The Last of Us: Part II Spoiler Free Thoughts

Now that i’ve had time to play, scour, divulge, read, explore, defeat, debate, and critically comprehend the game, I have arrived at a conclusion on The Last of Us Part II. As a baseline: yes, I have played the game; yes, I have fully completed the game by earning the Platinum Trophy; yes, I have read through all artifacts and journal entries; and no, I was not a part of the online community that read the leaks. I first replayed The Last of Us Remastered directly preceding this game in order to form an unbiased opinion and understand the story, decisions, and direction Naughty Dog and Neil Druckmann took their franchise.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this game looks amazing. The team at Naughty Dog uses all the power the PlayStation 4 can muster to bring forth this beautiful world. From beautifully textured foliage of grass, trees, and apocalyptic shrubbery to the amazing water fixtures of rivers, waterfalls, and oceans, no detail was missed. Even character models tell a story based off looks, clothing, scars, and silhouettes. They even threw in several details of shops and housing to keep the world authentic to a global shutdown in 2013.

One of the biggest evolutions between both games is the combat. Gone are saving up shanks to open doors or combat infected which was by far the biggest gripe of the first game. Several favorites are back, such as molotov cocktails and trap mines alongside new crafts like smoke bombs and exploding arrows. Combat encounters feel far between but also have a purpose and don't seem as random this time around. When I ran low on ammo, it was nice to know that I had a reliable fighting combat style with weapons or fists. With an added dodge and counter feature, this felt like a well needed addition that made combat more fluid.

Now for the story and a spoiler free take on a rather complex game. I found the direction to be an interesting take on redemption and revenge. How far would you go to end your nightmares? Who would your hurt on your path of destruction? And what will it take to put your mind and body to rest? Just as there are two sides to a coin or card, so too are there two sides of this story. The new characters introduced help build the world and give the game hope along with despair. It's hard to talk about the entire story without spoilers, so I will save that for another post. Know that there are a lot of themes throughout the game that blend in from start to finish.

Naughty Dog has brought us a game that defies confidential story telling in order to tell an unconventional tale of restitution. The art style and combat takes what was good about the the first game and refines the initial edges into a polished world that feels lived in. If you want a fairytale ending to believe in, then this isn't the game for you. The Last of Us Part II deals with the harsh reality of a world turned upside down and that actions have consequences. Nobody is safe on the path of revenge.