The Last of Us Part II

 

Before I begin my review of this game, I think that it is important to address the controversy surrounding it. I will, try to keep spoilers to a minimum but in order for me to be summarise the backlash I have to mentions specific sections of the narrative so be warned when reading this. Firstly, the actions and conduct of Naughty Dog in regard to this game cannot be condoned and are simply immoral. Any quality the game possess simply was not worth the extreme crunch that Naughty Dog placed onto their employees and the company were justly presented in a negative light because of this. The amount of respect I have for the company has diminished since these allegations have surfaced and I hope the next game they release does do not compromise the safety and health of their staff as this one did. With this in mind though, let’s talk about the second piece of controversy, the leaks. I do not believe that leaking an entire geme's plot in order to get back at a company is the right thing to do. Sure, it hurt Naughty Dog in a large way but will not change how the staff are treated. I did my best to avoid the leaks at any cost when they came out because I did not want my reaction to the game to be anything other than organic. As a fan of the series, I love the characters, world, and atmosphere of the original so had high hopes for the second that I did not want to be damaged by learning any information before I had actually played the game. From the noise around the internet both before and at the time of the game’s release, it appears that most people reacted negatively towards them, providing me with another reason to avoid them. The part that baffles me is why these people that claim to be fans of the series decided to read the leaked intel instead of just waiting for the game to be released. I understand how annoying it can be waiting for a new game to release especially when it’s the sequel to one of the most beloved games of all-time, but these people were really doing the developers of the game a disservice by engorging themselves on the leaks. 

To this day, I have not read any of the leaked info but after finishing the game, I very easily understood the three factors that would draw the people’s ire. The first of these is the reason Ellie goes on her quest and is probably the part of the game I have seen receive the most scolding. Without spoiling too much, it is a personal story for Ellie and greatly invested me as a player from the get-go. The scene in question absolutely tore me apart and I felt in that moment exactly what Ellie did. The way it’s handled is perfect too. It is brutal and frankly, there would not be a better way for it to go down. Th next part of the game that divides fans is the decision halfway through the game to make the main protagonist Abby because she has been the character that Ellie (and ultimately the player) are hunting in the game’s first half. Abby herself though becomes a deep, complex, and fascinating character that helps bring the games themes to fruition. I don’t want to say too much now but for me she acts as the antithesis to Ellie during the story and superfluously works in that role. The last piece of controversy is the only section that I cannot agree with on any level and believe that the people who hold these opinions are outdated and utter bigots. Yes, there are lesbian and transgender characters in The Last of Us Part II that are important to the overall narrative, but thankfully their sexuality is not their only character trait. The other half of this portion deals with Abby's appearance. Abby does not possess the stereotypical female videogame character attributes and so to many people is simply an unrealistic character due to her large arms, broken looking nose and braided hair that all make her look quite masculine. What the people who adopt these opinions don’t understand though is that some women can be muscular. Some women can have crooked noses and not all women have luscious long hair that waves behind them. I don’t wan to say too much more on this point because I think it’s the least important and easiest to discredit but Abby actually does something wonderful for the gaming landscape. She makes it fresh again.

 

The reason I decided to discuss the controversy surrounding the game first is because I believe many reviews of the game have considered the debate when grading or critiquing the story and gameplay of The Last of Us Part II. To me, the game closely resembles Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty In many ways from the games both having near unanimous critical acclaim, early game twists that fans of the series appear to dislike and a new perspective from an unexpected protagonist. I wanted to make the comparison between the two games because I have no ill will towards MGS2 because I was barely 3 when the game was released. With this game however, I did saw the marketing and I had no idea what would happen in the plot. This is important because unlike most players, the surprises this game threw at me did not anger me. They actually got the reaction I believe they were supposed to. During the time I spent playing Part II, I was sad, tense, and most importantly satisfied with how the characters I know and love were treated. The only thing I need to say is that the story riveted me for most of the twenty-three hours I experienced it and left me feeling utterly complete. The last scene in the game gave me just enough to ponder without leaving me feeling short-changed and that is perfect.

 

The gameplay and presentation in The Last of Us Part II almost seems secondary to the story and atmosphere, but there are enough new tweaks to let you know that Naughty Dog have brought the series forward. The visuals in this game are among the best on current gen consoles and I’d argue they are just as good as most games on PC. Character animations, facial animations and textures all look lifelike enough for the brutal gameplay to feel visceral and real. The sound design matches this by having pitch perfect voice-acting with special mentions going to Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker and Laura Bailey. Anytime Ellie or Joel sing in this game I was brought to tears after as the power and weight of the lyrics resonated with me. Gunshots sounds violent and gruesome; NPCs scream after seeing their friends die and infected screech and click when they hear you. It’s disturbing and grisly and perfect.

For the most part, The Last of Us Part II should be played as an action horror game that incentivises stealth over all guns blazing combat. The biggest edition is the ability to go prone which adds more versatility to combat than you would initially think. Ellie and Abby also play different from one another and have access to different weapons. Ellie is given the typical survival horror weapons from the first game (hunting rifle, shotgun, revolver) whereas Abby gets upgrades of these (semi-auto rifle, double barrel shotgun). The way melee works for each character is different too. Ellie uses her switchblade during basic melee attacks like she did in the first game because she lacks the muscle or punching power of Joel. So, in this game Abby exists as sort of levelled up Joel. She can defeat some infected with a single punch and she feels far more fun to play as to me because of this. When you are not fighting, you’ll find yourself exploring Seattle and scavenging for items and upgrades to your character and their weapons. Workbenches return and the workbench animations had my mouth agape every time I saw them. There are a few chapters were the game tends to drag but the gameplay is dynamic enough to keep you going forward. It was clear that Naughty Dog viewed the gameplay in the game as the least important part and while I believe that gameplay should never be ignored, in this case I find it completely acceptable because of how excellent the narrative and presentation of the game is. 

 

 I think that the best way I can conclude this extremely long review of The Last of Us Part II would be to say that I had high expectations for this game, and it managed to live up to them. I will always have a soft spot for the first one, but I honestly believe that this is the better game. It starts out as a simple revenge narrative and becomes something far more lucrative and rewarding. The game asks questions about revenge, prejudice, cycles, and consequence and never tries to answer them for you. It’s complicated and perhaps this is why some people don’t like it. The first game had a very simple plot that was executed astoundingly well because it was about two brilliant characters. This game works just as well if not better because it focuses on its own subject matter and that’s why it’s a masterpiece.

Rating: The Best of Us

10/10