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If you love challenging action rpgs then this is definitely a must. It is a massive game with a lot of features but it is worth the trouble imo. Combat: Weapons & Stances The combat system is probably the most complex and diverse I’ve seen in a video game; the best imo. There are many different weapon types to suit different playstyles. Within each weapon there are different stances to change how you want to fight. Light attacks are quick but deal little damage in low stance. On the opposite end there are heavy attacks that are strong but slow in high stance. And mid stance is essentially a balance between the two. There are also ranged weapons that you can use to thin enemy forces before going in or quickly in the midst of a battle to kill low health enemies or get a headshot on some that are weak to it. Combat: Skills There are 3 types of skill trees in this game to further develop how you want to play. One to upgrade your character’s essential skills in human form, one for yokai form (demon form) and one for every weapon. Choose skills wisely as you level your character because it will cost to reset a skill tree. Also, just like in the FromSoftware titles you can use amrita (experience) to upgrade different attributes like strength, dexterity, vitality, etc. Armour & Equipment: You will attain a ridiculous amount of items in the game which each have different strengths. This can be managed by selling or dismantling the items after getting out of a mission. The best way to do this is to use the filter feature when in the selling/dismantle menu. You can filter out all the rarer items then select all of what’s left to sell. Equiping sets of armour/weapons will add additional bonuses. There’s so much to this game that it’s insanely difficult but once you learn the mechanics and attack patterns it becomes incredibly rewarding. The animation is fantastic and storyline isn’t all bad either. Tailor the game to your liking and you’ll have a field day. Overall a strong 9.5/10.

I’ve just completed the game and am at a loss for words... - - LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD - - STORY The Last of Us Part II (LOU2) builds on the world and story of its predecessor and the trailers released mid-late 2019. The structure of the storyline is not linear and there are time skips throughout. I would recommend a replay of the first if you have not completed it recently as there will be many references to events which happened in the first installment. With that being said, forget what you know. Nothing will go the way you think it’s going to go, leaving you in a perpetual state of unease. The LOU2 does not hold your hand and does not pull on the punches. Things won’t always go your way and it’s why many reviews are negative. The game puts emphasis on this concept reflecting the grimm and grueling reality these characters live in. In LOU2 there are multiple flashbacks, however, knowing the fate of some characters diminishes the impact of the ‘what would be’ happy memory. To fully attain the intentions of the game’s writers you need to be aware of what each character knows at that point in time when a flashback does occur. You play as both Ellie and as Abby, the game’s main antagonist. Though Abby is the main antagonist you (should) come to realise while playing as her that given her same circumstances most would have done the same thing. On the other hand Ellie is not exactly an angel so the title protagonist, usually associated with ‘good’, seems unfitting. While playing for both teams it’s clear that one’s ‘justice’ is solely their own. “Revenge is a double-sided blade.” It’s a phenomenal story that leaves a lot unsaid. If you don’t know, you won’t know. GAMEPLAY If you played through the first LOU then you’ll be familiar with most of the game’s mechanics. In LOU2 the mechanics are expanded on in a number of ways. Firstly, the upgrade tree for Ellie/Abby has been designed such that you learn a set of skills rather than having upgrading preset skills. The crafting capability has also been expanded on, allowing for new items, to be crafted, silencers, ammo and ammo types. This makes resource management more of a strategic decision rather than crafting for the sake of it. The stealth mechanic has received a major upgrade bringing the ability to go prone into the fray, being able to hide in tall/short grass and a tree of upgrades in relation to stealth (covert training). There are multiple instances where you may even use swimming underwater as means to get out of enemies’ sightlines. As with the first installment safes litter the land of LOU2 though getting their contents can be a lot more difficult than finding a note with the code explicitly stated on it. Lastly, combat is for the majority the same but an “evade” has been added. This changes the entire dynamic of melee combat. FINAL VERDICT The Last of Us Part II is a fantastic game and is definitely a must play in my opinion. Let it be known though that if you come into something with expectations of it being one way then you set yourself up to be disappointed.