No game has ever gone as far as The Last of Us Part II. I mean this in every conceivable way. It has a story that is brutal to a fault. It is graphically stunning from start to finish, and I did not experience any bugs during my playthrough. It is filled with fantastic stealth based gameplay, and epic set pieces. The acting is phenomenal. Both the soundtrack and the sound design are flawless. It truly goes as far as it can go. And that might be the problem.
Here’s the thing; The Last of Us Part II is a masterpiece. I am just not totally sure it should have been made. Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer was much harsher in his review of the game(Which you can find here : https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theringer.com/platform/amp/2020/6/19/21296459/last-of-us-part-ii-review ) than I think is necessary, but he made a good point when comparing this game to another tragic story in The Road. Cormac McCarthy’s novel is just as brutal, but, as Lindbergh points out, The Road can be read in four hours. This game is about 30 hours long. And Naughty Dog does not attempt to go the Rockstar route with this game. Red Dead Redemption and its sequel asked big questions and made big statements, but there is a lot of levity in those games. Sure Arthur Morgan’s best friend and mentor is becoming an evil dictator, but there is also a mission where he gets drunk and does the can-can. The Last of Us Part II devotes no time to levity. And because of that it is a draining experience.
I have never had a game make me physically tired like this one. The player does two things in this game: kill and find their way a round various roadblocks. There are several times in this game where Ellie will have painstakingly killed several enemies only to immediately reach a new area that is blocked by some obstruction. So then you solve the puzzle of how to get around the obstruction, only to enter an area covered with enemies that Ellie must avoid or, more likely, kill. And the way the story unfolds does not offer a chance to rest. This is a revenge story, but not in a cathartic Tarantino way. If the average player is like me, then they will feel quite connected to Ellie. But the story has no problem showing the physical, mental, and even spiritual toll that Ellie is inflicting upon herself by embarking on this quest. While I do not agree with the sentiment that the characters only exist to do horrible things, I have to say that there is little light in this dark story. And even though I loved the ending, and I think the story is more subtle than most reviewers have given it credit for, there is no denying that it is a long brutal journey.
What kept me going (other than my love for Ellie) is the immersive world and thrilling gameplay. I know I just talked about how the gameplay is essentially a loop, but when that loop happens in this world, it is hard not to be enthralled. Naughty Dog has gone to great lengths to give us the most well thought out post-apocalyptic world I have ever encountered. The player is encouraged very early on to scavenge for supplies, and as I did this I began to notice the incredible variety of the stores and homes that I came across. I spent around 30 hours with this game, and I never saw an interior building used twice. More often than not, the areas I discovered had a story to tell of its inhabitants. I will not spoil anything, but I have to encourage anyone who plays this game to read every note and explore every nook and cranny, as this will offer an immense amount of insight into the world. Also, Ellie borrows a page from Red Dead Redemption 2’s Arthur Morgan and carries a journal, which offers even more insight into the personal motivations and emotional detriments of her quest.
I would say that a player’s success in this game will, as well as the players overall satisfaction, will hinge upon how careful they explore the world. Not only will a rushing player miss out on story beats, but their carelessness will lead to a lot of deaths. Enemies in this game are among the smartest I have ever encountered, and their strategies are varied. The WLF are tactical, and approach you with precision and flanking attacks. The Seraphites treat you as prey to be hunted and attempt to carefully corner the player the way a hunter would corner a deer. Fortunately, the developers have invented levels that allow for multiple ways to engage Ellie’s enemies. Ellie is also more capable this time around, as she will learn to craft different weapons. With multiple weapons at the player’s disposal and large areas to plan and execute ambushes in, the combat honestly stays fresh throughout the whole game. And this is before any mention of the infected, who act as wild cards throughout the game. There have been two new breeds of infected added to the game, and without giving any spoilers, I will say that both drastically change how the player approaches any area that has a high concentration of infected. Add the astounding and realistic enemy AI with fantastic level design, and what the player gets is tension filled gameplay that has rarely, if ever, been seen before.
However, tension is a strange thing. The story and the gameplay combine to create a game that can cause extreme anxiety. I promise you; this is not an exaggeration. This is a game that is brutally harsh throughout its entire runtime. There were 4 moments that made me put my controller down and walk away to compose myself. And that level of immersion, wherein I truly felt moved by what was happening to these characters, I believe could only have been achieved by a videogame. But, is this level of emotional exhaustion something that videogames need to achieve? I lean towards the idea that videogames as art means exploring deeper, sometimes darker, aspects of life. And in exploring the dark side of human nature, The Last of Us Part II goes further than any game before. But there is a big part of me that hopes no game ever goes further.
