The Last of Us Two review: Best game of the year so far
Following up on one of the greatest games of all times is a huge task, so can The Last of Us Part Two live up to its predecessor?
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Making a great sequel is hard, but making a follow-up to one of the best video games of all time is a huge challenge.
How do you replicate the success of the original? How can you maintain the things that made it so good, while also making enough changes to keep fans satisfied.
Luckily for The Last of Us Part Two, Naughty Dog have lived up to the challenge and produced what I believe is one of the best video game sequels I’ve ever played and is now the frontrunner for Game of the Year.
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2020 has been an extremely frustrating year for gaming, with COVID-19 forcing many delays to game releases at a time when we could really use some amazing story telling.
While it is emotionally exhausting to play at times, The Last of Us Part Two succeeds in doing something that many other games struggle to do, in that it really makes you feel something.
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For those unfamiliar with the franchise, The Last of Us takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a viral fungal illness has all but destroyed the world we know, turning infected humans into zombie-like creatures.
It’s difficult to explain the story without getting into spoilers but The Last of Us Part Two is set roughly five years after it’s predecessor and sees us primarily playing as a now 19-year-old Ellie, who is off on a dangerous mission after her life in Jackson, Wyoming is disturbed by a militia group.
The ending of the original weighs heavily over the game and is impossible to ignore, so if you haven’t played it before or need a refresher then it is a must play first.
Last of Us Part Two is extremely intense, and really has a different tone to the original, now being driven more by revenge than just pure survival. There is a lot of killing involved, made even more brutal by the fact that Naughty Dog goes out of its way to humanise enemies with each having a name and uniqueness about them, something most other games fail to do well.
The violence is extreme and does make you feel uncomfortable at times, but that is a key part of the game, forcing you to question your humanity and how you would survive when society has broken down. All that being said, stealth is always an option and players don’t have to kill every enemy they encounter if they are careful enough.
The game isn’t all about fighting and survival however, and like its predecessor does have some amazing moments of reflection, with characters taking in the beauty of the world around them and pausing amid all the chaos of people trying to kill you. The use of music and sound in these moments is especially mesmerising, particularly the use of guitar.
The world building and level design of this game is amazing, primarily taking place in the mostly destroyed city of Seattle, and Naughty Dog have done an exceptional job capturing the enormity of the map.
New gameplay mechanics have been added, the biggest of which include the ability to actually jump, and go ‘prone’ by crawling along the ground. This has added new elements to problem solving and literally adds new levels to the game, something the original lacked.
The game itself is beautiful and really hard to fault, with my only real issue being the lack of ability to carry enough ammunition. I know it’s a survival game and part of the point of it is effectively managing your resources, but even when fully upgraded, I found it frustrating with the limited amount of bullets you can carry.
In terms of storytelling, The Last of Us Part Two lives up to the original and is one of the most engaging story-driven games you will play, often blurring the lines between video game and film.
No video game is perfect and there will be some parts of the game that some people won’t agree with, but the engaging story and brilliant gameplay makes The Last of Us Part Two the best game of the year so far and one that will leave a lasting impact on gaming for years to come.
The Last of Us Part Two releases on Friday exclusively for PlayStation 4.
Originally published as The Last of Us Two review: Best game of the year so far