Joel’s Disgraceful Death – A Slap in the Face to Fans
Joel, one of gaming’s most iconic characters, is killed off in the most pathetic way possible. After surviving decades in a brutal apocalypse, outsmarting hunters, the military, and even the Fireflies, he gets taken out like a chump—beaten to death with a golf club while tied up. This wasn’t a meaningful, heroic death; it was shock value for the sake of shock value. The writers clearly just wanted him gone to push their new agenda, not caring about the impact he had on the story or the fans.
A character like Joel deserved to go out fighting, not helplessly begging for his life. It’s clear the writers had no respect for his legacy, reducing him to a cheap plot device to fuel Abby’s boring revenge story.
Terrible Pacing – A Slog to Get Through
The pacing is atrocious. The game constantly jumps between timelines and perspectives, killing any momentum. Just as Ellie’s story starts getting interesting, it cuts to Abby’s dull, drawn-out sections that feel like filler. The game is way too long, filled with repetitive combat encounters and pointless detours that add nothing to the story.
Forced Sympathy for Abby – A Failed Narrative
The game tries way too hard to make you care about Abby, but it fails miserably. No amount of sad backstory or "look, she loves dogs!" moments can make up for the fact that she’s an unlikable, poorly written character. Her entire arc feels manipulative, as if the writers are screaming, "You HAVE to like her now!"—but it just doesn’t work.
Ellie’s Character Assassination
Ellie, once a beloved character, is turned into an angry, irrational shell of herself. Her entire journey feels pointless, especially with that awful ending where she throws everything away for nothing. The game tries to push a "revenge is bad" message, but it’s so heavy-handed and poorly executed that it just comes off as pretentious.
Final Thoughts – A Waste of Potential
The Last of Us Part II had the chance to be another incredible story, but instead, it’s a frustrating, self-indulgent mess. The disrespect to Joel, the terrible pacing, and the forced narrative twists ruin what could have been a worthy sequel. If you loved the first game, prepare to be disappointed.