This review contains SPOILERS! Click to expand.
The Last of Us Part 2: Games have Matured
The Last of Us Part 2 made me contemplate a lot. I sit here listening to its official soundtrack and stare at a blank screen. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2’s review is one I considered not writing. Part 2’s heavy subject matter, violence, and overall saddening plot led me into a hole that I didn’t expect. One that didn’t involve
The Last of Us Part 2: Games have Matured
The Last of Us Part 2 made me contemplate a lot. I sit here listening to its official soundtrack and stare at a blank screen. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2’s review is one I considered not writing. Part 2’s heavy subject matter, violence, and overall saddening plot led me into a hole that I didn’t expect. One that didn’t involve other games. I didn’t wanna pick up the controller again after playing Part 2, but that doesn’t mean the impact it had on me was negative. Furthermore, under Neil’s vision is a game unlike any other I’ve ever played. The polish in production is out of this world and that alone needs to be talked about.
This post-apocalyptic game picks up five years after the first in Jackson, a town run by Tommy and Maria. Jackson has a community set up; bustling even. After a brief intro with Joel at the end of the sticks you are handed over to Ellie. From there, new characters are introduced and sweet enlightening moments take center stage, until they don’t. After a PTSD encompassing event, Ellie is driven to Seattle by the dark driving force known as hate and finds herself caught between tensions of a paramilitary group and a religious cult.
Part 2 is an action adventure, survival game, but I would also add horror to the end of it. This game is scary and it doesn’t even have to try half the time. Some horror elements are straight forward while others are inferred in the environment and atmosphere. You play as Ellie and other characters using mostly guns, brute force, or stealth, but always strategy. You combat familiar enemies with a particular liking to cordyceps fungus as well as humans and new enemies.
Additional to familiar enemies, comes familiar mechanics. Mechanics such as having AI companions who can actually be helpful. The void they leave behind, as well as added anxiety, is made clear early on. They would assist in taking down multiple enemies, furthering your pursuit, or having an escape plan. Without them you now have to handle that on your own. Skill trees, crafting, resource management that grows more vital with the complexity of combat, and Listen mode, a sort of spatial perception through walls and objects via hearing, make their respected returns as well.
New mechanics are also introduced such as going prone, crafting silencers, a puzzle oriented rope feature, and guard dogs who can follow your scent. The new feature that surprised me the most might have been the most subtle. Every once in a while Ellie will pick up a guitar and just start playing utilizing the touchpad on the Dualshock 4. Early on, this seems small in comparison, but as I played I grew to cherish the moments those strings provided throughout the story.
The combat always gave me anxiety when pursuing a target. You need a level head to set a plan into motion. The game will usually clump enemy types in a single area which leads to a compelling challenge. The approach for one type is a death sentence for another. So, how to approach any given combat encounter is its own conundrum. Although some enemies seemed inconsistent, the shooting felt good. The aiming seemed reminiscent of Rockstar games which I enjoyed considering I am NOT an FPS player. The aiming reticle would aim at the torso of incoming enemies and you could then aim up to get headshots. There is much more friction in the headshots than in any given current Rockstar game making it a bit harder to land shots. Free aim is also something that happens often. I found myself relying on stealth, shotguns, and Molotovs, but I am positive that is just my experience and my experience alone. I also struggled with dodging early on. The timing seems later than other games or the range may be smaller. I would be amiss to leave out my favorite gameplay encounter. There is straight up a Resident Evil type boss in this game and I loved every second of it. You’ll know it when you see it.
Exploration seemed much more supported here than in the first game. While areas are linear, they are absolutely massive areas disguised by the environment they are in. You explore what they want you too with natural hints on how to progress. Simply put, the environmental storytelling & notes for background narratives (Boris) are brilliantly paced.
One area in particular I really enjoyed as it seemed reminiscent of another Naughty Dog game, Lost Legacy. Early on you find a map. You fill out this map by discovering hints in one area detailing a different area. This fills out the map with locations outlined by question marks for you to pursue. I dug this so much that it burdened me. I wish I didn't because I wanted to further the story yet I was compelled to explore. A subtle moment stood out while playing as Ellie. I missed a jump. Once I respawned, extremely quickly, this led to Ellie saying something along the line of, " ****, I know I can make that." Which made me feel like I was on the right track all while having a neat interaction with her as well.
Having a level head in combat, for me, always lends itself well from gameplay to narrative. If a plan goes south spraying and praying might not save you and the same can be said for taking in what the narrative throws at you. The Narrative is a ride through love and hate that Naughty Dog tailors for you. It’s not a story of good vs. bad. If anything it’s bad vs. bad. It’s a story about duality. Ellie’s pursuit for revenge draws comparisons to the bearer of her hate. The paramilitary group to the cult right down to the salute.
Going forward in the heavy narrative was difficult, but it isn't without powerful moments of levity. A father daughter moment between Joel and Ellie still runs through my head days after playing. Nonetheless, I don’t think the narrative itself was the feat. The way Part 2 mends gameplay, characters, and progresses with the narrative into one cohesive paced product is incomprehensibly good. Early on you compete in a snowball fight with some children and your love interest, Dina (Yes, Ellie is a *******. If that rubs you the wrong way turn away now. I don’t want your click). The snowball scene, as cute as it is, introduces the bulk of the combat mechanics in a chill environment. This method has totally been done before, but still as effective. Naughty Dog continues that trend of showing you things that have been done before just polished beyond belief. However, once you approach the bulk of the game, which is similar to the first, it’s still new and compelling when paired with the narrative, pacing, atmosphere, and gameplay.
One aspect that enforces the narrative is its characters. Every character seems real with real personalities and real struggles. They are easily likable. Even the ones you don't expect initially (I really enjoyed Jesse and Manny). One character in particular, I started out with genuine hatred for. Yet, when I was handed the sticks to control them and see their story, I was both angry and compelled to continue. The character ends up having a fear of heights which, with the help of the narrative, helps humanize her, her pursuits, and even her mistakes. Playing them as compared to Ellie with entirely different sets of weapons & tools lends itself to what drives them. They are literally a killing machine, focusing on revenge for so long. While Ellie, hasn’t had that motivation until recently.
When you think foreshadowing is taking place for the plot going forward, you are probably right yet still wrong. You might call the overall beat, but the way it comes to volition is in an unpredictable direction. Personally, the story hits on a lot of points, but not without me having to fill in some emotional gaps. For instance, for me, a character’s change of heart was a clear goal in the story, but it seemed a little forced while her motivations didn't. In a different moment that worked for me, Ellie puts on a gas mask when heading into a spore infested area. She does this because she is around Dina and she has attempted to tell her she is immune, but their relationship has blossomed enough for it to really hit. At this point in the story, Ellie is reluctant to attempt again, but more so to open up to Dina.
Part 2 is the heaviest title I have ever played in more ways than one. Not only in terms of the content, but how far games have matured and come production-wise. Even though some major plot points are predictable, the quality, production, and pursuit make it superb nonetheless. As you progress, scenes stand out, but even the ones that don't seem stunning and noteworthy. All environments are stunning and lively without sacrificing relativity. There were times when I genuinely couldn't tell if I was in a cutscene or gameplay from time to time. That's a feat. Don’t even get me started about the accessibility options, Troy Baker’s voice, the fact that you can actually unlock safes by listening to in game audio, or the music. Music is something that has always stood out to me as important, but only when pertaining to in-game moments. I have never had the urge to listen to the soundtrack so quickly as this one. I can’t say much more than the fact that I truly feel that I just played the best video games have to offer.
Overall, The Last of Us Part 2 is the pinnacle of modern video games. I have matured, or at least I like to think I have, alongside the games I play. Part 2 felt like an experience that encompasses that. Comparing Part 2 to an Academy Award Winner doesn’t do it justice. It delivers a narrative turned on its own head, mended beautifully with its pacing, gameplay, polish, and presentation. Part 2 is the gold standard of its medium and that medium is video games. This journey is only available in games.
Play this game.
👍👍
