Did we need a sequel? Did we need a resolution?
The Last of Us was the world's comfort game. The 2013 naughty dog video game left players with an open wound, and the sequel felt like the wound was being stitched back together by a doctor with shaky hands and who has never stitched someone before. As each chapter progresses another stitch is sewn, but the pain just keeps getting worse.
On the date of the initial release after seeing all the backlash the game was getting, I never understood why. The most beloved game franchise was now the most controversial. I decided (with a naïve mindset) that I was not going to play the game, I didn’t want it to ruin my perception of The last of us let alone Naughty dog. Until one day, I had finished playing uncharted 4 and I was empty, not thinking much of it I decided to start The last of us Part 2. I was amazed by the graphics and had to keep playing.
This is what happened as the game continued.
I didn’t hate it. To be honest, I loved it. Although I don’t think a sequel was needed, I was enjoying it.
Joel’s death.
This was the main source of hatred for the game. Joel wasn’t just Ellies father. He was ours. I didn’t like Abby. No one would like Abby, after 7 years of Joel, I don’t think anyone would. I continued the game and fell in love with the new characters like Jessie and Dina.
Playing as Abby.
The game is long almost 30 hours, playing as Abby may have been overwhelming for some especially playing as Ellie for the first half for around 10–15 hours, playing as Ellie’s antagonist is annoying. I continued however, I slowly started to enjoy playing as Abby, I felt strong.
Ellie’s choice weapon was a knife, small, quick, efficient. Abby’s was brute force. It was a different dynamic I enjoyed playing as Abby and grew to enjoy her character.
Controversy.
What really happened?
The last of us was a world we all enjoyed and we immersed ourselves in that world completely. The love we have for those characters was unmatched. Killing the protagonist of the original was not a bad decision if it progressed the story along with the theme of forgiving. What happened was the sudden aspect of it. It was too early a 7-year break is too long of a time to wait to play the sequel only to play as Joel for 1 hour.
Neil Druckman was faced with a lot of hate after many players thought that he did not care about the characters. I disagree with this. The game was developed so well. A specific scene where you see the amount of time and effort is how Ellie catches ammunition from the sky, or when the charters squint when you zoom in, or if you bump into something fragile it will break, and infected will hear it.
If the players played as Abby and her father first, they would hate Joel, after all, Joel isn’t a good person, but he is a damn good father.
It’s all about perspective. Ellie and Abby are each other’s antagonists, a world with two antagonists and two protagonists are fine but having them be parallel with each other is a risk, and sadly with no reward.
Play the game again and try to understand why the writers and team at naughty dog made the game like this. The last of us isn’t our world to mold. It's cruel, harsh, destructive, hurtful. The game is realistic, as players we must adapt to this.
The last of us part II is a hidden masterpiece.
