I’ve never had a blockbuster challenge me like this before, presenting a quandary that concludes in one of the greatest final acts the medium has ever seen. The moral dichotomy between my own feelings and Ellie’s thirst for vengeance were constantly echoed as the story moves forward, forcing me to analyse the relationship I’ve built with this character and what she truly believes in. Ellie deals in indiscriminate violence to track down those who wronged her, even when the human beings she dispatches are humanised with journals scattered across the map and dialogue that cements their own existence in this world. The core narrative thrust is brought into the limelight after Ellie witnesses a traumatic, life-altering event, placing our heroine on a path for revenge that will force her to confront her past and contemplate whether or not this reckless cycle of violence will truly bring her happiness, or if she is simply carving an inevitable monument to her own self-destruction.Įven with lovers and friends helping her along the way, I began to question her actions and whether I, as the player, was complicit in all this even when I wanted to put down the controller and walk away from it all.
I won’t delve into any spoilers here, but it’s beautifully depicted in a way that will pluck at your heartstrings with the finesse of a machete. From here their relationship is analysed in some fascinating ways, bonds we once thought sacred are torn apart and scrutinised in ways that force you to contextualise actions previously set in stone. Relationships and routines have been formed as Joel reconnects with his family and Ellie becomes more confident in herself as a fledgling artist amongst a new circle of friends.īut reasons you’ll come to uncover have caused them to drift apart, a void they’re both afraid can never be filled. It’s been five years, and the two have forged a new life in the picturesque mountains of Jackson, Wyoming. The Last of Us Part 2 opens in the idyllic future we all dreamed of after the first game. To my jubilant surprise, it more than exceeds expectations, subverting storytelling conventions to tell a broad, emotional story that is the best Naughty Dog has ever produced.
The gates of a tale with ambiguous closure were now blown wide open, with Joel and Ellie once again placed at the forefront. The final message was a powerful signature of hope, positivity and trust showcasing how far some will go to save the ones they love.īut this resolution was pushed aside when Naughty Dog announced a sequel, which would be a direct continuation of the original’s events.
You were left to draw your own conclusions, leaving this world behind as its characters finally grasp onto a semblance of peace, despite the troubles that might await them. Joel and Ellie’s post-apocalyptic fable was a touching, sombre experience that concluded with a masterful aura of ambiguity.
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