I recently finished The Last Of Us Part II and there is a lot to unpack here. The review is going to have spoilers because of everything I want to go over. If you haven't finished the game, stop reading here because there will be story spoilers ahead.
The Last Of Us Part II has a scene that recaps the events of the first game, showing Joel talking to his brother Tommy about it and discussing his decision. It's a very serious moment between the two as Tommy realizes exactly what it is Joel has done, but there seems to be an understanding too. There is also a nice moment with Joel and Ellie as he gifts her a guitar. Joel plays a song for her and you get to do a small mini game playing the guitar.
After that, there is a time jump and main story events of the game start five years after the first one. Joel and Ellie are living in Jackson, Wyoming and have built a life. There is some tension between Ellie and Joel and a couple of people bring that up. Ellie has become friends with two people Jesse and Dina. There is a funny moment between Ellie and Jesse when Ellie comments that Dina kissed her. Jesse messes with her a bit, but then lets her in on the joke stating that he and Dina haven't been together in a while. It becomes pretty clear that Ellie and Dina like each other and that's where the story starts with the two of them going on a patrol together. The town in Jackson seems to be thriving with more people, horses, and everyone does their part to contribute which includes doing the patrols to make sure they clear out infected. The environments in the game are beautiful and I found myself stopping just to take in the view. Ellie and Dina's back and forth is cute and I appreciated the fact that they get to have these small moments together showing the little nuances that they like each other.
This is where things take a very dark turn that I was not okay with. We are introduced to Abby and get to play as her a bit as it shows that she and her friends are tracking someone in Jackson. She has a conversation with her friend Owen about how close they are to their goal with Owen arguing that there are a lot of people living there and it's a bad idea. Abby seems very aggressive and angry about it, going off on her own. She gets caught in a snowstorm and runs into Tommy and Joel. They help Abby escape a lot of infected. This is a point where I felt frustrated by the fact that Tommy and Joel gave their real names. However, I get it. Being around Ellie changed Joel and having a relatively peaceful life has made him a little kinder and less guarded. When they wind up at the lodge with Abby and her friends after all the excitement and Joel reveals his name, there is a definite shift in the mood. That is when it was revealed that Joel was their target all along as they knock Tommy out and shoot Joel in the leg.
The controls in the game still feel a bit clunky, but they're not totally terrible. I was able to manage as Ellie, fighting everything and everyone. Crafting is still in the game, so I salvaged everything I could in order to craft healing items, upgrade weapons, and make bombs to take people and infected out. I was not thrilled with dogs being added to the game because I had a hard time killing dogs. I get that the story is telling us look the cycle of violence is bad, but hurting dogs in a game made me feel like a monster. I tried to avoid them as much as possible.
As the story progresses, it switches over to Abby and you have to play as Abby for about 10 hours of the game. I did not want to play as Abby. I could not see the point in playing as the person who brutalized Joel. I did my best to keep an open mind and see where the story took us. We get to see Abby's side of things and see flashbacks of her as a kid with her dad. It turns out that Abby's dad Jerry was the surgeon who was going to do the surgery on Ellie, but Joel killed him. This is what set Abby on the path of hunting down Joel to kill him. Here's the thing. In that flashback, there is a conversation between Marlene and Jerry and it proves that Jerry is a hypocrite. How you ask? When Marlene finds out that Ellie will have to die in order to create the vaccine, she is not okay with it. She asks him to find another way. Jerry claims there is no other way. Marlene then firmly asks him what would he do if it was Abby? Would he sacrifice his child? Jerry never answers the question. Instead he justifies what they are doing claiming it's a chance to save everyone. That alone, is all the answer right there. It means that NO, Jerry would not have sacrificed his own child and yet he expected Joel to sacrifice Ellie thus making him a giant hypocrite. Abby foolishly tells him she would want him to do the surgery if it was her, but she was a child at the time and did not really understand the big picture.
I will give the writers credit for the fact that Abby is accepting of Lev and doesn't push when Lev says he doesn't want to talk about it. Yara and Abby have a conversation talking about Lev and Yara admitting that she made mistakes when Lev told her about how he felt about his identity is a powerful moment because Yara has done everything she can to atone and protect Lev. There is a love and respect between Yara and her brother as they look out for each other. They become friends with Abby and it's a natural thing that happens which is why it's so heartbreaking when Yara sacrifices herself to save them. Abby does her best to protect Lev and look after him and it's interesting to see that she takes on the role that Joel had for Ellie with Lev.
Alas, that was not to be as Tommy showed up with a lead on Abby. I found myself irritated by this scene because why couldn't Tommy just let it go? I understand that he was frustrated with the way things played out, but to come to Ellie and Dina's house to disrupt their idyllic life is more than a little selfish. Ellie has been suffering post traumatic stress disorder which I get, but the fact that she lets Tommy get in her head about things and decides to go after Abby is ridiculous. I feel that it's lazy writing in a way because there was no need to go after Abby at all. They had already done enough to each other, so I wish they would have let Ellie move forward. Instead she has a falling out with Dina who begs her not to go and tells her that she can't go through this pain again. Ellie leaves anyway and it made me incredibly sad because she was willing to throw away her happiness for a chance to avenge Joel. I feel that if Joel had been there, he would have told her to live her life and to let it go.
This is where we get one last memory of Ellie and Joel where they finally have a conversation about Joel lying to Ellie about what happened with the Fireflies. It's a good conversation as Joel explains that he would do it all over again and Ellie telling him that she doesn't know how to forgive him, but she'd like to try. It's the final piece in the story showing what it was that Ellie truly lost when Abby killed him. Ellie and Joel were slowly getting back to good again and that chance was taken from her. Ellie is alone in the house and tries to play the song on the guitar. She leaves it in the house and walks off into the distance. It's an unsatisfying ending. I understand the intent the writers had showing the cycle of violence and the impact it has on everyone. However, after a while it becomes a bit heavy handed and makes it feel like the writers think people are completely stupid.
The Last Of Us Part II has a scene that recaps the events of the first game, showing Joel talking to his brother Tommy about it and discussing his decision. It's a very serious moment between the two as Tommy realizes exactly what it is Joel has done, but there seems to be an understanding too. There is also a nice moment with Joel and Ellie as he gifts her a guitar. Joel plays a song for her and you get to do a small mini game playing the guitar.
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| Joel and Tommy talk. |
After that, there is a time jump and main story events of the game start five years after the first one. Joel and Ellie are living in Jackson, Wyoming and have built a life. There is some tension between Ellie and Joel and a couple of people bring that up. Ellie has become friends with two people Jesse and Dina. There is a funny moment between Ellie and Jesse when Ellie comments that Dina kissed her. Jesse messes with her a bit, but then lets her in on the joke stating that he and Dina haven't been together in a while. It becomes pretty clear that Ellie and Dina like each other and that's where the story starts with the two of them going on a patrol together. The town in Jackson seems to be thriving with more people, horses, and everyone does their part to contribute which includes doing the patrols to make sure they clear out infected. The environments in the game are beautiful and I found myself stopping just to take in the view. Ellie and Dina's back and forth is cute and I appreciated the fact that they get to have these small moments together showing the little nuances that they like each other.
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| Dina and Ellie on patrol. |
This is where things take a very dark turn that I was not okay with. We are introduced to Abby and get to play as her a bit as it shows that she and her friends are tracking someone in Jackson. She has a conversation with her friend Owen about how close they are to their goal with Owen arguing that there are a lot of people living there and it's a bad idea. Abby seems very aggressive and angry about it, going off on her own. She gets caught in a snowstorm and runs into Tommy and Joel. They help Abby escape a lot of infected. This is a point where I felt frustrated by the fact that Tommy and Joel gave their real names. However, I get it. Being around Ellie changed Joel and having a relatively peaceful life has made him a little kinder and less guarded. When they wind up at the lodge with Abby and her friends after all the excitement and Joel reveals his name, there is a definite shift in the mood. That is when it was revealed that Joel was their target all along as they knock Tommy out and shoot Joel in the leg.
Frankly, this is one of the most horrible scenes it was my displeasure to see. I understood why Joel had to die, but the way he died was horrifying. Abby is brutal in this, torturing Joel by beating him with a golf club. When Ellie arrives on the scene, Abby's friends hold her down so she can do nothing. Hearing Ellie screaming and begging for Abby to not do this is a gut wrenching thing. Honestly, I really hated Abby for this because the level of disrespect and anger was over the line. If she wanted to kill Joel fine, but torturing him for who knows how many hours and then killing him while his surrogate daughter begs for his life is utterly monstrous. I get it. In that moment Abby did not care that she traumatized someone, all she was focused on was her own rage and selfishness. It does not mean I have to like it and I didn't. It was unnecessarily dark and caused trauma to Ellie. While I understand that this moment is meant to be the catalyst that sends Ellie on her path of revenge, it did not have to be this violent.
Ellie and Tommy have a conversation about figuring out the identity of the people that attacked them due to the patches on their jackets. Known as the WLF (Washington Liberation Front) or Wolves meaning they came from Seattle. Tommy voices his frustration that they don't have the numbers to go after them without leaving Jackson vulnerable. Tommy takes matters into his own hands and goes alone. His wife Maria sends Ellie and Dina after Tommy asking them to bring him home. This is where we really dive into the game with Ellie and Dina working together to sneak past enemies and some scary fights with infected. There is definitely still that element of scary moments with the infected and figuring out different ways to kill them. Ellie and Dina do make a great team and you see how close they are and the love they have for each other. There is a beautiful scene in an abandoned music shop where Ellie finds a guitar and plays a song while Dina listens. It's a rare sweet reprieve from all the darkness in the game.
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| Ellie and Dina enjoying music together. |
The controls in the game still feel a bit clunky, but they're not totally terrible. I was able to manage as Ellie, fighting everything and everyone. Crafting is still in the game, so I salvaged everything I could in order to craft healing items, upgrade weapons, and make bombs to take people and infected out. I was not thrilled with dogs being added to the game because I had a hard time killing dogs. I get that the story is telling us look the cycle of violence is bad, but hurting dogs in a game made me feel like a monster. I tried to avoid them as much as possible.
As the story progresses, Ellie is able to get her revenge on some of the people who helped kill Joel, but the one she wants the most is of course Abby. There are obvious trails leading to Tommy as he also got revenge on the people who hurt Joel. This leads to a pretty big reveal with Ellie showing Dina she's immune and then Dina revealing she's pregnant. It seemed like such a cliche trope and while I know Dina is bisexual it seemed like that plot point was there just because to add more drama to an already dramatic story.
Of course Dina gets benched for a while as Ellie goes off on her own. This is where we get introduced to another faction, a religious cult known as Seraphites who are fighting the WLF for control of the city. So now there is another group of dangerous people Ellie has to avoid or fight. It felt like it was constantly fighting and barely any moments of peace. Honestly, it made me long for the first game because while the story was dark there were some wonderful moments of light and happiness like the first time Ellie ever saw giraffes. There's barely a few of those moments in part II and I truly started to get vengeance fatigue.
Ellie does run into one of Abby's friends and tortures her to get information of Abby. I was not okay with this at all. Again, here was a scene that was unnecessary with the pain and trauma and I didn't get a say or a choice because it was Ellie's story. Nora realizes that Ellie is the girl who is immune and we get a flashback showing that Ellie discovered the truth and that Joel lied to her. It explained the tension between Ellie and Joel and it was heartbreaking to see. Many of us understood why Joel made that choice and I remember when I played the first game, putting myself in his position. I am a mother and I realized that I would have done the same thing Joel did. I would have done everything to protect my child. There are quite a few flashbacks with Ellie and Joel and they seem to time jump around. One of my favorites is Joel taking Ellie to an old museum that has dinosaurs and space exploration for her birthday. There is an incredible scene giving them a wonderful father daughter memory of them being together in a space capsule and Ellie listening to a tape with her eyes closed of ground control counting down before rocket lift off. It's heartwarming and perfect memory of Ellie and Joel being together and happy.
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| Joel and Ellie celebrate. |
As the story progresses, it switches over to Abby and you have to play as Abby for about 10 hours of the game. I did not want to play as Abby. I could not see the point in playing as the person who brutalized Joel. I did my best to keep an open mind and see where the story took us. We get to see Abby's side of things and see flashbacks of her as a kid with her dad. It turns out that Abby's dad Jerry was the surgeon who was going to do the surgery on Ellie, but Joel killed him. This is what set Abby on the path of hunting down Joel to kill him. Here's the thing. In that flashback, there is a conversation between Marlene and Jerry and it proves that Jerry is a hypocrite. How you ask? When Marlene finds out that Ellie will have to die in order to create the vaccine, she is not okay with it. She asks him to find another way. Jerry claims there is no other way. Marlene then firmly asks him what would he do if it was Abby? Would he sacrifice his child? Jerry never answers the question. Instead he justifies what they are doing claiming it's a chance to save everyone. That alone, is all the answer right there. It means that NO, Jerry would not have sacrificed his own child and yet he expected Joel to sacrifice Ellie thus making him a giant hypocrite. Abby foolishly tells him she would want him to do the surgery if it was her, but she was a child at the time and did not really understand the big picture.
Playing as Abby is interesting. I didn't like Abby, but I didn't hate her either. I understand what the writers were trying to do, showing Abby's side of things and that she's not just some faceless monster. The issue I had with Abby is she's kind of a jerk. She's very in your face about everything and wants to do things her way and screw everyone else. This becomes pretty clear in many of her conversations with Owen. Yes, Owen and Abby were a couple in the past, but no longer. They stayed friends and Owen moved on with a lady named Mel who is pregnant. Owen is a jerk too honestly. It's clear that Abby still has feelings for Owen so she should very much stay away from him, but she doesn't. Abby is friendly with Mel, but it's obvious Mel is not comfortable around her and Mel even admits to Abby she wishes she hadn't been part of what happened to Joel. Finding out that Mel is a doctor somehow makes that worse. Mel who is a healer, took part in doing something monstrous to another human being and now she has regrets. Overall, it seems like a lot of the WLF are not nice people, but in an end of the world situation not many people are. Owen and Abby having sex while Mel is elsewhere and pregnant with Owen's kid shows just how much both of these characters are selfish jerks. Mel is not stupid and she figures that out quickly and calls Abby out on it. Abby refusing to be Owen's mistress is one of the few good things she does.
Abby plays a lot differently than Ellie. Abby's build is that of a crossfit athlete so she can very much brute force her way through a lot of fights. I felt that we are forced to play as her a little too long, but it gave me a good idea of who she is. She cares about her friends sure, but she can be kind of a jerk, and very laser focused on her own goals and nothing else. In some regards, I can see how she and Ellie are two sides of the same coin as they both have experienced loss and went down the dark path of revenge.
As Abby's story progresses, she meets Yara and Lev who are Seraphites trying to run away from them. Circumstances cause Abby to help them and they began traveling together. I really liked Yara and Lev. Getting to know them and understanding who they were revealed a lot. It soon comes up that Lev is a trans boy.
We need to talk about Lev. This is where I got uncomfortable. I am not trans. I am a bisexual woman, but what was done to Lev as a character and his story is completely irresponsible. Firstly, I love the representation of having a trans character in the game and that he is played by Ian Alexander who is trans. However, the pain and trauma that is exacted on Lev is such a triggering thing for trans people who have experienced things such as deadnaming. There was never ever a reason to deadname Lev and there was no reason to have Lev be a constant target for abuse and violence. All of us in the LGBTQIA community are more than our trauma and the writing of Lev is incredibly troubling. Finding out that Neil Druckman and Halley Gross are two straight writers who wrote this part of the story with no input from any trans writers, creators, or anyone from our community is not only upsetting, it's disappointing. These are our stories and we don't even get a seat at the table. Instead, it seemed like they put Lev in just to have him be the focus of violence simply because he's trans and that is not okay. Trans people are more than this and it's not only demeaning, it's insulting. There are better ways to write this in fiction and the writers absolutely missed the mark with Lev.
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| Abby and Lev take a moment to talk. |
I will give the writers credit for the fact that Abby is accepting of Lev and doesn't push when Lev says he doesn't want to talk about it. Yara and Abby have a conversation talking about Lev and Yara admitting that she made mistakes when Lev told her about how he felt about his identity is a powerful moment because Yara has done everything she can to atone and protect Lev. There is a love and respect between Yara and her brother as they look out for each other. They become friends with Abby and it's a natural thing that happens which is why it's so heartbreaking when Yara sacrifices herself to save them. Abby does her best to protect Lev and look after him and it's interesting to see that she takes on the role that Joel had for Ellie with Lev.
Naturally the confrontation between Ellie and Abby happens with Abby killing Jesse and shooting Tommy. I hated fighting Ellie as Abby, but I get why that fight needed to happen. It's terrible, bloody, and messy showing how determined both women are to win. Abby gets the upper hand and is ready to kill Dina as Ellie reveals she's pregnant. It is Lev who talks Abby from killing Dina, gently telling her, "You're better than this." Abby listens telling Ellie she never wants to see her face again.
Months later Ellie and Dina seem to have settled into a nice life with Dina's son JJ. It's a good life, living on a farm house where they have sheep and a garden growing food. I feel that this is the life Joel would have wanted for Ellie. That is why he saved her after all, so she could live and find happiness. I wish the game had ended here because while it may seem cliche, it's a good ending. It shows Ellie and Dina happy with baby JJ, living together happily.
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| Ellie sings a song to JJ. |
Alas, that was not to be as Tommy showed up with a lead on Abby. I found myself irritated by this scene because why couldn't Tommy just let it go? I understand that he was frustrated with the way things played out, but to come to Ellie and Dina's house to disrupt their idyllic life is more than a little selfish. Ellie has been suffering post traumatic stress disorder which I get, but the fact that she lets Tommy get in her head about things and decides to go after Abby is ridiculous. I feel that it's lazy writing in a way because there was no need to go after Abby at all. They had already done enough to each other, so I wish they would have let Ellie move forward. Instead she has a falling out with Dina who begs her not to go and tells her that she can't go through this pain again. Ellie leaves anyway and it made me incredibly sad because she was willing to throw away her happiness for a chance to avenge Joel. I feel that if Joel had been there, he would have told her to live her life and to let it go.
We get to catch up with Abby and Lev who are following a lead about the possibility of the Fireflies rebuilding. That is not what they find however as a gang of mercenaries known as the Rattlers capture them. There is another time jump and Ellie runs into the Rattlers and is able to fight them and take them out. It did feel vindicating releasing the people they had captured so they could get some payback on the gang. Ellie does find Abby and Lev who are tied up on pillars. Abby is clearly not the same person she was. Her hair is cut short and she's obviously been tortured for weeks. Lev does not look much better as Abby carries him to some boats on the beach where they can escape. This is where in my opinion it got stupid. Ellie has a flash of memory of Joel dying and suddenly decides she has to fight Abby again. Abby refuses and you can tell in her manner and voice that she is done, yet Ellie forces the issue by threatening Lev. It's so bizarre of Ellie to force a fight with someone that no longer has the will to fight.
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| Ellie and Abby fight one more time. |
I didn't feel good about this fight either. It's awful and I found myself furious with Ellie for pushing this. Again, it's a nasty dragged out fight with Ellie losing two fingers and it seems that Ellie has the upper hand and is ready to kill Abby. Ellie relents, having a moment of clarity letting Abby and Lev go ending the cycle of violence and revenge. Ellie returns to the farmhouse finding that Dina stayed true to her word and she and JJ are gone. All that's left are Ellie's things in the empty house.
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| Ellie alone. |
This is where we get one last memory of Ellie and Joel where they finally have a conversation about Joel lying to Ellie about what happened with the Fireflies. It's a good conversation as Joel explains that he would do it all over again and Ellie telling him that she doesn't know how to forgive him, but she'd like to try. It's the final piece in the story showing what it was that Ellie truly lost when Abby killed him. Ellie and Joel were slowly getting back to good again and that chance was taken from her. Ellie is alone in the house and tries to play the song on the guitar. She leaves it in the house and walks off into the distance. It's an unsatisfying ending. I understand the intent the writers had showing the cycle of violence and the impact it has on everyone. However, after a while it becomes a bit heavy handed and makes it feel like the writers think people are completely stupid.
While the gameplay is fairly the same as the first game, I couldn't help making comparisons to the first game. The Last Of Us Part II is good, but it's not great. There's just so much darkness in it with rare moments of joy whereas the first game had a lot of small but happy moments in the dark story. It makes me wonder how much of Bruce Straley's writing was the biggest influence on the first game because the writing for the sequel is not as strong. I am glad I played the sequel so I could see for myself what was in it, but I think once was enough.
*The Last Of Us Part II is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation4
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