The most tragic, brutal game I’ve ever played. While some may write the game off due to Abby’s story or a simple story of what goes around, comes around, I think it completely builds upon The Last of Us Part 1’s central theme of relationships and how we will do whatever it takes to protect those close to us and shows how that can end up harming you and everyone around you. Ellie loses Joel due to Joel’s actions out of love, she loses Jesse due to her bloodlust to avenge her father figure, she nearly loses Dina (and JJ) while in Seattle, and nearly loses Tommy in Seattle. In the end, she does lose Dina and JJ and it appears she’s loses Tommy out of her life as well. Likewise we see Abby lose all of her friends due to her bloodlust to avenge her father. Through Lev I believe Abby sees what lengths family will go to and eventually Lev is to Abby as Ellie was to Joel. I think her reluctance in the final fight was due to her understanding Joel and Ellie and the lengths they went for each other.

One minor piece during the final fight as well is Ellie comes to acceptance that killing Abby won’t bring back Joel or do anything to heal her. Perhaps too she saw herself in Lev at the end and Joel in Abby. Perhaps that’s why she doesn’t follow through and kill her.

An absolutely heartbreaking story that shows hatred can lose you everything. The ending absolutely brought some genuine tears out. Phenomenal work from Neil Druckmann and Naughty Dog.