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The Last of Us Part II was finally released worldwide on 19th June, and players finally got to pick up the story from first part. The original game is considered a proper masterpiece, and one of the best games ever.
Following up such a classic is a monumental task for any game developer. Naughty Dog, however, was up to the task, living up to their reputation of consistently delivering critically acclaimed games back-to-back.
The Last of Us Part II has split the fanbase right down the middle, and a critics score of 95 lies in stark contrast with an abysmal negative user rating of 4.1 on Metacritic. A large portion of the fan backlash towards Last of Us Part II has been a result of supposed ill-treatment of certain fan-favorites and alleged identity politics.
Reports emerged that many users who had bombed the reviews of The Last of Us Part II had not even played the game. However, there is also another section of the audience that has legitimate problems with the game, and is severely disappointed by the sequel.
A lot of the disappointment stemmed from the narrative of Last of Us Part II, and some gameplay elements. However, the game also has 10/10 perfect scores from a lot of critics, and a lot of players swear by the game being a dark and intense masterpiece.
So, what is it? A masterpiece or a complete disappointment? Find out as we talk about the game in full detail; discussing the story and gameplay of The Last of Us Part II.
The Last of Us Part II: Full Spoiler Review
The introduction to the game and the controversy surrounding Joel's death
The game begins with Joel explaining to Tommy the events at the end of The Last of Us, and perfectly sets up the main conflict of the game without giving much away. What follows is a slow burn, with gameplay that is meant to teach the players new mechanics like Dodge, and a recap of old mechanics.
Players are also introduced to the mysterious Abby, who is also headed to Tommy's settlement in Jackson. Players get to control Abby, who is a more significantly powerful human than both Joel and Ellie.
Her combat is brutal, swift and heavy, the gameplay perfectly illustrating how much of a dominant physical presence Abby is. This initial setup for her character is brilliant, and serves as a great introduction to her character.
The game's slow burn crescendos in what is probably one of the most widely-discussed and brutal scenes of The Last of Us Part II, where, Joel — despite helping out Abby — is shot in the legs and captured by Abby and her group.
Abby brutalises and slowly tortures Joel, and Ellie arrives just in time to watch her kill him with a golf club. This is one of the most controversial scenes of The Last of Us Part II, with many fans complaining that Joel's death was used for shock value and did not do justice to his character.
However, we believe this sets up the tone of the game perfectly and his unceremonious and brutal death scene serves as the primary motivation for Ellie as she seeks vengeance.
Many a games today will focus on player choice and freedom, letting the player make the decisions. However, The Last of Us Part II is a narrative-driven experience that only lets us play as these characters, as the game make decisions that are not in the player's control.
This also leads to several questionable decisions taken by characters, like Tommy and Joel revealing their names to Abby and the group.
The story and narrative themes of The Last of Us Part II
Ellie then sets off for Seattle after she discovers that Abby is part of the WLF (Washington Liberation Front), and seeks to kill everyone involved with Joel's torture and death.
What follows is a grueling 3 days in Seattle, where Ellie must traverse the post-apocalypse landscape and gain retribution against the people who wronged her. The city serves as the main location for The Last of Us Part II, and is decidedly grim and weighs down on both the player and character.
The main themes of The Last of Us Part II revolve around the cycle of hate, violence and revenge, and how they ultimately don't result in any good.
Later in the game, Ellie discovers that Abby and her group were part of the Firefly crew in St Mary's Hospital, and the latter's father was the surgeon Joel murdered. Abby's story mirrors the same themes of Ellie's quest for vengeance.
The Last of Us Part II's flashbacks, where users get to play as a younger Ellie, are some of the best sequences in the game, and offer much-needed insight into Joel and Ellie's relationship post the events of the first game.
Thematically, the gameplay works well to showcase the brutality of the story with regards to character deaths and its consequences. As Ellie murders most of Abby's crew, she is confronted by Abby in the theatre Ellie had been using as her hideout.
Playing as Abby was a major point of contention for detractors of the game
After the confrontation, players get to play as Abby. This is one of the primary points of contention for players who are disappointed with the The Last of Us Part II. Fans felt a lot of resistance playing as the character who killed off one of their favourite characters.
The Last of Us Part II, though, makes users play as Abby and see the version of events through her perspective. This is ultimately a brave and bold move from Naughty Dog, as they drive home their points regarding the cycle of violence and hate.
While the narrative is ambitious, Naughty Dog makes extremely bold decisions with regards to character choices and fates. The Last of Us benefitted from a tighter scrope and was ultimately a more focused narrative experience.
The Last of Us Part II isn't a trek across America, but rather a revenge-fueled epic that takes place over multiple timelines and lets you experience different perspectives.
Both Abby and Ellie lose everyone they love as a direct result of their obsession with vengeance and retribution, and nothing ever gets solved. The game drives home this point multiple times, especially with the ending, which will be discussed later.
The gameplay and graphics of The Last of Us Part II
From a technical standpoint, Naughty Dog doesn't leave much to be desired in the way of graphics, sound design and art direction. The game sounds and looks beautiful, and is a technical powerhouse.
The Last of Us Part II introduces several new gameplay mechanics that spice up combat encounters. Both Ellie and Abby play differently, with Abby's moveset allowing for more loud combat, and Ellie more efficient in stealth.
The Dodge mechanic and the ability to go Prone go a long way in adding more layers to the game's combat. However, the dedicated Jump button, apart from certain scripted sequences, has little to no use.
While combat has been revamped significantly, it doesn't take too long for the same to wear down on the player and game fatigue to set in. Thematically, the combat works perfectly to illustrate the consequences of violence, but in gameplay terms, it can get repetitive.
The game plays much like the first edition, and all enemy encounters play out much the same way. However, the larger combat areas go a long way in making it interesting at the very least.
The ending and final verdict on The Last of Us Part II
While the game's decision to have players control Abby and experience her story was a bold move, it is not going to be well-received by a majority of the fanbase. However, if the player keeps an open mind, her story arc is ultimately one of the best aspects of the game.
For her, Joel, Ellie and her group come across as the ultimate bad guys, with Ellie killing off her friends. Along the way, she helps a couple of Seraphite kids who are being hunted by the cult.
This story arc is one of the strongest aspects of Last of Us Part II, and ultimately somewhat redeems Abby in the player's eyes. But, it is not going to sit well with the players that the game chooses to humanise Abby.
A lot of players are also disappointed with The Last of Us Part II's ending, as Ellie eventually allows Abby to go, and does not avenge Joel's death. However, it is somewhat of a perfect point at which to end the game.
With Ellie's decision to go after Abby causing Dina to leave with their child, Ellie loses everything she holds dear in the end. This perfectly drives home the point of violence and revenge never leading to anything good, and has consequences beyond the person's control.
The game, ultimately, will not please everyone and their disappointment is completely justified. The narrative, although ambitious, takes too much away from the momentum The Last of Us Part II builds with the character perspective shift.
However, a lot of fans will appreciate the truly powerful story that is told in The Last of Us Part II. In the end, the game might not be a masterpiece for everyone who plays the game, but it is far from a complete disappointment.
The Last of Us Part II is still a great game that might be one of the best games of this generation. The ending is heartbreaking, as Ellie had remarked in the previous game that she is "scared of ending up alone", and ultimately, this is what happens.
