Ellie’s relationship between both the original The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2. Toward the end of the original game, Joel tells Ellie that once they get back to Jackson, he is going to teach her to play the instrument. He clearly makes good on that promise in the sequel, as the game’s reveal trailer showed an older Ellie, covered in blood, expertly plucking the strings.
The Last of Us Part 2 has received nearly universal critical acclaim from game reviewers since its release on June 19. However, it has been review bombed by angry players, who had decided that the game was bad before it ever came out thanks to some leaked spoilers. Sony and Naughty Dog blamed the spoiler leak on a hacker group, stating that it was not a disgruntled employee as many initially believed.
However, that was all either company would say on the matter as the investigation into the origin of the leaks is ongoing.
The Last of Us Part 2 is currently available on the PlayStation 4 console.