The Last of Us 2 review : The vengeance strikes back
Image by Bibiana Prazenkova
Max Radó / November 3, 2020
(4 min. read)
Game: The Last of Us 2
Playstation Exclusive
First and foremost, this review draws and builds upon the information from the first game, that being The Last of Us, released in 2014. For better understanding, I strongly recommend either playing the first title or at least reading the review of the first game published by Il Ponte.
The mind-boggling franchise continues after a too long of a break. It was 6 years ago that we got to know Joel and Ellie, their struggle with one another and with the world full of terrifying clickers and Fireflies. It was 6 years ago that we, the players, were left with a strange cliffhanger that burnt into our minds. We were asking ourselves is this it? How will the story progress or is it even going to continue? Well, after 6 long years, we are able to find out what the folks over at Naughty Dog have in store for us. I have to say, they surely know how to surprise even the veteran players.
Video games are generally thought of as an interactive media, sort of like a film with the consumer’s choice added into the mix, and of course, linear story-driven games have a desired ending in mind and will steer the player towards it. But in the Last of Us 2, the choices of the main characters are often brutal and outright primal. The wicked part of the game is that the player does not get to decide what the character does story-wise, yet it forces the player to execute the decision made by the character. The game plays perfectly against what you know of the characters as a player, as a spectator of both sides when the characters themselves are interacting. You know something that Ellie doesn’t and her choices represent her decisions perfectly. This was, of course, done previously, yet I applaud the team behind Last of Us 2 for pushing it further than I have previously experienced. Since the story continues roughly 4 years later, Ellie is now more grown-up, bitter and angry, whereas Joel is calmer and settled down but still remains vigilant as Ellie’s guardian nonetheless. I deem this to be enough information about the story in order to avoid spoilers and possibly ruining the experience of playing the game in any way.
There is not much to be said about the graphics of the game, for it is better to see beautiful things than to hear about them. Anyone even remotely familiar with the works of Naughty Dog studio can expect the games to be visually stunning and I believe that they have met these expectations. The expressions of characters are so real that you sometimes forget you’re playing a video game and not watching a movie. Music also falls into this category, because it plays an extraordinary role to set the player exactly how But the one thing that really stands out is the little details that the player experiences. The reflections on water surfaces, the shadows. One of the most interesting features of the game, which originates from the first game, is environmental story-telling. There are multiple stories playing out in almost every room or a building and it really is a shame if a player misses it or utterly ignores it.
Gameplay-wise, there were no apparent changes from the first one, much mechanics and features were unchanged, but if you have something that is working so well, why change it. As before, how the player will approach the situation in-game is entirely determined by the player. You can run, you can engage in combat by either being smart and patient by utilising stealth or go guns-blazing and eliminate everyone and everything. Since I was playing through the game with my girlfriend, which really hated me when I used the latter approach, I could see that both of these are viable. Speaking about viable options, running away from the fight entirely is also a choice. Scavenging and crafting still remain a core mechanic, nevertheless, there is a new addition of skill trees which in form of a magazine can be found while exploring and are relatively easy to find.
Overall, this project surely is ambitious, and it was successful to fulfil the expectations and the hype that came with it. The raw strength of this game and this franchise lies in the story-telling. To many, this franchise is the peak of what video games are capable of. To me, this game is one of those, which I would consider being a masterpiece, a video game deserved to be experienced by everyone, a one that is definitely worth the time and the money.
