The Last of Us Part II

Voices of: Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Jeffrey Pierce, Derek Phillips, Ashley Scott, Shannon Woodward, Patrick Fugit, Alejandro Edda, Chelsea Tavares, Chase Austin, Merle Dandridge, Emily Swallow, Jeffrey Wright
Directed by: Neil Druckmann, Anthony Newman, Kurt Margenau
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Designer: Emilia Schatz, Richard Cambier
Rating: M
Genre: Action Role Playing Game
System: Playstation 4
2020

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Ellie heads to Seattle, risking everything on a mission of revenge.

Review:
Tim: After 2013's masterpiece, I couldn't wait to see what Naughty Dog would do with The Last of Us Part II. I didn't expect a game that would subvert expectations so greatly, nor challenge the gamer as much as this one did. There's the obvious shocking moment early in the game, but it's much more than that. Neil Druckmann set out with a vision and a specific story he wanted to tell. He and everyone at Naughty Dog accomplished that- this is a stunning, remarkable game. A lot of fans didn't like that story, disagreed with many of the creative choices he made- and that's okay. Much of this game tore at me and required me to really contemplate the story, the choices, what it all meant. That caused me to interact with this piece of media in a way that almost never happens. I had to turn the game over in my mind, reflect upon it, dissect it. To cause players to do this in a video game is a sign that this is something beyond the norm.

Quick side note- I started this game a bit before season two of the television series came out, so I focused a bit more on advancing the story, so I could stay ahead of the show. It was kind of fun to play these in tandem, although I did get through the whole game fairly early in the season.

I want to start by saying that I loved the general design of the game. It was easy to pick up after finishing the first game. I generally loved playing this. The savaging for different resources, collecting the playing cards, gathering different papers that expand the narrative- I just enjoyed exploring this post-apocalyptic world so much. Then, the fight sequences were so intense. Whether that was with the WLF, the Scars, or the myriad infected. I loved the stealth approach, and sometimes I just had to go scorched earth and plow through enemies. It all felt so compelling, so thrilling. The cut scenes were beautifully done- the characters, the narrative, it absolutely felt cinema-quality.

The thing that really surprises and troubles me is how much of the latter half of the game involves playing as Abby. I know this isn't a novel complaint, and I have to admit that I didn't hate it. Yes, I desperately wanted to spend more time as Ellie- she's a far superior character, and someone we've grown to care about deeply through this game. But, I do think what Druckmann and others did was brilliant. Early in the game, I absolutely hated Abby. To force us to be her felt aggravating. And then, as you might expect, putting yourself in her shoes starts to change your perception. Abby might have done some awful things, but you start to see the parallels between her and Ellie. This is all intentional- Abby collects coins instead of playing cards, but they are otherwise so similar. The swearing, the quips, the loyalty she feels for others. You start to see that Abby walks a similar path to Ellie, and it's life and circumstances that pitted them against each other. You might not like it, but forcing you to appreciate and even care about a character you almost immediately disliked is a pretty ambitious undertaking. Towards the end of the game, I felt so conflicted- especially in the final battle. My emotions were all jumbled. I didn't want to do what the game was forcing me to do. I sidestepped, I wanted to avoid it- the emotions I felt at the end were so different than at the beginning. And, I think it's beautiful that the game made us experience that. The big takeaway is that even those we hate, even those we think we have nothing in common with- underneath that, we're all human beings and like it or not, we are more similar than we imagine. I do think that's a wonderful, powerful message. I'm not sure those who hate this game ever gave that a chance.

I completed the game in 27:56. I played similar to how I approached the original- I rarely used a guide, and I collected as much as I could. I never replayed any levels, never searched out all the collectibles. That just felt like an afterthought to me. I was so focused on the characters and narrative. Plus, I thought it was interesting to see how much I found vs. how much I missed. I ended the game with 174 Collectibles. 107/127 Artifacts, 26/42 Trading Cards, 16/20 Journal Entries, 23/25 Workbenches, all 14 Safes, and 16/32 Coins. I feel fine with those numbers- I collected a lot on my playthrough. As much as I loved the game, replaying levels felt unnecessary to me.

I am left with mixed feelings about this game. A lot of it saddens me- Ellie's journey is one of pain, regret, vengeance. Ashley Johnson is fantastic as Ellie here. I really enjoyed the character of Dina. Abby is a mixed bag- someone I hated, then begrudgingly started to understand. I did love hearing Jeffrey Wright voice Isaac- that was a wonderful surprise. The game itself is gorgeously rendered- the graphics are astounding. I loved the story of the WLF vs. the Scars and how Ellie and Abby both find themselves in the middle of that battle. The game introduces multiple great supporting characters, and when some of them, you feel it. That's an indicator of the writers' ability to stand up new characters that feel complex and interesting. There's a lot of death in this game and every one of them makes an impact. As I reflect on this experience, I recognize there's so many complex emotions wrapped up in it. Disappointment, awe, shock, wonder.

So, what do I think? Sure, part of me wishes Druckmann decided to tell a different story. However, this is the direction he chose to go in. I believe The Last of Us Part II is another masterpiece- sure, it's not as good as the original, but this is a video game experience I will never forget. This is easily one of the best games of the 2020s. When you look at these two games together, I believe Naughty Dog has pushed the video game narrative into new places and I'm so thankful I played this game.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: The Last of Us, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Uncharted, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves