It is genuinely unfathomable to me that Neil Cuckerman or whoever he is legitimately thought this was acceptable. You truly designed this game to destroy everything most people liked about the original. This is the most disrespectful sham of a sequel any game has ever received, and it kills me to know you get to hide behind modern day societal standards like a shield. The clear attempts at basic psychological manipulation on the player are inexcusable. I have no problem with companies pushing the limits of what they can get away with in a video game, but the only boundary this game pushes is the patience of their fanbase. You have intentionally created a game emotionally hard for people to play, So why are you going to act surprised when people with functional brains are able to see your pathetic attempts to guilt trip players for things they did on the linear story YOU hard coded into YOUR game?
This game is an insult to anyone who likes trying to be happy, and if you found enjoyment from the story then you are sick. Ellie did not at all deserve the fate she got, and abby was not a good person.
Obviously the graphics, acting, and immersion is phenomenal, but that will never ever compensate for the insult of this stories' very existence.
Do not make another game.