The Last of Us: Part II (EN)

Every coin has two sides.

Over the last years we have seen multiple controversial releases with Sony releasing a new one this year: Death Stranding. The Last of Us came at the end of the PS3 life-cyle in 2013. The Last of Us: Part II also comes at the end of the PS4 life-cycle, but is also the subject of controversial criticism. Of course, the most valid criticism is made when someone finishes the game and is able to judge it to its full extent.

In the original The Last of Us, we took part in an adventure with 44-year-old Joel and 14-year-old Ellie, in a post-apocalyptic world, specifically in America, where the cordycepts virus transforms people into zombies. Now, in this sequel, we travel five years in the future, where things have not changed much aside from the characters' ages and of course...the protagonists.

A new hero arises
Ellie has now matured and at 19 she doesn't look like an unprotected little girl she once was. As the heroine of the sequel, she has become a strong warrior, something that quickly becomes apparent in the game. In The Last of Us: Part II there are many references to the events of the original game, which make it easy to understand the past even for players who never experienced the game's universe before. If you plan to play the original game and do not want to see spoilers, then you should play it first and then continue with The Last of Us: Part II.

Joel and Ellie are tied to each other but after the events of the first game, Ellie feels bitter towards Joel. Some unpredicted events also lead to unfortunate circumstances which you cannot change or influence. Joel always wants to have the role of the teacher towards Ellie but now that our teenager has grown up, she is ready to take control of her own life. Both of them are very different characters, they have disagreements and awkward moments, but in the end, they always support each other. In the new chapter of the series, Naughty Dog introduces a lot of new characters. They are strong personalities, just like the two beloved protagonists of the original game. The result is that we don't have just two heroes, like we did in the previous version, but many more. Intriguingly, the scenes are aptly alternated in order to keep your interest undiminished.

The endless alternation of scenes keeps you constantly alerted. Our beloved heroes will face their fears and anxiety, experience hope, courage and a barrage of other feelings. Sometimes they fight without knowing if they will make it through the day. In terms of screenplay, Druckmann wrote a masterpiece, but there are several aspects of the script that each gamer will perceive differently. First of all, there are ups and downs in pace and intensity depending on the storyline. Sometimes, the character might move slowly, explore the space or stop to listen to other people. The duration of these unexciting scenes could be less, with increased focus on Action and Horror elements.

The second thing that makes The Last of Us: Part II script be noticeable is the controversial nature. Naughty Dog incessantly tries to force a "politically correct" agenda, most times in a way that simply does not fit in the scenario. Surely Druckmann can express himself through a script, but the issue here is that he is trying to emphasise politics in a distinctive way, which makes a good script like this become controversial. There is a variety of subconscious messages which appear discreetly, through the presentation of several characters, love affairs and a bit of storytelling. Sometimes this is presented well and other times, not so much.

Stealth is the key
Let's now move on to the gameplay. The Last of Us: Part II world has the usual infected called clickers. They are the most dangerous creatures and can instantly bite you to death if you do not carry a blade to defend yourself. Bloaters are an even more advanced form of creature as they serve the role of bosses, while there are also several new types of mutant enemies who come in various sizes. The variety of human enemies has also increased and the same can be said for the weapons range.

The map navigation is easy. You just need to go from point A to point B, depending on the active mission. There are also narrow passages which you cross with side steps, bend or climb. Most of the time, doors are locked, forcing you to think of alternative ways to enter buildings such as using stairs, ropes, breaking windows or dragging and climbing on boxes. It is also worth mentioning that your missions often have the same essence. For instance, one very common type of mission is to find someone located in a building. This repetition is one of the disadvantages of gameplay.

Controls are pretty much the same in terms of logic, combat system and resource gathering. It looks like Naughty Dog reused the code from the first game and built upon it. Your goal is once again to collect resources that are located near you to craft items and kill your enemies with the least amount of ammunition. You can avoid most battles if you so wish, for example by finding a door which allows you to leave a room, thereby keeping enemies from following you.

Stealth is the key element of the gameplay, compared to brutal battles. You can throw bottles and bricks to distract your enemies and either escape or perform stealth kills from behind. Although this method requires trial and error (because you will die many times) it still works in your favor, since the A.I. of enemies has remained the same as in the first part! Unfortunately, your enemies have a sight range of about 30 meters. Even when you hid in the middle of a fight, the enemies will behave like you disappeared in thin air.

Fighting in grass terrains makes your life easier. Even if you kill someone and are detected by enemies, just dive in the grass, crouch, hide and wait a few seconds – the enemies will surely lose you! This, of course, is unrealistic as the grass movement should reveal your position. What stands out from the A.I. is the dogs that can smell you. Even if you move stealthily, they will find you, bite you and reveal your position to the surrounding enemies, who will (once again) start shooting. Unfortunately, dogs turn out to be much smarter than humans because they have a great sense of smell and in most cases you will have to kill almost all of them to move on.

In battles, your heroine will play either solo or with friends. If you have company then things are a little easier because your comrades can get kills as well. Your enemies are very slow when it comes to noticing your presence and shooting, so this allows you to either crouch or prone and then perform a stealth kill, while you can also grab one enemy and threaten another with your pistol. Also, in the Hard difficulty level, resources are scarcer than in the Normal difficulty level, but crafting a medkit or basic supplies is easy. You can choose between sacrificing (what exactly) to gain more bullets and prefer to go stealth or melee than to waste your bullets (vasika den exo katalavei ti ennoei edo). Last but not least, you can always press R1 to reveal your enemies, so you can stealth even easier.

Gameplay also includes several quick-time events. Clickers are killed if you have spare knives, otherwise you die instantly. When an enemy approaches you, either a regular mob or a boss, in some cases you will have to spam the square button. In melee battles you can press L1 constantly to avoid being hit.

There are also a few epic boss fights. Their behavior is almost pre-determined and predictable. You just need to be quick and have proper timing. In addition to bosses, you will meet and use boats, jeeps and horses. The usefulness of animals is a pleasant addition, either when you ride them or (in other cases) when you pet them. Naughty Dog did an excellent work in terms of script, in the sense that you will have your emotional ups and downs, depending on the situation.

Gameplay also contains a few puzzles whose the solution is usually nearby. You just need to observe the objects around you and use them. For example, you may need to find the right passage (way?) to tie a rope, or you may need to push an object and run through a gate. You can also interact with the environment and various objects, like for instance play with your guitar using the analog stick and the touchpad. If you practice enough, you will even be able to create full songs, even if you don't have guitar knowledge! The guitar is an important part of the game and contributes to intense feelings, although it doesn't appear often.

Arsenal and crafting
Following the well-known weapons that we met in the first The Last of Us, Part II now has a bigger variety but the same types of weapons. You will handle pistols, rifles, shotguns and more, which you find in your journey. The weapons are scattered, along with special belts that increase your capacity. Those will give you access to more weapons using the d-pad without navigating around menus and wasting time. Crafting allows you to create medkits, bullets for pistol silencer, special bullets, bombs, mines, etc.

The Last of Us: Part II is full of (unpleasant) surprises and plot twists, which could be also used in Hollywood movies.

There are dozens of skills to unlock in-game and Naughty Dog has split them into five categories. Skill points are acquired as resources (symbolized by pills). You will acquire skills that consist of Survival (faster stealth movement, faster medkit creation, bigger health bar), Construction (upgrade melee weapons, create weapons faster, create better medkits and bombs), Stealth (find enemies, move faster when prone, quieter kills), Accuracy (Weapons targeting) and Explosives. New skill categories are unlocked when you find books.

There are also weapon modifications. For these upgrades you will use screws that you find scattered on the map to upgrade your weapons in workbenches located in various places. Upgradable weapon statistics include speed, stability, recoil, capacity, damage and more. This closely resembles the upgrade mechanics of the first The Last of Us, with the only difference that there are a couple more options and detailed animations when you upgrade, such as a sniper scope for easier head shots. Fun fact: When upgrading your weapons you should watch out, as enemies can still attack you (it happened in my case), leading to extra jump scares. Therefore, make sure to clear the rooms around you!

Jump scares are generally a well-known tactic in games such as this, and play an important part in the game. Mutated enemies can attack you through walls, clickers will kill you instantly even when in stealth mode and bosses are scary, especially when they chase you. Low-lit rooms can also cause a bit of panic, especially to players that haven't played the first game. Either way, it's an 18+ rated game, so these should be expected.

Apart from the modifications, safes also reappear in the sequel. They contain excellent loot, such as weapons, bullets, pills for upgrades and so on. The codes are usually a few meters away from each safe, so you just have to observe the environment around you, sometimes with one and sometimes with two notes (ti notes? Musical notes? Enois simiosis?) that give a hint of the six-digit code. If you don't find the password, then you can use the headset to listen to the click of the safe and stop it at the right number to discover the password yourself.

The balancing and damage of the weapons appears to be realistic, either with or without modifications. They have the right recoil, they create the correct amount of damage depending on where you aim and of course getting a headshot is not easy, due to the targeting system and the enemies that are constantly moving. Your opponents can easily shoot you and will also try to circle you when you are in cover. Oddly enough they rarely use bombs, with a few exceptions at the last stages of the game. Any experienced Third-Person Shooters gamer can easily beat The Last of Us: Part II in Hard mode.

An unexpected journey
The difference that makes the new The Last of Us stand out is the fact that it has almost double the duration that the original game. My save recorded 27 hours of gameplay in Hard mode (the 2nd most difficult mode from a total of five). If you are play in Normal mode then you will probably need less hours. In addition, when you finish the game, New Game + is unlocked. Since you can not unlock all the skills during your first playthrough, there is a replayability factor. Also, cutscenes are plentiful and consist of around 10-15% of the duration.

Graphics have levelled up
Naughty Dog artists are some of the best in the world and The Last of Us: Part II is proof of it. Character design is marvellous, facial expressions are detailed and the whole thing is a masterpiece, both in terms of cinematics and in-game engine. There are only a few mistakes in animations that have to do with collision. My favourite part is when you add a mod in a weapon when using the workbench. The whole movement of the characters looks really realistic. The visual effects of explosions are also thrilling. Perhaps the weakest part of graphics has to do with the downscale of the environment resolution. Nonetheless, the loading times are long, especially when you first load a save, but go unnoticed for the rest of the game.

The highlight of Naughty Dog's work is the awesome visual effects, especially when it comes to splatter. For instance, mutants are trying to...eat your organs! Several other enemies can decapitate you and send you back to the latest checkpoint. There are also several gory blood scenes. The new The Last of Us lives up to its 18+ rating, with plenty of horrific scenes and kills to see, which require strong nerves. In a few parts of the game, we could see inside graphics and also encountered a few bugs and texture popups, but luckily those were minimal and fortunately did not particularly affect the overall experience.

In terms of voice acting, both Ashley Johnson as Ellie and Troy Baker as Joel do a great job. Also, Shannon Woodward as Dina and Jeffrey Pierce as Tommy gave great performances as well. The translation in other languages is excellent. Even swears or jokes are represented accurately. Actors who have small roles, however, don't perform that well. Sound effects are excellent and contribute to the creation of a good atmosphere, although the music has an almost non-existent role as it rarely plays.

Life lessons
The Last of Us: Part II gives exactly what we expected in terms of gameplay. It is completely based on the foundations of its predecessor and beautifully builds upon them. The new range of skills and the modifications have been vastly improved. The new version simply relies on the same values, i.e. the collection of resources, stealth kills, jump scares etc. What is essentially absent from the gameplay is the variety of activities. In other words, such a large-scale script should definitely have less unnecessary dialogues or explorations and more intense action.

Beyond that, in terms of the script, Naughty Dog gave us a well-structured screenplay that will leave no one untouched. It might even touch you more than the original game and make you re-think several things. On the other hand, the diversity that Naughty Dog wants to highlight can be subject to heated debate. As a triple-A production The Last of Us: Part II is bound to please you.

Pros:
- A well-written script, full of twists and emotions
- More options in skills and crafting
- Jump scares give a bigger sense of terror
- Plenty of splatter
- The strong personalities of the characters
- Excellent cutscenes quality
- Larger variety of weapons with proper balancing
- Neat voice acting
- Realistic weapons modification
- Long duration with replayability

Cons:
- Same handling, battle system and resource logic with the original
- A.I. with stealth problems (excluding dogs)
- The repetition of the same actions in several missions
- The action drops in several boring exploration moments

Rating
Graphics: 9
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 8.5
Scenario: 9
Duration: 8.5
Overall: 8.8

An epic adventure in which you will be driven by your feelings.

Manos Gryparis