Summary:
- 🎮 Name of the game: The Last of Us Part II
- 📅 Launch date: June 19, 2020
- 🏢 Developer: Naughty Dog
- 📌 Publisher: Sony Interactive
Entertainment - 🖥️ Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- ⚔️ Genre: Action and adventure, survival
horror - 🌍 Context: Post-apocalyptic world
devastated by a pandemic caused by a cordyceps fungus that converts
people into aggressive creatures. The story takes place years later
of the events of the first game.
History and narrative
The
story of the game takes place years after the closing of the first title, with a
19-year-old Ellie who embarks on a journey of vengeance that leads her to cross a
America still infested with the infected and plagued by human conflict.
This time, the focus goes beyond simple survival where he gets into
full of themes such as hatred, loss, trauma and redemption. The
character development is quite complex and emotionally charged. Ellie and
other new characters present a range of moral nuances that are rarely seen in other countries.
seen in video games. The script is mature, deep and symbolic, even though it is already
We'll talk more about that.
At the
the world, although linear in design, is full of details that are
enrich the setting. Unlike the first part, this sequel is
much darker, more risky and moves away from that sympathy towards the
protagonists. Earlier we focused on Joel and Ellie, now the game divides
opinions and bets on a different narrative. In short, this story is
about revenge, hatred and all the consequences it brings on a personal level.
One of the
strongest points is how morality is approached. The game constantly
makes you question whether what you are doing is really right. Many players
justify the actions because of what happened before, while others reject it.
regardless of the context. The truth is that it is a story that engages you and makes you
makes you want to know what happens next. It is a narrative that leaves no one indifferent.
nobody: you either love it or you hate it, but neutral hardly exists. And yes, it is controversial,
because it breaks with much of what we saw in the first part.
Now
well, this installment moves away from focusing so much on the infected, which were part of the
essential of the first game. Here they take a back seat. They feel more like
generic enemies, with no real relevance to the story. If you remove them, everything becomes
is still understood in the same way. The narrative is focused entirely on a group of
and their personal conflicts, not in eradicating a global infection. Yes,
infected people have improvements, but they are not crucial in the development of the
narrative.
Another
aspect that didn't convince me was the handling of the cinematics on the part of
Naughty Dog. It's not about quantity, it's about the narrative quality that
offered in the context of a video game. On several occasions I felt that I was
watching a series on a streaming platform rather than playing a video game.
Some scenes are overextended and, rather than adding to the experience
interactive, they interrupt it. Although they are well produced and could work
very well in a television series, within the game many of them will be
feel unnecessary and add no real value to pacing or gameplay. At
I think there was a bit of a loss of focus on the nature of the
and the type of audience to which it is addressed.
Alert
of spoilers
Let's go to the
grain: the game became controversial because of the studio's decisions,
especially Joel's death, which literally broke the internet. Why?
Because the fans were very fond of him, and the way he dies was
shocking, violent and, for many, absurd. But if we are objective, in the
first game Joel was not exactly a “good guy”. He was a broken man,
affected by the pandemic and that, at the end of the previous game, he did something
extremely selfish: he chose to save Ellie instead of allowing a possible
cure for humanity. He did it out of love, yes, but also because he could not
to lose someone again. Joel represents the phrase: “I choose to save my world”.
The
problem lies in how he dies. Joel and Tommy, being so cautious, suddenly
They trust strangers and it costs them dearly. It feels forced. Your
death, beyond being Abby's revenge, it seems to be an excuse to remove from the
a character who was no longer “working” for the story according to the
writers. They kill it off too quickly, coldly and without much development. I'm not
that he did not deserve to die, but that his departure was poorly executed and very
The game was rushed, taking into account that it happens in the first hours of the game.
As of
From there, the real story begins. Ellie wants to avenge Joel and she goes to
Seattle to search for all those responsible. There they put us in the middle of a
civil war between the WLF (wolves) and the Scars (a religious sect). Ellie
kills dozens of people on both sides to achieve his goal. But the
big problem comes at the end, its main objective is not fulfilled. After
everything he did, after leaving his family and not being able to let go of the past.
In the back, he decides to forgive Abby, and why? The whole game
pushes you towards that goal, and in the end you discard it without a good
justification. Ellie ends up alone, with no fingers, no partner, no child and no
fulfill his revenge. It's a complete throwback, not character development. A
unsatisfactory and contradictory ending for many and I empathize with
who felt that way because for me it was so.
The other
that didn't work either was splitting the story between Ellie and Abby. The resource
The narrative of playing games with Abby seems to be designed to make the
We can understand and empathize with her, but it doesn't quite come together. But it does,
I have to be honest, I enjoyed Abby's part more than Ellie's. In this
delivery, Ellie struck me as a character completely dominated by hatred,
vindictive, selfish and even ungrateful. She is immune, has a family, and even
So he decides to give it all up by continuing with the same thing over and over again. And not even
finishes what it started.
Much
people hated Abby for killing Joel, I understand that, but her motives at least were
clearer. She forgave Ellie at the beginning, she had no real interest in making her
damage. Meanwhile, Ellie kills all of Abby's friends and still decides not to
kill her. It doesn't make sense. The game puts you on a scale, but you don't
gives a clear conclusion. It is not clear what the message means: revenge?
So why did you make me look for it for 15 hours? It looks very
interpretative the reason for what happened, however, was not what the player
expected from the game and even less so when the game itself gives you to understand a
message which is discarded within minutes.
In the end, the
history is remembered more for being controversial than for being good. And without beating around the bush
narrative is the weakest point of the game, far below the rest of the game.
I have to say that in my opinion it leaves a lot to be said and I can not call
a story when it generates too much controversy in its narrative, without
certainly did not meet the expectations of the first game in this section.
Gameplay:
The Last of Us Part II's gameplay is a beast. It is simply
incredible. All the things you can do, the possibilities you have, the details.
are brutal. They improved a lot compared to the first one: now there is more
verticality, more interaction with the environment, it feels much more tactical and
free. You can make a thousand different strategies for each combat. At the
playable, this game is a 10 without thinking about it.
Stealth
is deeper, the combat is more physical and visceral, and the AI of both humans and humans
as infected is much smarter. They introduce mechanics such as crawling,
dynamic hedging can be used without having to press buttons, and
There are also scent-tracking dogs that follow your scent, which gives you a
tremendous pressure. Add to that the fact that you can hide in tall grass, underneath
vehicles, using debris as hiding places, everything is designed so that you can
play as you please.
There are new
weapons such as a crossbow or a double-barreled shotgun, and all of them can be upgraded.
on workbenches with materials you find while exploring. Also
added new enemies such as the Shamblers (who throw corrosive gases) and
unique bosses that make you think more about your moves. The combat system is
so realistic that each confrontation feels different.
AI is
crazy: human enemies shout out the names of their comrades if you kill them,
communicate, they change their patrol if they see a body lying around until it depends on
which faction they are (the WLF or the Seraphites). All this makes the game very
dynamic and keep you on your toes at all times.
Although not
it's an open world, there are huge areas like downtown Seattle where you can
riding a horse, finding secrets, chests, hidden weapons, and expanding a
little more of the story. The puzzles are simple, but they are fun to move around.
objects, activate generators, use ropes in a realistic way, nothing out of the ordinary.
world, but well implemented.
The
controls are super responsive. Everything flows naturally: running, shooting,
dodge, melee. The new dodge mechanic improves
the duels very much. In short, everything is so well polished that it's a pleasure.
play it. You can see the care they put into this part.
Graphics and visual design:
This game is as graphically top notch as you're going to find on PS4. It's insane
how it looks. The modeling, the facial expressions, the lighting, the
details in every corner are hyper-realistic and cinematic. It really takes
The console was pushed to the limit and you can tell they squeezed every drop of power out of it.
The
scenery is beautiful, even in darkness and chaos. Seattle is
recreated with an impressive level of detail. There are places that stay with you
the mind by how well achieved they are, as when you see cordyceps spores.
coming out of the walls is so real that it even makes you uncomfortable, and that's just what you're
they were looking for.
The
Combat feels well thought out visually as well. The scenarios are
built so that you can sneak or fight in different ways, which can be
brings a lot to how you want to approach each situation. In my opinion, it is the best
PS4 game in terms of graphics, no argument.
Sound and music:
Gustavo Santaolalla is back and, as always, his music is minimalist,
melancholic and powerful. I liked it, although I feel it's not at the level of the
first. Even so, the soundtrack is brutal. The gunshots, the screams,
the sound of the infected makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end and puts you right in
every tense moment.
But the
that stands out the most is the voice acting. Ashley Johnson (Ellie) and Laura Bailey
(Abby) give impressive performances. They convey every emotion,
every moment of anger, sadness or doubt with tremendous credibility. The
original version is light years ahead of the dubbed versions. A quality of
first level.
Difficulty and accessibility:
The difficulty is very well adjusted. There are several options depending on what you are looking for from
very easy until survival. Some parts are more challenging than others, but
never becomes frustrating. I did find that everything is a little more
easy than in the first game, including puzzles and searching for resources.
Maybe they did it that way because for some people the first game was a little bit
complicated, although personally I did not find either of them difficult.
And something that
yes Naughty Dog is to be applauded for its accessibility. There is
more than 60 options for the visually impaired, hearing impaired, and people with disabilities.
engines. It is one of the games with more work in this aspect that I've seen on PS4,
and that deserves a great deal of respect.
Additional content:
The campaign lasts about 25 hours, which is perfect. It has the option of
select chapters, upgrades, unlocking of models and filters, but
Honestly, although it tries to be replayable, it doesn't quite make it. The storyline
is so emotionally intense and polarizing that many people don't feel like
to go through it again. There is no
narrative DLCs, but they did add a free Permadeath mode and Grounded mode.
for those who want an extra challenge.
Technical aspects:
Performance is
solid. On PS4 it runs great, and on PS5 it runs at 60fps smoothly. Almost without
loading times. In my experience I didn't run into any bugs or glitches. That
says a lot about how well optimized it is. On a technical level, impeccable.
Value for money:
It came out at $60, and although it is a single-player game, for quality
general it has is justified. But if you ask me, I bought it in 30
dollars on a bargain and I think at that price it's worth it. totally.
Even 40 would be fine. 60 might be a lot if you don't connect with the story, which
is very divisive. But overall, it is a game that justifies its price because of its
everything it has to offer.
Trophies / Achievements:
- Platinum obtained: No.
- Percentage of trophies
obtained: 30% - Estimated time: 25-35 hours
- Platinum difficulty: 2 out of 10, platinum is too much
easy, but a bit boring for having to resort to extensive video guides.
Conclusion:
The Last
of Us Part II is an ambitious, emotionally complex and technically complex game.
that defies the conventions of storytelling in videogames. No
is for everyone, especially because of its raw tone and risky decisions, the
game is an artistic beauty, good performance, good gameplay however
in a single-player game the story and narrative have an enormous weight on the
which does not deliver in a good way and is a game remembered more for the controversial
it was than for any other reason. In my opinion, it is a masterpiece in everything but
and narrative, I don't think that because it has been so controversial and has generated
so much division of opinion, I don't think it deserved its award for GOTY of 2020 and
less to have won the best narrative game of the year. If I consider that you should
to test it to have a better criterion and it is worth it, the game is fun and you
entertains, but you will find questionable decisions.
My
final rating for The Last of US Part II is:
3.9/5
