The Last of Us 2: Was it really that bad?

Warning: Spoilers!

Despite the critic's reviews and ratings, many fans have agreed that the game has bombed and wasn't the game we deserved after waiting 7 years since the first game was released. Naughty Dog released this game on the 19th June 2020 after it was delayed due to the pandemic. There was much anticipation for the release but unfortunately fans were not impressed with it. Many fans had their reasons, such as: The story was too long, it didn't have the same emotional connections or the ending was NOT what we deserved. But after sitting down and replaying the game multiple times, I have thought to myself...Is it actually that bad?

Why the critics are right

Once upon a time...

Despite the story being long-winded and the cutscenes being too movie like in terms of duration, the story is quite emotional, interesting and keeps you guessing in certain aspects such as characters and relationships. The story is about Ellie travelling to Seattle to seek revenge and justice on those who have wronged her and her friends. But not only do we see the story from her point of view, we also see it from the antagonist's point of view, who is called Abby an Ex-Firefly member. We follow both of them through their trials and tribulations and see how they are tortured, mentally, physically and emotionally. Each character has their own reasons for what they did and it does get you thinking that maybe Ellie is the bad person and Abby is actually the victim in all of this. Each challenge they face will have you screaming, laughing and feeling shocked. I can say that without a doubt, this story was well thought through, especially with the little flashbacks of Ellie and Joel's life after they arrived in Jackson.

Is this just real life...or is it just fantasy

Many games try to interpret real life issues into their games and some don't quite achieve this, but Naughty Dog have achieved this perfectly. The issues being Homosexuality, Transgender and Religion. I think it's a good thing that Naughty Dog have touched upon these issues, as it brings a sense of realism to the game and gives the characters more human qualities. The game is more diverse and I believe that this will please the players who have been subjected to hate because of who they are. It also brings a new set of unique characters as well as massive character development.

That's aesthetically pleasing

Naughty Dog have designed a game on its own internal engine which has undergone massive improvements. It uses a deferred renderer which makes spectacular lighting a massive possibility, especially in The Last of Us 2 where the most used forms of light are the Sun, campfires and candles, as well as moonlight during the night time gameplay. The dynamic lighting can be seen even in the dark with the use of shadows and flashlights. You see a wide range of environments, each beautifully designed to show off its character, the flooded and destroyed streets of Seattle, the snowy and glistening mountains of Jackson in the winter and the corn fields during the harvest.

Look at all those body parts!

In the previous game we had to be stingy with our bullets and made sure we looted every accessible area, although the concept is the same in this game, it has also expanded its horizons. Being able to access ropes, break windows and no longer having to use Shivs to open locked doors, we are able to see a bigger world. The introduction of environmental puzzles has also brought a new challenge, as it gets you thinking about how to access areas and also defeat your enemies. When it comes to fighting, not only have you got to deal with new infected (Stalkers, Shamblers and The Rat King) you have also got to deal with new clans which shelter scent dogs that sniff you out, forcing you to either run away or deal with the situation faster. Chained Clickers also give you an advantage as you can set them free and let them cause havoc as you sneak your way through tall grass whilst prone (also a new tactic). New crafting items such as trap mines and silencers also give you an edge for a sneaky assassination, new craft bench animations are interesting and entertaining. Crafting ammo has also been introduced which will allow the player to craft incendiary shotgun shells as well as piercing arrows for your crossbow.

Why the fans are right

Can I move please!!!!

Even though the game has introduced new fighting techniques and interactive environments, the controls are very stiff and take some getting used to, when aiming, the controls are too stiff and you can't manoeuvre yourself, resulting in you missing a lot of your shots, which can be very irritating as ammo is scarce. Messing with the sensitivity can alter it, but only slightly; the only thing that can help is playing the game on its easiest difficulty which will provide aim assist.

Which house do you fight for?

New game means new clans and new clans means new enemies. The Washington Liberation Front (WLF) A.K.A Wolves are the new fireflies. They are based in Seattle and this is the clan that Abby is a member of. They are a military clan and actually consist of ex firefly members as it was disbanded shortly after the first game ended. Seraphites A.K.A Scars are also based in Seattle and are seen more as a religious cult, that stalk the Seattle wasteland and sacrifice humans to please the "Lady of Light", they are also the enemies of the Wolves. Finally the Rattlers, now not much is known about them as they don't appear till the end of the game, but from what the game has shown us, they are just a deadlier version of the Hunters that we saw in the previous game. With the new clans we actually spend more time fighting humans then we do infected, which isn't something you would expect in a post apocalyptic world where a deadly infection has killed off the majority of the human race, it kind of defeats the whole purpose of "the last of us" as there now appears to be more humans than infected. It seems that a cure may no longer be needed.

Can we just be friends?

If you're expecting intense relationships and heartfelt connections, then I am afraid you're going to be disappointed. Although the connection between Ellie and Joel is there, it had become tainted and doesn't feel the same anymore but I am happy to say that the connection between Joel and the player is still there! The connection between Ellie and Dina feels like the typical high school romance, which you find cringey and loveless, although their friendship does soften the mood a little bit, they force their romance to blossom and in my opinion Ellie could do so much better, because one minute Dina is with Jesse but they break up because they weren't happy, the next she is forcing herself on Ellie who is confused as to what Dina wants. Abby is having her own problems with her ex Owen which is very confusing and feels pretty lifeless. The only connection that I believed was heartfelt was the friendship between Abby and Lev and his sister Yara. even though they had only known each other for a few hours, the connection they have is beautiful and something to look forward to.

Why the ending was perfect

Many fans have united over the ending and saying that it was NOT how the game was supposed to have ended. But I believe these people are just upset over something else that happened in the game and think that justice wasn't severed. But my analysis of the subject has made me think that the ending was actually perfect.

First of all, with Ellie, she lost friends and close ones and felt the need to seek revenge by killing all those that wronged her, she travels across the country...again, to find each and every one of them, leaving Abby to be the last one left alive, enough blood had been shed.

Secondly, Ellie went through so much stress and trauma that even if she had got rid of Abby, the consequences would be with her forever and in the end, nothing would've changed.

Finally, The ending has been left open for another adventure, whether this will happen is completely theoretical but it would be nice to see them again for a third and final time...just hope it doesn't take another 7 years.

For Abby, after what she did, the universe itself punished her, she was tortured physically and emotionally, lost all of her friends and family and was mentally exhausted! not only that, you can see why Abby did what she did, she lost the cure for mankind! She was angry and needed salvation, after that she just wanted to survive.

All together they both had fought hard enough and both had gone through challenges that would've been with them forever, so the ending was just right and stopped where it needed to.

So...was it actually that bad? No. Although it does have it's faults , you can't argue that it was still one of the most anticipated games of 2020 and players will continue fight for Ellie and see to it that justice is served.

Overall rating: 3.5/5

An intense, blood soaked game with a gritty story to keep everyone on edge.