Henry Lawford

Broadly speaking (to avoid spoilers), The Last of Us Part II is a visually stunning game with great features that help tailor the game to a player’s play style (such as the huge variation in difficulty sliders). However, to say this game justly deserves a perfect 10/10 score is irrational. In terms of gameplay and weapon systems, the game has not undergone massive changes since the original. This leaves it to feel quite outdated compared to other games in terms of stealth, gunplay, and the intelligence of NPCs in the game. The other main factor I found disappointing is the story. Despite the game trying very hard to make the audience sympathise with the new antagonist (by playing fetch with dogs and backstory). I couldn’t help but feel horrified by her remorseless and absolutely brutal actions towards the characters we came to love in the first game. The player has no options and is forced to guide her through her personal vendetta, as she murders characters even after they have saved her life (just one example). I understand that they were trying to blur the lines between what’s good and evil, however, they fail to do achieve this within the context of this game. I’m terms of the ending I have found myself again being disappointed. The characters in the game go through 30 hours of a vengeance themed arc, all for it to be forgotten in the last fight scene. They may as well have concluded with the “it was all a dream” ending. This game is not a 10/10 game, and it surprised me that critics reached this opinion. The game is more representative of an average 4-5/10. Not one of the best games of all time.