Seven years ago, Naughty Dog released The Last of Us to critical acclaim. The story of Joel and Ellie and their cross country journey resonated with gamers from a gameplay standpoint and an emotional standpoint. It was a game that pushed the industry forward in more ways than one, so expectations for The Last of Us Part II were astronomical. Somehow, the team was able to create a sequel that is a step up from its predecessor in every way imaginable and blow me away yet again.
Picking up about five years after the end of the first game, The Last of Us Part II sees Joel and Ellie living in Jackson, Wyoming as part of a community that’s thriving. There are parties that the townsfolk partake in, while children build snowmen and have snowball fights with each other. Ellie has built up relationships with the people in the town, namely her romantic interest Dina and their mutual friend Jessie. But when Ellie goes on one of her usual patrols, tragedy strikes, sending her to Seattle as she sets out to get revenge for what happened.
The Last of Us Part II is not an easy game to play, and I’m not talking about the difficulty. I’m talking about the fact that thematically, it’s very heavy. It’s not a story with a shining light of hope at the end of the tunnel. It’s a story that beats you down over and over again because it wants you to feel the same way as Ellie. The game wants to challenge you and make you ask yourself if what you’re doing is the right thing to do. Are any of the violent acts that I’m committing okay or even necessary?
It’s one of the many questions that I found myself asking throughout the course of my 22-hour play through. These questions wouldn’t have been going through my head if the game’s story and writing weren’t as good as they are. This is definitely the best story that Naughty Dog has told across all of their games, thanks in part to some fantastic writing. From the start of the game all the way to the very end, I was completely engrossed in what was happening.
Characters are deep, complex, and layered with motivations that are crystal clear and understandable. Even if you may not agree with them, they’re written in such a way that you can see where they’re coming from and why they think they’re in the right. It’s something that not every game gets right, but The Last of Us Part II completely knocks it out of the park.
The writing is only part of the reason why the story and characters are so well done. The acting does the rest of the heavy lifting, and I promise I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that it’s some world class acting here in the game. Everyone from Troy Baker and Laura Bailey, to Shannon Woodward and Ian Alexander all give amazing performances that really imbue the characters with life and get you attached to them.
The standout is Ashley Johnson who returns to play Ellie. She takes on the main character role this time around and has the difficult job of playing a character who is dealing with so many different emotions at the same time. It’s truly impressive seeing the work that she did in this game. There are so many moments where Ellie may not say much, but the way that Ashley plays her conveys all the emotion that’s pent up inside. I wouldn’t be surprised if she wins a lot of awards for her performance in this game.
Ellie’s story isn’t the only one that we’re told throughout the game. There’s also many different letters and notes that you come across as you explore Seattle that each tell their own little mini story. Each of these offered a small glimpse into the struggles that survivors long gone went through. Whenever I would find one, I would stop and read it immediately, absorbing every detail as I put together the pieces and understood just what had happened.
In addition, there are the small conversations that you can have with your companions as you travel through the city. All of these conversations offered up a little more information about the characters that made them deeper and fuller people that I could empathize with and better understand. They became less of a video game character and more of a real person that I was getting to know.
Gameplay is very similar to how it was in the first game, so if you weren’t a fan of how that game played, chances are you’ll feel the same this time around. There are new additions to the gameplay, such as increased stealth options. You’re now able to use grass in the environment to hide from enemies by crouching or going prone to conceal your presence. Enemies can still see you in the grass if they get too close though. This made for some very tense moments where an enemy was approaching where I was hiding in the grass and I was hoping they wouldn’t see me, all while I had my weapon trained on them in case I was spotted. Silencers can also be crafted for your pistol, a crucial item for maintaining stealth when you’re surrounded by humans or Infected.
Ellie is also a far more nimble character than Joel was. Not only can she jump onto and across objects, but she can also dodge attacks that are coming her way and slide through cracks in walls that allow her to slip away from enemies and go back into stealth mode. Having this extra agility at my fingertips made me feel more in control of her than I did as Joel, who was far more sluggish and burly.
There are two human factions that you come across in the game: the WLF and the Scars. Each group fights in very different ways. The WLF is a militia group that fight like your standard human enemies. They typically have a guard dog or two with them that can track your scent, making hiding from them more of a challenge.
The Scars on the other hand are a different story. They are a religious cult that prefers to use the bow and arrow and melee weapons in combat. What also makes them unique is the fact that they tend to communicate through whistling. Fights with them can be some of the most nerve-wracking ones because you’ll hear them whistling, but will never know exactly what they mean. Did they spot one of their dead comrades or did they see you from afar? Fighting them kept me on my toes and I loved every encounter I had with them.
Of course there are also the many Infected enemies that you come across. Many of them are returning, but there are some new creatures such as the Shambler. This one is similar in size to a Bloater, but when it charges at you it exudes a cloud of poisonous gas that obscures your vision and can kill you. Battling the Infected is still as terrifying and challenging as it was in the past, especially when you have different types of Infected in the same area.
This can be used to your advantage in some situations where you have to go up against humans and Infected. Attracting the Infected over to your human enemies will cause them to start fighting each other, allowing you to take advantage of the chaos. It’s something that you were only able to do in the Left Behind DLC for the first game, so it’s great that we’re able to do it a bit more frequently in this game.
Like I said before, the game is very violent. That’s extremely evident in the combat. Headshots splatter blood on whatever surface is behind it while the body falls limp to the ground. Chokeholds feel tight as Ellie stabs the enemy in the neck and the blood spurts out of them while they choke on their own blood. More powerful weapons like melee ones and shotguns tear flesh and dismember the body in gruesome detail. On numerous occasions I found myself wincing and being in utter disbelief at just how visceral it all was. Importantly, it’s not violence for violence sake. It’s meant to make you uncomfortable and wonder if all of it is necessary.
The Last of Us Part II is a technical marvel. How Naughty Dog pulled off the wizardry needed to make this game run and look as good as it does on current generation consoles is beyond me. Environments are much larger than previous Naughty Dog games, and they’re also far more detailed. Seattle is a lush, overgrown city that’s beautiful to look at amidst all the destruction. Character models are simply impeccable.
The way they animate, specifically in their faces help to make them even more lifelike. Seeing the look on Ellie’s face as she’s slowly stealth killing an enemy conveys all the rage that she’s carrying, while looking at the enemy shows the fear of death as they lose consciousness. This game is by far the best looking game to be released this generation.
Audio is also another area where this game excels. Gustavo Santaolalla returns from the first game to compose the score for this one and it’s just as good, setting the proper mood and tone for each scene in the game. Enemy audio is also great. Being in a dark room full of Infected and hearing them screaming and clicking as they move around is constantly terrifying and always had me on edge.
The Last of Us Part II is nothing short of a masterpiece. The gameplay is an exciting, yet challenging struggle to survive and make it through each encounter. Its story is on another level, pushing players to question their own views on what’s right and wrong. And the technical aspects of the game help elevate every part of it, and makes each aspect the game changers that they are. This will not only be one of this generation’s defining games; it will also be the one to help push the entire medium forward.
TheComfySpot 