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Thoughts on The Last of Us 2
1 October 2020 10:23 pm(Spoilers for the whole game if anyone cares for that kind of thing)
Preface: I went into the game completely blind, with no knowledge of any of its plot except that I heard there was a trans character in it (as far as spoilers go its not big)
So although I wasn't spoiled for Joel's death, somehow I fully expected it? The theme of the game was hate, how else would you move the plot along if the parental figure didn't die. Anyway, what I did not expect at all was the switching of POV to a different character.
As far as the story goes, it isn't some brand new thing (revenge plots are a dime a dozen) although they did try to put full justification for what the characters were doing. Its such a cookie cutter thing though, making Ellie's and Abby's plots mirror one another's journeys. I did enjoy the gameplay, its more or less the same with the first game, and let me do my stealth thing, or go guns blazing when things went wrong. Exploring the maps and areas were as fun as it gets. Nothing new with combat, although a lot of the boss fights felt repetitive.
The endgame.... I would have preferred the "happy ending" after Ellie gets to live out her days with Dina.... There was absolutely no need for that (what I consider) bad end epilogue. I knew that Dina would not wait for Ellie this time, she said as much. Finding a way to deal with PTSD doesn't mean go out on a revenge rampage, and Ellie didn't even go through with it at the end. I'm glad she spared Abby, I was really feeling bad about pressing the button prompts... The open end, coming back to the empty farmhouse was completely expected, but after losing her fingers she can't even play the guitar that Joel gave her, and she even just left it in the house after that... It's such a sad end.
I won't say I like the story, but I will say I kind of understand the character's motivations? I get why Ellie and Abby were so dead set on going after the people who hurt their loved ones. Do I think their motivations and actions justified? Obviously not, but it makes for understanding the human condition.
This year Little Mushroom gave me hope in humanity, then The Last of Us 2 let me see the worst parts of humanity.... Its really like the opposite sides of a coin really.
