SPOILER-FREE REVIEW
The Last of Us: Part II demands more of its players than any other game I’ve played: patience through monotony, presence in each moment, openness to go where no player wants to go. To be fair to this game’s many critics, these demands were at many times exhausting, as no game (of which I am aware) has crafted such nuance and subtlety into every moment of a 25-hour experience; however, as I slowed down and committed myself to the story at hand, the cause for the game’s celebration slowly emerged from the inertia.
Building on the narrative prowess of the first game, TLOU2 deepens its mechanical story-telling in a compelling way, placing an incredible (and some would say, unbearable) weight on player experience from various perspectives. Make no mistake, the brunt of TLOU2’s controversial story-telling still occurs in cut scenes, but the moments that connect players with the characters take place in varied scenarios “on the sticks.”
The moment that best illustrates Naughty Dog’s huge ask for a player’s total presence occurs soon after the first proper chapter begins. Ellie and a support character find themselves in an open exploration space. Hidden away in just one of the 10+ locations to visit, totally optionally, a player can encounter a moment as profoundly simple and moving as the first game’s “giraffe moment.” Illustrating the optionality of this moment, I listened to several review podcasts where certain reviewers completely missed the moment. The reward waited for players who were committed to seeing all that Naughty Dog created, and the same principle runs through the rest of the story.
I must say something of the length which is the primary negative of TLOU2, entirely by the decision of Naughty Dog. Around the 12 hour mark (the full length of TLOU1), players are led to believe they have reached the climax of the story, only to discover they are less than halfway through the game. I’d be lying if I said this did not initially bother me, and it took nearly 3 more hours of gameplay before I understood the decision. For many, and fairly so, those 3 hours were too long for the game to be redeemed. Nevertheless, if TLOU2 was ever going to succeed with its narrative ambition, this is the way they needed to do it; I just wish they’d made those first moments of the second half more fun and purposeful.
I’ve saved the best for last—TLOU2’s gameplay! Now this is ironic for me, because I HATED TLOU’s gameplay to the point I almost quit it 3 different times, and I did give up on Left Behind. However, in TLOU2, Naughty Dog has somehow combined the fluidity of Uncharted’s popcorn-action combat with an immersive stealth experience that far exceeds the YES/NO logic of most games’ stealth question, “Is one pinky toe in tall grass? Then no one can see her.” The combat- and environment-designers brilliantly created sprawling combat arenas with enough options for any game-play style; their greatest achievement might be the real viability of running away/through fights—something I often forgot I could do because so few video games have actually allowed it. In the end, I finished the “over-long” story mode and immediately jumped into New Game+ to go for the Platinum trophy, simply because I wanted more time with the combat system.
TLOU2 is so much more than the Twitter fights, condescending critiques, and uproarious celebration can ever represent; in fact, this may be the most nuanced video game story ever told, and many have written it off or written its name in the Book of Life without ever picking up a controller. My plea as a reviewer is only that you play it, not that you enjoy it. If I’ve learned one thing from this game, it’s that we need every, single voice at the table when discussing such far-reaching stories, and my straight, white, male analysis will only be better for your response.
The Last of Us: Part II demands more of its players than any other game I’ve played: patience through monotony, presence in each moment, openness to go where no player wants to go. To be fair to this game’s many critics, these demands were at many times exhausting, as no game (of which I am aware) has crafted such nuance and subtlety into every moment of a 25-hour experience; however, as I slowed down and committed myself to the story at hand, the cause for the game’s celebration slowly emerged from the inertia.
Building on the narrative prowess of the first game, TLOU2 deepens its mechanical story-telling in a compelling way, placing an incredible (and some would say, unbearable) weight on player experience from various perspectives. Make no mistake, the brunt of TLOU2’s controversial story-telling still occurs in cut scenes, but the moments that connect players with the characters take place in varied scenarios “on the sticks.”
The moment that best illustrates Naughty Dog’s huge ask for a player’s total presence occurs soon after the first proper chapter begins. Ellie and a support character find themselves in an open exploration space. Hidden away in just one of the 10+ locations to visit, totally optionally, a player can encounter a moment as profoundly simple and moving as the first game’s “giraffe moment.” Illustrating the optionality of this moment, I listened to several review podcasts where certain reviewers completely missed the moment. The reward waited for players who were committed to seeing all that Naughty Dog created, and the same principle runs through the rest of the story.
I must say something of the length which is the primary negative of TLOU2, entirely by the decision of Naughty Dog. Around the 12 hour mark (the full length of TLOU1), players are led to believe they have reached the climax of the story, only to discover they are less than halfway through the game. I’d be lying if I said this did not initially bother me, and it took nearly 3 more hours of gameplay before I understood the decision. For many, and fairly so, those 3 hours were too long for the game to be redeemed. Nevertheless, if TLOU2 was ever going to succeed with its narrative ambition, this is the way they needed to do it; I just wish they’d made those first moments of the second half more fun and purposeful.
I’ve saved the best for last—TLOU2’s gameplay! Now this is ironic for me, because I HATED TLOU’s gameplay to the point I almost quit it 3 different times, and I did give up on Left Behind. However, in TLOU2, Naughty Dog has somehow combined the fluidity of Uncharted’s popcorn-action combat with an immersive stealth experience that far exceeds the YES/NO logic of most games’ stealth question, “Is one pinky toe in tall grass? Then no one can see her.” The combat- and environment-designers brilliantly created sprawling combat arenas with enough options for any game-play style; their greatest achievement might be the real viability of running away/through fights—something I often forgot I could do because so few video games have actually allowed it. In the end, I finished the “over-long” story mode and immediately jumped into New Game+ to go for the Platinum trophy, simply because I wanted more time with the combat system.
TLOU2 is so much more than the Twitter fights, condescending critiques, and uproarious celebration can ever represent; in fact, this may be the most nuanced video game story ever told, and many have written it off or written its name in the Book of Life without ever picking up a controller. My plea as a reviewer is only that you play it, not that you enjoy it. If I’ve learned one thing from this game, it’s that we need every, single voice at the table when discussing such far-reaching stories, and my straight, white, male analysis will only be better for your response.