Haunting, Gustavo Santaolalla’s score for both the first part of The Last of Us and the new part 2 is haunting. Playing The Last of Us Part II is a strange experience and one that is certainly going to, and has divided fans. Sitting in front of my screen for thirty hours it took me to complete the game I was followed and surrounded by the hauntingly beautiful Gustavo Santaolalla score. It’s within The Last of Us 2’s story when mixed with the score that really captures your attention.
The Last of Us Part 2 kicks off several years after the first game finished. Joel and Ellie are living in a town in Jackson. They go for patrol’s and ensure the town stays safe from the outside world. The night before a massive snowstorm Ellie kisses Dina, a new character who lives in the town in Jackson. Then when Ellie and Dina are on patrol the next day, the snowstorm hits and tragedy strikes resulting in Ellie embarking on a journey of revenge to Seattle with Dina in tow.
Gameplay-wise The Last of Us 2 is very similar to its predecessor just with highly upgraded graphics and visuals that will at times blow your mind. You can engage in encounters with enemies, both clickers and new factions out to get you, or you can masterfully sneak your way around them. Preserving your ammo and materials is vital at all times because you don’t always know what will be in the next room.
There are some upgraded elements like new bombs and general abilities that Ellie can now do since she has grown up and gained those skills. A personal favourite of mine is explosive arrows and mines which I will always end up using when I stress out too much while sneaking around.
The overall weapons and crafting is very similar to the first Last of Us game and The Last of Us Part 2 certainly does feel like part 2 of a game you’ve already played. Gameplay mechanics remain the same because they can’t really change that much but the story moves forward.
This tale of revenge is a brutal and unforgiving one. Those explosive arrows I mentioned are hardly the most gruesome way you will use Ellie to kill her enemies in this game. Shiv people in the throat, blasting their faces or limbs off from both up close and afar or even aiding the clickers in devouring your enemies are just some of the options laid out before you in encounters. Don’t even get me started on the fact I had to shiv several dogs which were an unsettling experience on its own.
It does, however, make you think about revenge and what Ellie is doing. The Last of Us 2 will be an unsurprisingly divided game among fans, I sat there questioning Ellie and her actions at times and simply thinking that she could just turn back and go home. Ellie’s quest for revenge is extreme and for the story’s sake, it makes you sit through the entire thing.
I found the encounters in each room to end up being repetitive at times and you do easily notice that things are going too well so Ellie clearly going to fall through the floor or a clicker is going to smash through an obviously breakable wall. There are times when it does catch you off guard and The Last of Us 2 is certainly a scary game because of these encounters, especially with the stalkers. Across the thirty hours, there is a lot of those moments and the repetitiveness will pull you out of the story at times but in the end, it is all-important. The Last of Us Part 2 isn’t just the story of Ellie, there are flashback and intertwining stories that play throughout the whole game.
Ellie’s journey is as important as those around her because of her actions, what you make her do, affects everyone and the quest they’re on. The side characters sometimes don’t get enough character build-up but even that is just a result of the story’s main focus. Ellie has a life and can easily live a happy life, most people in her shoes would choose to stay in Jackson or at least go back part of the way through the game. I would turn to my girlfriend and say that I just want it to be over and for Ellie to go back home, I kept questioning is it all really worth it?
The Last of Us Part 2 is the most cinematic game I’ve ever played. The use of flashbacks is incredible, the flashbacks alone are the spine in the middle of the whole story that I found myself wanting to get through each chapter just so I could experience those flashbacks. The flashbacks are emotional rollercoasters and the moments that fans want amongst the now revenge filled life that Ellie now has. There is a lot of the story that can’t and shouldn’t be mentioned in a review because you need to experience it for yourself.
The one thing that follows you throughout this revenge ridden experience is it’s an incredible score. One that I haven’t been able to put down. It is further enhanced by sweet moments of Ellie playing the guitar in the game. Listening to the score on its own feels like it’s telling you a story but without the sounds of guns, explosions and clickers. It is a fantastic piece of storytelling on its own which makes this cinematic experience complete and as you progress through the game that score follows you through the incredibly detailed and well-designed environments, the world of The Last of Us has never looked so good. You‘ll find yourself waiting for the music to start playing as you watch beautifully crafted interactions between characters.
The Last of Us Part 2 is an incredible cinematic story that I honestly can’t wait to watch one day on HBO. Amazing acting work by Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker and everyone involved helps each character to feel real and bring them to life in ways characters never really have been in games before. Unfortunately, a bit of repetitiveness and some predictability in gameplay around those touching moments faults an almost perfect game. In terms of a cinematic experience, Director Neil Druckman and the team at Naughty Dog have nailed it.
I’m glad that The Last of Us Part 2 is a very much divided experience for fans. If it wasn’t and the story wasn’t shocking and was instead simple then it wouldn’t be the cinematic experience it is. What made The Last of Us so great was it’s story and Joel’s journey with Ellie after losing his daughter. It was a story which had a shocking yet understandable ending and the continuation and effects of that story ripple throughout Part 2 making it a story worth experiencing.