The Gist
After rescuing Ellie from the militia group, the Fireflies, Joel and Ellis eventually reached the settlement camp in Jackson, Wyoming. As they fall into what-seems to be normalcy, their lives are disrupted by outsiders, which puts Ellie on the hard path of revenge.
The Good
Weapon upgrade looks hella slick. Each time you’re at a workbench, any upgrade will have a short scene of your character souping up the weapon. You want a scope for your rifle? Ellie will fix one onto your gun. Do you need more damage on your shotgun, Ellie tinkers with the barrel’s length. All your upgrade will be reflected visually on your weapons.
The environments look stunning. From the frontier setting of the settlement camp in Jackson, Wyoming to the ruins of Seattle with its ruined city overrun by vegetation, each area you enter, breathes. The weather not only adds personality to the surroundings, it also influences how you move in it—the rain adds a slickness to the locale, or the overhanging moon casts the long grass in ominous shadows.
Your enemies will give you a challenge. The Infected are as gross and deadly as ever and just when you think their numbers are formidable, there is a new kind of Infected added to their ranks. There are two new factions that you’ll have to face—the paramilitary group, the Washington Liberation Front and the religious wackos, the Seraphites. Each group have its own combat skills and personals, which alleviates the combat.
The story sets a milestone for The Last of Us series, with a spotlight on Ellie’s hate and how it leads her down the path of vengeance. In between the unbidden violence, there are tender moments between Ellie and her paramour, Dina and of her and Joel. It is a story that some might not agree with but the narrative makes certain brave choices in its telling and that sort of risk is something to be proud of.
The Bad
There were issues of clipping and once, during play-through, the game crashed on me. Then, there’s the AI. While, they showed savvy in combat, the cracks start to show when they do not notice you even though, you’re within their line of sight. There was one instance when we were crouched next to a counter and the enemy stopped right next to us. We were exposed but because we were not in the enemy’s eyeline, we were able to sneak up on them.
There is a lot of violence in the game, from the graphic torture and murder of characters to the killing of dogs.
The Ugly
The story might be too bleak for some and might even run too long.
The Last of Us Part II will be released on 19 June and is only exclusive for the PlayStation 4.