Coleson Frey

The sequel to the beloved last of us is here, and its got some controversial opinions (SPOILER FREE). The reasons for dislike are rather weak. The story first of all is dark, it is charming when it comes to character interactions and environmental detail. The game is especially thrilling during combat where you manage very sparce resources in order to continue. The game will jump timelines and playable characters often however it serves to tell a heartbreaking story with lots of backstory and small sections of fun exploration to break up large combat sequences. There are small puzzles that help you get more resources to have more options in fights and traversal. There are marginal differences in the combat that dont stray far from the first game. Such as new throwable explosives and new craftable alternatives, lots of new guns however that all feel unique and useful. That said the combat is enjoyable, mostly cover shooting and melee spamming with a few dodges involved. Overall combat is thrilling and punishing, yet satisfying. The controls are not optimal but you get used to them and you can get really fast with switching gear and handling menus in combat. The graphics are beyond impressive, i replayed the first game before diving in and surprisingly the first game had a lot more stutters than this one. The last of us 2 has stunning graphics and amazing attention to detail. I especially liked that fresh pools of blood slip into the cracks on the floor and soak into carpet or wash away in water. It was very impressive to notice many more details like this, all arrows and bolts shot can be found broken or intact to grab again. The replayability is decent, it entails a new game plus and many difficult achievements you will miss on a blind run, but each play through unlocks various models and concept art to enjoy. Unlike the first game there is no multiplayer of any kind. Either way the big idea is that this game is a triple A title beyond its time and is a worthy sequel.