About 3 years ago almost to the day, I finished The Last of Us Part I for the first time in February of 2021. That time period was an extremely tough one for me as it was for almost everyone. I felt depressed and lonely and had lost contact with almost all of my friends due to the pandemic, but playing through this story of finding the light in the darkness and finding hope in isolation was such a gratifying experience for me. I know I was late to the party by a few years, but I’d never played a game like The Last of Us before. It was so real and raw and emotional, it immediately became my favorite game of all time.

Months prior to this, the long-awaited sequel, The Last of Us Part II, had been released to almost unanimous critical acclaim. Unfortunately, dumbass that I was, I didn’t look at said acclaim and instead focused on negative online reactions. Looking at these reactions spoiled a lot of the story beats for me, and out of context, these spoilers didn’t sound too great. I was pretty skeptical about what I heard and wasn’t very optimistic but I’d decided that I’d be playing it anyway and would make up my own mind about the game. So that’s what I did. I got a PS5 a few months later and got myself a copy of The Last of Us Part II.

From its opening moments, the game absolutely floored me. The moment I’d been dreading and had heard so much about being cheap and done for shock value brought me to tears. Joel’s death was brutal, it hurt, but it meant something. I felt broken and angry like Ellie did and I felt an immense hatred for Abby, the person responsible. I had already known they were going to try and redeem Abby, but I was convinced whatever redemption arc the game was going to try wouldn’t work on me, even if I did end up liking the game. Looking back on it now, I feel so stupid that I didn’t try to be more open-minded about the game, but I’m still really glad I never wrote it off like so many people did and gave it a fair chance. As I played through the rest of the game, all my doubts were washed away. I ended up loving Abby and caring so deeply about her story just as much as I cared about Joel and Ellie’s. I felt as if Ellie choosing to let Abby go was earned after all I had been through with both of these characters. The game crafted this brilliant narrative of morality and violence and hatred and hope that engrossed me like no other game has ever been able to and I doubt ever will. I felt so hollow and numb after finishing it, but somehow it’s a game that I keep coming back to. How can something that hurts so much bring me so much comfort and warmth? The Last of Us Part II may not be a perfect game, but it will forever be my most cherished gaming experience and my favorite game of all time. It’s a game that’s very near to my heart and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop thinking about it.