It has been almost exactly seven years since the retroactively named Last of Us Part I released to near universal praise. Even in 2013 telling a zombie story felt like a little bit of a cliché, but developer Naughty Dog knew that and were one step ahead. Instead of an outbreak we had seen a thousand times we got a new take, complete with one of the best stories ever told in gaming. So now, with bated breath – we dive head first into one of the most ambitious sequels of all time.
As we are writing this review after the launch of the game, technically we aren’t under the same embargo as the first run of reviews. However, I will still be avoiding story discussion for the most part as there is very little you can say without verging into spoiler territory. If you do want an in-depth retrospective on the story though keep an eye on the website in the coming weeks as our site owner Craig will be doing an article breaking down the many story beats.
The game picks up 5 years after the first entry in the series and now 25 years since the outbreak. Ellie – now 19 years old – is part of a community that has started to rebuild a semblance of the way life used to be. The walls are still fortified and patrolled, but there are bars, stables, shops and even kids running around with the odd animal. You get the sense that the best is being made of a bad situation. Farming Simulator though this is not.
Without getting deep into the story I will say that if you have encountered any of the spoilers and felt that what you have read or seen has betrayed the characters from the original game; I urge you to play through it yourself from start to finish before finalising that conclusion. I know a few people that had key moments “spoiled” for them and considered not playing, but all of whom did end up buying it on launch day and are glad they did.
Throughout the game, character motivations become clear and while you may not always agree with them you can certainly see how they would react in the manner they do, especially given the environment they are in. The world of the Last of Us is a brutal and unforgiving place. In scenarios like this there are rarely only good and bad, and the lines get blurred so often that they virtually disappear. Raw, gritty… real. These are some of the words I would use to discuss scenes and characters actions throughout the near 30 hour story.
One of the many things I loved about the Last of Us Part II is that it humanises the enemies that Ellie is hunting. You sense genuine emotion when an enemy finds one of their fallen friends, causing them to scream out their name. The game allows you to see the story from both sides which is both rare and completely refreshing. This allows sections of the story to take on even more meaning, as while Ellie continues to show very little empathy, the player can become conflicted. I look forward to discussing the game with our readers over the coming weeks and months.
You may not like some of the narrative choices and disagree with character motivations, but Neil Druckmann and co had a story to tell here and they have done that exquisitely. No other developer has perfected the art of telling stories throughout the journey outside of cutscenes like Naughty Dog. Even more than part one this now extends to the collectibles, which often times fleshes out the stories of others in the world. It’s the best use of collectibles since Horizon Zero Dawn.
Gameplay has been refined since the first outing rather than overhauled. Everything feels a bit more smooth and responsive while Ellie herself is able to traverse areas to get the jump on, or avoid enemies altogether. The ability to go prone to hide in tall grass or sneak through small spaces expands the players ability to navigate in a stealthy manner. She can also finally swim, thank god. Like the first game there are still moments where everything goes pear shaped, but more often than not this is due to the excellent enemy AI rather than gameplay limitations.
Speaking of enemy AI, this is definitely one of the standout aspects of the gameplay. They hunt in packs and coordinate their attacks, which often results in you sprinting out of harms way when spotted so you can re-group and come back at the problem from a different angle. Dogs provide a hefty challenge as well by picking up your scent and following you. I know many had issues with hurting virtual dogs going in but in the heat of the moment when it was me or the dog… Ellie survived.
Environmental puzzles like moving bins to help you gain access to new areas carry over from the previous game, but new to the world of the Last of Us is the odd bit of rope. This can be used similar to how it was implemented in Uncharted 4. It’s not overdone though and is only used as and when it fits. These short puzzle sequences are good ways to break up the intensity of the game and often come with some worthwhile character interaction.
Gunplay is largely unchanged, but enemy encounters feel even more tense. This is in part thanks to the superior AI mentioned above, but also due to instances where multiple factions and/or the infected are in the same area. Here you can utilise some tactical brilliance and alert one enemy type to the others presence, allowing them to fight to the death and leave you to pick off the scraps.
The inventory and item management will also be familiar to fans of the first game. This was a wise choice in my eyes as it still works well. There are so many small details that just go over and above, like needing a second small holster to be able to quickly switch between two handguns. Without this Ellie can only swap out handgun types by going into her backpack in real time, which is obviously far from ideal in the middle of a heated battle.
As with the previous entry you scavenge bits and bobs from around the world to craft into various items like health kits, smoke bombs and attachments for your melee weapon or silencers for your guns. Pills are also found around the environment and can be used for character upgrades, while screws are used at workbenches to upgrade guns. All of the various upgrades work well and fit inside the world Naughty Dog have created.
In terms of visuals this may be the best looking game we have seen on a console to date. The facial animation and jaw dropping environments are the definite standouts, but the overall level of detail in every corner of the map is staggering. This extends to the animation as well. Ellie interacts with the world in so many small nuanced ways that my significant other, a non gamer, thought I was watching a new Netflix series rather than playing a game.
Audio is not something I tend to notice much in games. I can’t count the amount of times I have been discussing a game with someone and they have waxed lyrical about the score, only for me to sit pan faced – forced to admit that it hadn’t stood out to me. Here though, it really adds to the game. It connects scenes beautifully and is cleverly used to indicate danger ahead. Voice acting is the best video games can offer and there is even an option for 3D audio should you be in a position to take advantage of it.
Something I didn’t dabble with too much but has to be lauded, is the accessibility options. Naughty Dog have went to incredible lengths to ensure that as many people can experience this game as possible. Even if this is a section you would normally gloss over, you may want to use the option to colour code certain things in the world to help with finding collectibles.
Back in 2013 one criticism thrown at the Last of Us was the trophy list. Multiple playthroughs, including one on the hardest difficulty. All optional conversations that were not only hard to find, but prone to glitch. And then there was the 40 hours worth of online play for the final two gold’s as well. Thankfully, this time around we have a completely reworked list. You can play on any difficulty you like and the factions multiplayer is set to be released as a standalone entity.
Overall the Last of Us Part II is not only Naughty Dog’s finest work, but one of the greatest video game experiences I have ever had. It sets a new bar in terms of graphics, storytelling and presentation – while offering up so many different ways to play that it feels inclusive to all gamers (Over 18). It’s a tense experience from start to finish thanks to incredible performances from not only the main cast, but pretty much everyone you meet in the game. This may be PlayStation 4’s finest experience and it’s a fitting way to wind down the generation.
-Jock
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