Late Game Reviews - The Last of Us: Part II (Non-spoiler)

By: Bryce L. Jackson

After 3 delays and a massive logistical fail by UPS, The Last of Us: Part II finally got into my hands. The long-awaited, conclusion to the story first started in 2013. Like the game, I'm splitting my review into 2 parts. This article will be a non-spoiler/light spoiler take on what I experienced and my thoughts on this game. The second will be a full breakdown of game structure and story set pieces.

Overall Thoughts

This game is a technical marvel and another entry into considering videogames an art form. It’s a beautiful swan song for the PlayStation 4’s console life cycle. The first 2 hours, I remember just smiling looking at how wonderful this game was and being back in this world to expand on the stories of characters I’ve become so acquainted with. Even running on a launch edition PS4, everything that the designers at Naughty Dog created came out beautifully with very little texture popping. The gameplay was smooth and familiar. The controls aren’t too different from Part I aside from jumping and dodging. The added elements for combat were refreshing but familiar and make sense. I played the game with headphones throughout because I wanted that fully immersive experience. Combat sequences are strategic, and anxiety-ridden in combination with a score that further piles onto anxiety, whether you’re alone or with a surprising variety of capable partners. The extent of the gore is surprising at first and not for the folks with weak stomachs. TLOU: Part II also leans into the horror aspects of the infected. Stumbling into infected areas with certain infected types got an audible curse out of me almost every time.

It’s hard to talk about The Last of Us: Part: II’s story without giving away story elements. The story and dialogue deserve awards when the time comes. The characters and their motivations are believable. Characters that at first you don’t care about, the perception completely flips by the time the game ends. TLOU: Part 2 performs a narrative flip compared to Pulp Fiction but does it on a scale that I don’t recall seeing before in video games. To that point, TLOU: Part II also suffers because Naughty Dog wants to tell this expansive narrative then flip the perspective that starts the story essentially from square one, it makes the game feel overly long. The story plus exploring plus combat drags out the game. TLOU: Part II then gives a false conclusion that adds another hour or so depending on how people play that leads to the conclusion.

I love this game, but I don’t feel good about the story. The story is inherently made that there are no actual happy endings. This world isn’t going to give a satisfying end just because it’s a sequel. I give this game high marks but because the game does get drawn out too long, I can’t go higher than a 9/10. The lead-up to the release and initial discussions of Part II has been far more polarizing than its predecessor. It will take more time and more public discussions to see if it becomes the cultural touchstone that the first game is.