"I know you wish things were different--I wish things were different. But they ain't."

10/10

A few months ago, I played The Last of Us. From beginning to end, Naughty Dog's first venture into the post-apocalyptic United States floored me. I hailed that video game as "art at its finest." Luckily for me, a remaster for The Last of Us Part II was right around the corner, and I would have the opportunity to continue my story with Joel and Ellie for the first time on the PS5.

I purchased Part II with little hesitation, and a nervous excitement came over me as I inserted the disc. I knew what happened. I remember back in 2020 when video game discourse exploded over The Last of Us Part II. I couldn't escape it. "Naughty Dog RUINED The Last of Us." Many people called Part II "one of the worst games ever made". However, I was always intrigued by the sympathizers who enjoyed Part II despite the negative discourse. Part II won the Game of the Year Award in 2020, a shocking surprise that spurned my curiosity. And now here I am, 4 years later, finally getting the chance to experience the controversy firsthand.

Like Part I before it, The Last of Part II floored me. Part II is art at its finest--but in a more nuanced way than its predecessor.

Firstly, Part II features perhaps the most appealing art design of any video game I've played. From the snowy mountains of Jackson, Wyoming. To the raging waters and perilous sky bridges of Seattle. To the rustic wooden villages of the Seraphites. To the hot, twisted delusion of Santa Barbara. Part II nails the destructive power of nature and man in every moment.

Secondarily, the animations, gameplay, and sound design are polished to the umpteenth degree and are the peak of the AAA industry. Ellie and Abby move weightily and swing weapons to gnarly effect. You can feel the grit and grime as you crawl prone through muddy grass, barely slipping past a group of vigilant enemies. You hear heavy breathing after sprinting for cover, bullets ringing through the sky and pinging at your feet. The blood and gore are rendered in shocking detail, displaying the sickening horrors of unrestrained human violence. Powerful firearms blast through skulls. Molotovs char men alive. Explosive traps dismember limbs and paint the ground and walls red with chunks of flesh. Even quiet stealth takedowns leave your foes choking on their blood, spilling out from their jugular vein. The graphic detail can leave you horrified by the narrative while keeping the gameplay challenging, engaging, and thrilling.

The most controversial element of Part II is its narrative--for good reason. I am grateful to have experienced this game so long after the initial buzz. I understand the frustration of players who may have played Part I back in 2013 and waited 7 years for a sequel just for Joel to be beaten by a golf club and for Ellie to destroy herself in pursuit of revenge. But this story is not crudely a cautionary tale about revenge. It's a tale about Ellie Williams. And Abby Anderson. Two women ravaged by grief, unforgiveness, and lack of purpose. Ashely Johnson and Laura Bailey give performances of a lifetime, and Troy Baker never fails to make you love and grieve Joel Miller. Though certainly not perfect (the game can be overly long, and certain side characters I feel get undermined by the end), the narrative of Part II still left me with such a remarkable catharsis. I genuinely wept to see the love Joel has for Ellie shine more brilliantly than ever before.

The Last of Us Part II is a masterpiece not because it is flawless but because it said something--something more than I think many disappointed critics see. Naughty Dog sparked a conversation, just as they had with the first. People spoke, discussed, and argued differently about the nature of art. The way Part II created so many outbursts of emotions from fans across the spectrum is a greater triumph for the human experience than a disc in a plastic case is capable of. The Last of Us Part I and Part II truly are 2 separate parts of a whole, and I would like to consider them both a collective duo on my list of favorite games ever made. The Last of Us Part II is what it is. And it can never be changed.

"If somehow, the Lord gave me a second chance at that moment... I would do it all over again."