One of the most gripping, intense, and best games I have played in a long time. Something happens in the beginning of this game I didn't expect, and I thought that would be the most shocking thing. Then at about the half way point of the game, the story flips and gives you a whole new perspective to the characters and story. Now, every previous thing you committed while playing the game suddenly has consequences and actually makes you think about your actions. I am trying to be as vague as possible for spoilers, but let's just say I can't think of any major games like this willing to take a risk. All the performers give award worthy performances but this is all about Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey. Bailey is especially tasked with a difficult part and ends up becoming one of my favorite video game protagonists in a long time.

If the gameplay had been about the same as the first one I still would have loved it but they even improve upon that one. Fights are intense and there are multiple ways to beat enemies. The AI behaves in a way that makes it feel like you are actually in a post-apocalyptic world. They'll alert each other, panic, look under every nook and cranny, and converse with each other like humans do. The infected in this game are still terrifying and there is a boss battle with one that is almost like something out of Resident Evil (and I mean that as a compliment). I almost forgot to mention the graphics but the level of detail applied to the environments made me want to explore every inch of this world. All of this really helps to immerse yourself in the game.

I am honestly shocked at some of the responses to this game cause it does exactly what a sequel should do: enrich the world of the previous one, provide a new arc for the characters, tell a new story, and provide a new perspective that can make you see this world in a whole new light. All of this makes me excited to see what HBO will do with this but more importantly where the story could go from here. If it is even half as good as this one, then it will be a success.

Reviewed on Aug 08, 2020


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