Timothy Hope

This game is a masterpiece. Don’t listen to the pearl-clutching, keyboard-warrior trolls who say it’s “TOO WOKE.” Ellie’s relationship with Dina is wonderful and they don’t make a big deal about the fact that Lev is trans, it’s really nothing to complain about, unless of course you’re a bigot who eats bigot sandwiches. The gameplay has been massively improved with more crafting and upgrade options, as well as two main characters with different fighting styles/weapon sets, making for a varied and dynamic player experience. One of my favorite additions is the ability to craft a silencer for your pistol, it brings a whole new level of choice when trying to stealthily take out a room of enemy combatants or infected. And speaking of infected, holy cow, are they terrifying in this game. Stalkers jumping out of walls, shamblers blasting you in close-quarters while hoards of clickers and runners come at you, and that boss fight! They turned the terror up to 11, and with a radical militia and murderous zealots running around, there is plenty to do in terms of combat. [SPOILERS AHEAD] The story is epic, brutal, heartbreaking, and follows the theme of moral ambiguity from the first game. Joel’s decision to save Ellie at the expense of the entire world has come back to bite him. Of course, we didn’t want Joel to die, but there had to be consequences for his choices in the first game and Ellie needed motivation for another adventure, going on another cross-country exploratory trip with Joel would’ve just felt like rehashing the first game. I love how the storytellers play with your emotions. In the first half of the game you’re 100% on Ellie’s side and want her to rain down brutal vengeance on Abby, but by the end of the game you don’t really know how to feel about anything. The moral ambiguity is fascinating, thought-provoking, makes you feel, well…feelings. Abby’s dad chooses to kill a little girl to save the world, right or wrong? It’s understandable, at least. Joel says “to hell with the world”, and kills everyone between him and Ellie to save her, right or wrong? Although I don’t think Joel’s decision was as bad as it seemed. I mean, would a vaccine really have helped that much? We know that the cordyceps infest the brain, so anyone already infected is doomed, and the people that are left are mostly savage, robbing murderers. Is it really worth Ellie’s life to save them? Abby chooses to avenge her dad (fair), Ellie chooses to avenge Joel (also fair). A bunch of people get caught in Abby and Ellie’s crossfire and in the end we learn…nothing. Absolutely nothing. That’s the beauty of moral ambiguity in stories, you will never get real answers to the big questions, just like real life. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? And the delicious irony how the fact that Ellie couldn’t let Abby live is what saves Abby’s life! Brilliant. Is it destiny? Is it chaos? We will never know, and that’s what makes it exciting. And with so many gameplay options you will definitely want to experience it multiple times, 10/10.