The Last of Us Part II

Occasionally a game comes about that sticks in your memory, an experience that finds its place in your heart because it touches all the facets of humanity. These games explore the complex range of often conflicting human emotions, meditations on love, hate, grief, celebration, forgiveness, and revenge. Such games can leave you floored, astonished, trying to find your breath as the credits roll and your mind reels. The Last of Us Part II is one of those rare games.

Developer Naughty Dog begins our story years after the end of the first game. Joel’s actions at the hospital weigh on both he and Ellie in their own ways, complicating their relationship. It is Joel’s final act in the first game that drives this narrative and several characters’ internal arcs, giving the game a sense of legacy and consequence for both the world as a whole and specific individuals. 

Once Ellie’s adventure is started in earnest, the action is mostly familiar. Throughout the adventure, several factions, including the zombie-like infected, await to be stealthily dispatched or actively gunned down as players see fit. New additions like crawling prone or diving through narrow divides give environments a more flexible flow. Enemy line of sight was often more distant or wider than I expected, pushing me to plan better or think quicker on the spot. It’s a blast learning how to run circles around enemies with all the resources at your disposal, and the mastery the game allows, even when you’re discovered and on the ropes, is exhilarating. High-intensity encounters are balanced with moments of silence, and every corner reveals additional resources for crafting, leveling up abilities and weapons, and even environmental details and notes that tell their own quiet stories of survival.

Naughty Dog expertly weaves its complex narrative into the many, many people the player will dispatch. Enemies talk about their lives while we skulk about, discussing a new child or some atrocious act they witnessed. They call out each other’s names while looking for one another or after discovering a body. Oh, that throat I just slit belonged to Greg. Apparently he had a wife waiting for him after his turn scavenging. And his wife was pregnant. Bummer. We are regularly reminded that good and evil are relative terms, that everyone has their own goals and motivations with their own costs, and this gives the broken world depth and begs us to think more critically on each character’s actions. 

This means being the player in this narrative can at times be painful. Though you can sneak by some enemies instead of stealthily or gruesomely dispatching them, the story beats are linear; this is Ellie’s yarn, not ours, we are merely the ones guiding her through it. On top of that, the production values are amazing, with absolutely real-feeling characters with life-like ticks and beautifully written dialogue. There were times I hit buttons to make Ellie do some things that I was hoping, as they were happening, she would stop herself from doing. The uncompromising narrative inspires apprehension in us as enactors, playing off our empathy, and there is a sensation of being pulled down with the thematic descent that you don’t experience in many narrative-focused games. 

With that said, pacing suffers a bit because of the heavy storytelling focus in the game. Between moments of intensity are sections of gameplay, like flashbacks, that lack high stakes or even any action. I enjoyed these ponderous and touching moments, but for some it might feel like being taken away from the steering wheel just as the race gets started. Some folks will appreciate it as the great storytelling it is, others might feel its bad game design. The pacing is a detail that, for better or worse, helps set The Last of Us Part II apart from other titles.

There is nothing simple about the story, and there are few games that feel as open to interpretation. It is a tale with heartwarming moments filled with hope and shocking acts that might repulse or disgust. An unflinching exploration of humanity and connection, It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s why this is one of the best games I’ve played since the original. I recommend going into it knowing as little as possible, and girding yourself for a brutal, emotional ride. It is an adventure you’ll never forget.

Marmoset’s Brew: For this one, you’re going to want something as bold, uncompromising, and unyielding as the game itself. I recommend a strong, rich, flavorful beer, preferably a stout, such as North Coast Brewing’s Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. A lighter beer in the same ballpark would be the spicy, merciless Arrogant Bastard Ale. Sip as you go, you don’t want to forget any detail.

Alcohol-free pairing: A dark coffee, black as the deepest pits of the human soul, with hints of dark chocolate to remind you of the sweeter parts too.