Playing this game does not present an easy ride, both from a story point of view or from the perspective that it's a blood-filled and brutal game. The game mechanics and gameplay are tight and responsive and whilst the game is very linear, moving from area to area, that movement doesn't feel like one long corridor. The characters are fascinating and particularly the player is taken on an interesting journey. The biggest potential flaw is that it may be a journey that the player doesn't want to be taken on, though I felt challenged by it rather than repelled by it, so for me the game was successful. One of the best games of the year for me (based on 2 full play-throughs).

I ended up really enjoying my time with the Last of Us: Part 2 despite some shortcomings. The weakest element of the game is definitely its length—it’s a few hours too long, and some chapters of the story, especially during the second half, really drag on. It takes too much time getting to the ending, and even though I was relatively satisfied with how it concludes, some sections could have been shortened or replaced with a cutscene. However, it was definitely fascinating to see how Naughty Dog justified a direct sequel to a game that I felt didn’t really need one. But what really makes Part 2 so good is the open level design, improvisational combat, and gorgeous visuals. Throughout the game you’ll be transitioning between two gameplay mechanics: exploration, and combat with either human enemies or infected. Even though the game is relatively linear, the levels are designed in a way that you can explore all sorts of abandoned buildings or houses to find resources and collectibles, or chat with companions. I even got lost on occasion because not only is the game visually dense, but the levels are so wide. The game usually funnels you to your objective pretty well though. There’s also a lot of really cleverly designed environmental storytelling bits and an Uncharted: The Lost Legacy-style open world area near the beginning which I appreciated. The combat is similar to the first game but it feels more much dynamic this time around. You can go prone and crawl in tall grass to pick off enemies one by one, and you’re given a ton of different weapons throughout the game like a silenced pistol and a bow & arrow. Even if you get caught, it’s easy to scamper away and hide—it allows for more improvisation. The game is also pretty brutal—stabbing dudes in the neck or shooting them in the face with a shotgun is especially grotesque. It’s not perfect—fighting the infected is still sometimes frustrating, especially those damn one-hit-kill Clickers. The combat is overall really fun though, and made the slightly uneven campaign quite a lot of fun to play. I obviously wish the pacing was better but the exploration, combat, and the stunning visuals still make it a must-play in my eyes.