This game was absolutely INCREDIBLE! Without a doubt this is one of the best stories i have ever experienced. The story was extremely unique and thought provoking, and it made me feel the full range of emotions over the course of its runtime.
In conventional narrative fiction, there are ‘good’ characters and there are ‘bad’ characters. While this structure is good at creating easy to consume stories with likeable protagonists, it is not a true reflection of reality. In real life, no one is entirely evil, and no one is entirely good. Everyone has their own motivation for why they are acting the way that they are.
What i love about this game is that every character acts in a way that they think is justified. In doing so, conflict is created and characters in different groups all begin to hate each other. The game does a fantastic job of showing how even though we humans may split ourselves into different tribes and groups, fundamentally what we all want is the same. The game’s message is that violence is never the way to resolve conflict, as no one ever wins when violence is involved.
Overall i would highly recommend you play this game. It had a profound impact on me, and it very likely will have a profound impact on you too. Don’t let the bad reviews discourage you. Allow yourself to come to your own conclusion about this incredible game.
***THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF MY SPOILER REVIEW!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!***
At the end of the first last of us game, Joel made an extremely difficult and consequential decision. He decided to save Ellie, and as a result prevented the creation of a vaccine and caused the deaths of millions of people around the world and possibly doomed humanity to extinction. This act was incredibly selfish and could easily be interpreted as evil.
This game deals with the consequences of that decision. It explores the paths of two characters, Ellie and Abby, characters who were on different sides of Joel’s decision.
Joel kills Abby’s father, who was trying to create a vaccine that would save humanity. This is something that Abby cannot forgive him for, and so she seeks revenge and murders him. From Abby’s perspective, Joel is the villain and she is entirely justified in her decision to kill him.
Ellie obviously loves Joel, as he saved her life. In response to his murder, she views Abby as the villain, and seeks revenge on her and her crew. She travels to Seattle and ruthlessly murders all of Abby’s friends in her pursuit of justice. She becomes increasingly deranged throughout her campaign, and you as the player are forced to do some incredibly morally reprehensible things as her. I found this to be incredibly thought provoking, as it demonstrates how one violent act begets another, how the cycle of violence is continuous and how it is very difficult to break.
For the second half of the game, you are forced to play as Abby. She realises that killing Joel hasn’t actually made her feel any better about the loss of her father. She realises that violence will not make her feel better, and she refuses to join the WLF’s attack on the seraphites. She instead decides to save the lives of two seraphite kids who have been shunned by their community. This segment of the game shows how all humans, regardless of tribe (WLF or seraphite), are fundamentally all the same. The war between the WLF and Seraphites at the end of Abby’s journey shows that no one wins in war, and everyone loses. It demonstrates that violence is never the way to resolve disputes.
Right at the end of the game, when Ellie confronts Abby, she realises that killing Abby won’t bring Joel back, and that Abby’s motivations are just as valid as hers. She spares Abby, and the game ends.
While i understand much of the criticism directed at this story, and i recognise that it isn’t for everyone, i had an absolutely incredible experience playing this game. At its core, the game teaches us that violence is never the correct way to handle a situation. It does this by exposing the player to some of the most horrific violence imaginable, to demonstrate the severe consequences that it can have.
If you have made it this far into my review, i just want to say thank you. I don’t normally write reviews for games, but this one stuck with me for a while after i finished playing it, and i had to get this off my chest. This game absolutely deserves all of the game of the year awards it received, and is easily one of the best games ever created.
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From the manufacturer
Reviews with images
Top Notch Gameplay with Weak Story Line
Excellent gameplay. I wasn’t surprised at all. However, the story was not that good as the first part.But I’ll 100% recommend it to my friends
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Reviewed in Australia on 30 January 2022
Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Reviewed in Australia on 15 January 2023
Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
Reviewed in Australia on 5 December 2020
Edition: StandardVerified Purchase
