Long time no see Pixels and Pixelettes! I’m super late to this party, but I’m going all in on this one.
When the first Last Of Us game was announced, I didn’t think much of it. Another zombie game? Those thoughts couldn’t be further from the truth. What I experienced in that game was a heart wrenching journey of a grizzled survivor and a young girl. A story of redemption and loss, a simple escort mission. Ultimately, the story concluded with Joel(the main protagonist) selfishly damning the human race for personal gain.
The Last Of Us Part II does not have such emotional weight. It merely is a story focused on revenge. In short, a disappointing follow-up. Around 2013, many fans of the first game argued there was no need for a sequel. I would mostly agree, if not for the fact that TLoU2 has many merits(gameplay and otherwise).
MASSIVE SPOILERS TO FOLLOW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST
Right off the bat, The Last Of Us 2 kills off Joel, the main character from the prequel. Prior to release, I was shocked at the leaked spoilers, but part of me didn’t want to believe it. In short, this narrative choice is a failure. Firstly, it creates this tension between longtime fans and the characters; an inner turmoil. One I would argue is unnecessary. The ending of the first game opened a can of worms so big that it could have created several plot threads for two games. Secondly, killing Joel so casually doesn’t begin to make sense. Here’s a guy, Joel, who has survived by any means necessary for the better part of three decades. You mean to tell me that he gets caught lacking by a group of marauders that easily? Yeah &@$! no.
Ellie(pictured above) is shattered by the gruesome killing of the only father she’s ever known. What unfolds next is a relentless pursuit of Joel’s killer. Ellie risks life, love and limb for closure. I gained a newfound respect for Ellie over the course of this game. In the prequel, we had to babysit her. Here, she’s running the show. It’s in her actions and conquests that we see a bit of Joel in her.
TWO GIRLS, ONE HORSE, MULTIPLE BODIES.
The Last Of Us: Left Behind explored Ellie’s personality in-depth. We find out that she is attracted to the same sex. This naturally carries on in the sequel. Enter Dina, Ellie’s love interest. The two ladies become nearly inseparable throughout the Ellie chapters of the game. Their natural chemistry is perfect. It also doesn’t hurt that The Last Of Us Part II has the best animations I have seen in a game.
FREE SEATTLE
After Joel’s death, Ellie tracks down the culprit to Seattle, Washington. It is in this stage that Naughty Dog shows us their gaming chops. Seattle(pictured above) is a massive area; filled with secrets, combat encounters, and world building. It’s hostility and danger is matched only by its’ beauty. In many ways, it is a follow up to Uncharted: Lost Legacy’s open area, The Western Ghats. For comparisons sake;
Unfortunately, Seattle is the peak of the game. There aren’t any other levels that have the same energy, excitement, openness and mystery. That is not to say the game isn’t great, but it’s abundantly clear where the lion’s share of development effort went.
STAKES ARE HIGH
The gameplay is largely similar to The Last Of Us 1, for better or worse. You can now go prone, there a few new enemy types, and swimming has been added to Ellie’s arsenal of useful tools and abilities. The gameplay is still highly enjoyable, but the motivating factor for the gameplay is different than the first game. The first game is an escort mission; a unyielding series of bloody battles for a cure. Man’s reach exceeding his grasp. The sequel however, is a revenge tale. A means to an end. Ellie seeks closure, but she is in search of peace and love. The final chapters see Ellie and Dina settled on a remote farm, toddler in tow. Still, the heart wants what it wants.
ABBEY ROAD
Whew lads. Time to dig in. The Last Of Us 2 introduces a new character, Abby. Half of the campaign is spent playing as Ellie, the other , Abby. It’s bad enough that she appears out of nowhere and kills Joel, but now we have to play as her?
My issues with Abby are numerous. She’s hideous, she’s highly annoying, and not all that relatable. She basically a female Joel without any of the charisma.
The silver lining though, is that Abby’s arsenal of tools is comparable to Ellie’s. She gets different weapons for the most part, but one thing I didn’t like was that the two ladies have the same upgrade paths. Basically, I was under the impression that they would be interlinked gameplay wise. A small annoyance to be sure.
Abby’s chapters are ultimately about finding her ex-boyfriend Owen. Owens’ main goal is to head to Santa Barbara to find The Fireflies, the villains from the prequel. Long story short, Abs father was a scientist working on a cure for the infected plague. In order to create said cure, Ellie would have to be lobotomized. Joel kills this clown, and Abs seeks revenge.
Throughout her Seattle journey, Abigail comes across a faction of religious zealots called The Seraphites. This cult of weirdos deify a terrorist as a goddess. The central crux of their worship is similar to the Amish; they rebuke electronics and technology. Enter the duo of Lev And Yara:
Despite being mortal enemies , Abby cares deeply for them. So much so that she risks her life for them. The narrative fails greatly because of this. Abs develops a motherly instinct for Lev in particular; she sees Lev as someone weaker in need of saving. Wait…doesn’t that sound familiar? That sounds exactly like the first game! Ugh.
WRAP THAT $&@! UP B!
Look, I really enjoyed this game. If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy it too. You have to look past the fact that they dropped the ball story-wise, there’s no multiplayer, etc. but there’s something special here.
PLATFORM: PS4
AVAILABLE: NOW
GENRE: ACTION
Purveyors Of Pixels 