![]() ![]() Low hums and water dripping on empty bottles add to the tension as you navigate the perils of the world. The world and its inhabitants are visually stunning, with artwork and animations you will see just once, quips and conversations that make the world feel alive, and a soundtrack and sound effects that brought chills to my spine. The characters don’t only look good – they look real, complete with quirks that make them more believable as humans. ![]() The production values that Naughty Dog brings to this experience are second to none. And as much as gaming can be an escape, the state of the real world right now provides a lens that is difficult to ignore I never thought seeing the remains of a bookstore or a restaurant would hit harder due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they did. Going into an empty store, it was easy to feel for the characters in this world who had their lives upended. Almost every corner has something to find, and I felt rewarded for digging through drawers and searching every room. From a more practical standpoint, exploring every area is important for gathering resources used to craft items and upgrade talents like faster crawling and improved awareness. People waiting for their families to return, soldiers hunting deserters, and patients seeking treatment – you piece together these tragic and fascinating tales by reading notes and interpreting clues in the world. Instead, they focus on world-building, or cause you as a player to reflect on your actions. The people you meet along the way also play an important part in your journey when traveling alone, you feel their absence.Įnvironments tell their own stories of those who became infected. Some areas are devoid of encounters completely, but they don’t feel barren. I knew I made a mistake when I died, and I felt satisfaction when I skillfully handled a situation.Įven with its many combat scenarios, The Last of Us Part II offers tranquil and lonely moments. Stealth is always rewarded, and you can control the battlefield with clever use of your resources, especially in the larger environments. Ellie’s increased agility lets you jump, crawl, and vault through areas and take advantage of verticality, but the biggest improvement to combat is the way the world pushes you to play. You deal with all these groups in intense encounters that blend sneaking and shooting in varied and unpredictable ways. In addition to the zombie-like Infected, you also fight the militarized WLF and the technology-averse Seraphites. The chaotic, post-apocalyptic overlay creates the perfect opportunity for different factions to vie for power. Though it’s difficult to say that this is “fun,” the way The Last of Us Part II forges this level of investment and immersion is one of its greatest strengths. The people you assassinate have names, and you can overhear them talking about their loved ones as you sneak up on them. Even as you clear an area of hostile guards, you question your own role in the brutality. Yes, you kill many humans and Infected along the way, but the accumulated effect of Ellie’s fury weighs on you over time. It depicts the raw violence that Ellie uses to navigate this harsh world, and that violence feeds into pivotal plot points during her quest for revenge. The Last of Us Part II is defined by its story at every turn, and Naughty Dog masterfully weaves its themes in at every level. Holed up in an encampment in Jackson, Wyoming, Ellie and Joel are trying to come to terms with the consequences of their previous actions, and the world continues to suffer from the chaos of the infection that has transformed mankind and ravaged civilization. That exchange lays the foundation for the current state of their complicated relationship, which players come to understand even more deeply as the story continues. The story opens with a conversation about how the first game ended – about what Joel did at the Firefly hospital, and the lie he told Ellie about it. These philosophical considerations can be uncomfortable to wrestle with, but Naughty Dog conveys them with careful nuance and unflinching emotion, creating a narrative masterpiece with a unique power few games have ever achieved. The Last of Us Part II illuminates many complicated and difficult facets of humanity – a journey that tackles empathy, anger, and how we are defined by those around us. And sometimes, in order to see, we must be shown. We acquire our beliefs and perspectives from the people and the world around us. There are many things about human nature we struggle against. ![]()
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