Josh Tran

Spoilers. Part 1 is my favourite game of all time. This game is okay. I respect how Joel paid for his actions from the first game and how they introduced Abby. Abby was actually one of the highlights of the game for me. 2 major things were off for me. The first is the conflicting narratives. I get that it was the intention but playing as Ellie and hunting down Abby to get revenge for a father figure and then playing as Abby and realising her actions were justified and then enjoying a similar guardian type storyline as the first just left the ending impossible to be satisfied with. You play as Abby and fight Ellie then you play as Ellie and fight Abby, you want neither to die so it feels wrong. Creating a strong connection to both characters only ensured the ending would be unsatisfying. For me that created a weak game with little to no replayability (replayed part 1 at least 10 times). The final thing I disliked was the pacing. The flashbacks created a unique storytelling experience, however it was frustrating trying to upgrade character with the constant changes and often times the pacing was slightly confusing. The way they created a high impact moment towards the end at the theatre just to have it completely slow down as you try to hunt down Abby yet again ONLY to have both characters in such terrible condition that it wasn't fair or satisfying was a weird choice. This game is good but also feels like a big missed opportunity for something great.