THE LAST OF US PART II
Sleepless In Seattle
RELEASED OUT NOW! Reviewed on PlayStation 4
Publisher Sony Interactive
For many, The Last
Of Us Part II will seem like a needless sequel. Naughty Dog’s original 2013 game stands on its own as a self-contained tale that remains a benchmark for interactive storytelling. But their follow-up isn’t so much a sequel as a companion piece, one that quickly finds its raison d’etre far beyond the shadow of its predecessor. The basic premise sees former sidekick Ellie take over the role of central protagonist from her surrogate father figure, Joel, hellbent on a revenge mission to wipe out a mysterious group responsible for a vicious hate crime. What follows is a jaw-dropping odyssey across an impeccably conjured vision of postapocalyptic Seattle and beyond, populated by characters endowed with real human weight through motion-captured performances rendered beautifully in-game, thanks to Naughty Dog’s infamous attention to detail.
The 25-hour story may lose some momentum in its second half, but even its lesser moments are endowed with more nuance, authenticity and tact than a great deal of its contemporaries in the interactive field.
Part II’s refined stealth-action gameplay also pulls few punches, indulging in carnography to keep players on their toes and never inured to Ellie’s growing body count. Enemies call for each other by name, let out agonising, guttural howls after being injured, and realistically crumple to the floor in pools of blood when killed. The result is an experience that channels the power of its own interactivity to devastating effect, forcing players to reckon with the consequences of their actions, which linger in the mind long after you’ve put the controller down.
The Last Of Us Part II not only proves its value as a worthwhile sequel, but also enriches the story that came before it with new layers of thematic texture. Naughty Dog has just given the PlayStation 4 its latest must-play exclusive, and delivered another masterpiece that can sit proudly alongside the studio’s esteemed back catalogue. Alex Avard
Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann says Channel 4’s The End Of The F***ing World was a big influence on the dialogue.