The Last of Us Part II - Part II - Playing the Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us Part II is a very heavy game. There were some parts where I struggled to keep going, but I couldn't put my controller down. As dark as this game gets, I couldn't help myself. I've waited long enough for this game and I wanted to know what happened next. 

Joel, the main protagonist in the last game, is a ghost that haunts this game. He is killed very early on by Abby, the mysterious woman shown in the Paris Games Week trailer. And as much as it hurt to see him go as bad as he did, I wanted to know why this woman did it. This is the main driving force for Ellie leaving the steady community life of Jackson, where she's been staying during the time gap of the two games. 

The Last of Us Part II improves upon the previous game's mechanics. With the more nimble protagonist in Ellie, she can now jump, dodge enemy melee attacks, and go prone to hide in tall grass or go underneath cars. These make the game a lot more versatile, in terms of traversal and combat. 

Combat feels more dangerous. Whether I was fighting against human enemies, infected, or a combination of both, I always had the urge to go stealthy than just facing them head on. With the addition of dogs that can follow your scent, stealth is harder and much more engaging. 

With the scarcity of resources, I had to actively avoid enemy encounters or I had to make sure that every bullet (or arrow) counts. The only thing that feels abundant is the scrap you find to upgrade your weapons. This feels especially true when I got closer to the end. Even then, I wasn't able to fully upgrade all my weapons. 

The infected are back with a few more additions to their ranks. The shamblers are these large infected in-between the clickers and bloaters that spew gas that cause heavy damage, if you stay. They're more of a nuisance than anything, especially when they're not the only ones in the encounter. The stalkers are probably the most annoying of all the infected. They're mostly hidden, and are only attracted by noise. Since they're stationary most of the time, you can't see them in listening mode which adds more tension when you meet them. There are a couple new infected that are probably best experienced when you play the game. 

The game switches between Ellie as she's going after Abby, and Abby as she's dealing with the consequences of guilt. It shows a person trying to get revenge, and the aftermath of someone who gets it. None of which is better than the other, and this game shows why, and the way that it did made me empathize with this character that, in the beginning of the game, I hated. 

My first play through, I had a runtime of exactly 23 hours and 51 minutes. I had almost put in a whole day of game time. I have played more games that I have accumulated more hours than this, but the Last of Us Part II felt especially long because of the emotional toll this game carries with it.

There is a scene near the end that feels like it'd be a good place to end, but this world can't afford these characters a happy ending. So the story goes on, on to where you don't want the characters to go. 

The game ends on a bittersweet note, literally. And as much as I didn't think I needed a sequel to the first game, I won't be surprised NaughtyDog will take me on another emotional rollercoaster with Part III. 

Okay. 

I'll see you around.