The Last of Us Part II (PS4 Game Review)
The Last of Us Part II takes place after the events of the first game and then fast forwards 4 years into the future. Ellie and Joel are living in a little town called Jackson in post-apocalyptic Washington together with Joel's brother, Tommy. It has been 25 years since the population was first infected by the Cordyceps fungus which turns people into the Infected (basically zombies). I did a quick check, the year would be 2039. There are two playable characters in this game: Ellie and Abby. Ellie is the girl we know from the previous game and Abby is another girl from a different group in Seattle. Ellie and Abby's story begins at different points of the game and their paths eventually cross as the game progresses.
There are improvements to the gameplay compared to its predecessor. The playable characters can now prone, which means they can totally bring their body to the ground, instead of just crouching behind barriers. This new ability gives variety to the stealth and combat actions that can be performed by the characters giving the game the feel of a military shooter. This is more evident when playing Abby because some of her equipment are weapons used by soldiers such as a semi-auto rifle and a military pistol.
The game also feels very different from the previous one as a lot of enemy encounters require the player to go full frontal assault instead of using stealth attacks. Somewhere in the earlier chapters of the game, I gave up stealth and went on a shooting spree. I also like that the game requires me to use the dodge button often. I do not remember dodging in the first game at all . Usually I will follow up dodging with melee attacks either with bare fists or a melee weapon and seeing Abby punching down Infected is just impressive.
I should mention that I love the amount of effort and details put into building The Last of Us Part II world making each place look amazingly unique. To name a few locations in no particular order: cosmetic shop, bookstore, music store, theater, aquarium, bank, bakery, hotel, ship, barber, gymnasium, mobile phone shop, hospital and server room. I also like the fact that the game does not need to have a map like most games I play. Sure it has a little one earlier in the game but it is immediately dropped in the following chapter. In a way, it just reinforces the point that the game does not need a map. It also proves that a game does not have to be open world to be a masterpiece.
Another part I like about this game are the flashback plays. At first I thought they serve as mid-game tutorials for subsequent chapters (there was swimming required after a swimming flashback). I even thought that it is a good idea not to cram all tutorials at the beginning of a game. However, not all things in the flashbacks are used later in the game, for example the sniper rifle, which is a cool weapon used in one of the flashbacks with Ellie and Tommy. It is not seen again for the rest of the game. Nevertheless, I definitely feel that the flashbacks are essential to the game's storytelling.
One cool thing about The Last of Us Part II is the Collectibles. If in Part one, Ellie collected comics, pendants and other artifacts in her travel with Joel across the States, in this game Ellie collects superheroes trading cards. I remember being intrigued with the characters on the cards and wishing there will be a game with all these super people characters in it. Abby, on the other hand, collects coins which are exclusive to the various states in the country. In my opinion, the contrasting collectibles in a way represent the distinct personalities of Ellie and Abby.
I like that the game distinguishes the two. Their weapons are not the same. They even stealth kill differently. It gives a bit of variations to the gameplay. The addition of new enemies such as the Shamblers, Stalkers, Scars and dogs also complements this nicely. I cannot remember how many times I swore throughout the game. This is probably the game that made me swear the most. I should set up a swear counter for my next The Last of Us game.
Another cool thing from the game which deserves a mention is the guitar playing. I lost count of how many people who have uploaded videos of them playing covers of a variety of songs using this mini-feature in the game. Never had a game made me want to learn the guitar, at least during the early chapters of the game. The guitar also plays an important part of the storytelling. It is the very first image in the Intro of the game.
In a nutshell, The Last of Us Part II is a significant improvement to its already successful predecessor with its variety of gameplay, its immersive and stunning world and its cool extras. I may be writing a spoiler review of the game focusing more on the story and especially the ending later.
The game also feels very different from the previous one as a lot of enemy encounters require the player to go full frontal assault instead of using stealth attacks. Somewhere in the earlier chapters of the game, I gave up stealth and went on a shooting spree. I also like that the game requires me to use the dodge button often. I do not remember dodging in the first game at all . Usually I will follow up dodging with melee attacks either with bare fists or a melee weapon and seeing Abby punching down Infected is just impressive.
I should mention that I love the amount of effort and details put into building The Last of Us Part II world making each place look amazingly unique. To name a few locations in no particular order: cosmetic shop, bookstore, music store, theater, aquarium, bank, bakery, hotel, ship, barber, gymnasium, mobile phone shop, hospital and server room. I also like the fact that the game does not need to have a map like most games I play. Sure it has a little one earlier in the game but it is immediately dropped in the following chapter. In a way, it just reinforces the point that the game does not need a map. It also proves that a game does not have to be open world to be a masterpiece.
- One of my favorite parts of The Last of Us Part II is weapons upgrade. I cannot remember being impressed with the weapons upgrade from the previous game, but these are so satisfying to watch. Almost each weapon has its unique upgrade animation. It is not only rewarding in terms of the additional perks the player gains from the upgrade, such as increased bullet capacity and decreased recoil, but also just from experiencing the re-assembling, cocking and oiling of the variety of weapons that were shown during the process of upgrading.
Another part I like about this game are the flashback plays. At first I thought they serve as mid-game tutorials for subsequent chapters (there was swimming required after a swimming flashback). I even thought that it is a good idea not to cram all tutorials at the beginning of a game. However, not all things in the flashbacks are used later in the game, for example the sniper rifle, which is a cool weapon used in one of the flashbacks with Ellie and Tommy. It is not seen again for the rest of the game. Nevertheless, I definitely feel that the flashbacks are essential to the game's storytelling.
One cool thing about The Last of Us Part II is the Collectibles. If in Part one, Ellie collected comics, pendants and other artifacts in her travel with Joel across the States, in this game Ellie collects superheroes trading cards. I remember being intrigued with the characters on the cards and wishing there will be a game with all these super people characters in it. Abby, on the other hand, collects coins which are exclusive to the various states in the country. In my opinion, the contrasting collectibles in a way represent the distinct personalities of Ellie and Abby.
I like that the game distinguishes the two. Their weapons are not the same. They even stealth kill differently. It gives a bit of variations to the gameplay. The addition of new enemies such as the Shamblers, Stalkers, Scars and dogs also complements this nicely. I cannot remember how many times I swore throughout the game. This is probably the game that made me swear the most. I should set up a swear counter for my next The Last of Us game.
Another cool thing from the game which deserves a mention is the guitar playing. I lost count of how many people who have uploaded videos of them playing covers of a variety of songs using this mini-feature in the game. Never had a game made me want to learn the guitar, at least during the early chapters of the game. The guitar also plays an important part of the storytelling. It is the very first image in the Intro of the game.
In a nutshell, The Last of Us Part II is a significant improvement to its already successful predecessor with its variety of gameplay, its immersive and stunning world and its cool extras. I may be writing a spoiler review of the game focusing more on the story and especially the ending later.
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