This review contains spoilers
OK so yeah, this game was controversial because Joel died and they make you play as the chick who killed him.
I think Joel dying was inevitable. If you look at these characters objectively, they're all shitty people, a product of the world that surrounds them and they've had to adapt to sure, but shitty nonetheless. Joel did awful, selfish things and it was all bound to catch up to him at some point. Abby killing him out of revenge, and Ellie going after Abby again out of revenge was obviously to illustrate how vicious of a cycle that is, and you know 'Revenge Bad!!'. I get it, you get it.
My problem with this game isn't the message that it wants to preach, or Joel's death, or even that you have to play as Abby (though I felt like her portions of the game were too long.), it's more that it's almost impossible to feel any kind of empathy for most characters with the way the story is told. Abby and her 'friends' give us like, nothing. This is also true for Dina and Jesse on Ellie's side. Did you feel anything when Tommy killed Manny? When Ellie killed the pregnant chick? I didn't.
Meanwhile Tess was a side character too and her death had a huge impact.
I feel like they wanted you to feel attached to these new people, but it's hard when they're barely on screen therefore are not expanded upon enough, and the fact that they helped kill a beloved character doesn't help. You play with Abby for hours, but she literally killed Joel!! How are we supposed to feel for her? Even if she had her reasons? Maybe if they had switched the order and introduced Abby & Co. first, in a different context and made the player warm up to them, and LATER had her kill Joel, it could've worked better? Idk.
Even if it was exactly the point, I do think it was kinda tasteless to force you to fight Ellie as Abby tho
Anyway, I can't help but admit that this game, despite the ~heaviness~ of the story, is very fun to play. Gameplay wise wooo it's good. They built upon the first game so well, and it is very very satisfying to play.
Needless to say the graphics, acting and soundtrack are pristine.
Despite its flaws, it's still a solid game and it gives us and these characters some closure. I think that's better than nothing.
I think Joel dying was inevitable. If you look at these characters objectively, they're all shitty people, a product of the world that surrounds them and they've had to adapt to sure, but shitty nonetheless. Joel did awful, selfish things and it was all bound to catch up to him at some point. Abby killing him out of revenge, and Ellie going after Abby again out of revenge was obviously to illustrate how vicious of a cycle that is, and you know 'Revenge Bad!!'. I get it, you get it.
My problem with this game isn't the message that it wants to preach, or Joel's death, or even that you have to play as Abby (though I felt like her portions of the game were too long.), it's more that it's almost impossible to feel any kind of empathy for most characters with the way the story is told. Abby and her 'friends' give us like, nothing. This is also true for Dina and Jesse on Ellie's side. Did you feel anything when Tommy killed Manny? When Ellie killed the pregnant chick? I didn't.
Meanwhile Tess was a side character too and her death had a huge impact.
I feel like they wanted you to feel attached to these new people, but it's hard when they're barely on screen therefore are not expanded upon enough, and the fact that they helped kill a beloved character doesn't help. You play with Abby for hours, but she literally killed Joel!! How are we supposed to feel for her? Even if she had her reasons? Maybe if they had switched the order and introduced Abby & Co. first, in a different context and made the player warm up to them, and LATER had her kill Joel, it could've worked better? Idk.
Even if it was exactly the point, I do think it was kinda tasteless to force you to fight Ellie as Abby tho
Anyway, I can't help but admit that this game, despite the ~heaviness~ of the story, is very fun to play. Gameplay wise wooo it's good. They built upon the first game so well, and it is very very satisfying to play.
Needless to say the graphics, acting and soundtrack are pristine.
Despite its flaws, it's still a solid game and it gives us and these characters some closure. I think that's better than nothing.