Angel Garcia

I will try to not bash this game unnecessarily, regardless of how much I despise certain parts of it. I will try to keep this review as honest as possible. I'll start with the positive aspects of this game that I enjoy a lot. I absolutely ADORE how this game looks, its definitely a step above the first game when it comes to visuals (obviously). The gameplay is also quite amazing. The level design is great and I love the way that it's less linear than the first game, it really works well with how agile ellie/abby are when compared to Joel. The combat also is very satisfying to play with. I actually enjoy Dina and Ellie's relationship to a certain extent and they have some scenes that I like. Their dynamic is decent. Jesse is quite funny as a character with the few scenes that you have with him. I also love the the characters Yara and Lev, their lore is just fascinating. The last thing positive about this game that comes to mind when I think about it is the soundtrack, it's very subtle, yet good, you only hear it once and a while but when that acoustic guitar chimes in the background, it's very pleasing to hear. Now with all the positives out of the way, let's get to what I hate about this game. I DESPISE most of what the storyline has to offer. And considering that this is supposed to be a cinematic, story-driven experience. That's a very big deal. They kill off Joel in the literal first hour of gameplay, no buildup at all, just suddenly killing off a beloved character who we've all known for 7 years, by a character barely know at all. I feel like the inclusion of Abby hurt the story extremely. Being forced to play as her after knowing what she did to Joel left a bad taste in my mouth. And I honestly don't find any interest in what she has to offer plot-wise. I found myself bored on my phone while her cutscenes were happening just because of how uninteresting it was. I also really just don't like most of her friends, the only character that's passable in my eyes is Mel, I found her interesting. Owen's relationship with Abby seemed forced and out of nowhere. Also I don't think they should've animated a whole sex scene with them, because it barely added anything to the plot and it makes the whole audience feel awkward and gross. The plot throughout the whole game seems improvised and chaotic, it just goes very fast and flips between flashbacks and the present a lot and I found myself annoyed and confused when it comes to certain scenes of the game. Lastly, the ending gave me no closure at all and it left me even more confused and left a lot of unanswered questions. Where is Abby and Lev? Where is Dina and the baby? Where is Tommy? What happened to the WLF? What Happened to the Scars? Are the fireflies still out there? Find out on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z All jokes aside, this game is kinda bittersweet, which is a staple of the franchise in my opinion. The last of us 1 also had a bit of a bittersweet approach going into it. An example of this is the ending, where Joel kills the fireflies who are trying to save the world with a vaccine just to get his "daughter" to stay alive. And then lying to her about it. But can you really blame Joel? No. So it left the audience with mixed feelings. But this game is a different kind of bitterness, it just overall leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth, no closure, no silver lining, just pain. But at least those graphics looked realistic. LMAO