The Last of Us Part 2 Review
Last of Us Part 2 Review: “Where is this relationship between Joel and Ellie going?”, “Will Ellie learn the truth?”, “How brutal can this world be?”.
The Last of Us’ story caught me so unprepared with storytelling, and more importantly, when I still think about the game, I am surprised by the first day. I never thought that the second game would come after that striking end, I couldn’t think. I have never been so surprised and in vain in any games before. Should this story that hit such a great deal and completed at the summit to be continued? From time to time I was asking this question to myself. But after the game was announced, this question in my mind was replaced by new questions. “Where is this relationship between Joel and Ellie going to go?”, “Will Ellie learn the truth?”, “How brutal can this world be?”. Let’s start our Last of Us: Part II review.
Last of Us: Part 2 Review
Guys, I have to say from the beginning that The Last of Us Part 2 review answers all these questions beautifully.
With the entrance into the game’s world, The Last of Us successfully escalated the relationship between the characters and almost managed to leave this at the top. In the review I wrote earlier for the game, I mentioned that the new generation (PS4 and Xbox One) opened the door, especially in terms of presentation and storytelling. Indeed, it was so. We encountered different examples of how important story presentation and different narratives are in the game generation that we are in and are near the end. But Last of Us left the business at such a peak that the number of games that caught this summit could not pass the fingers of one hand. As someone who has experienced the game and finished it twice, I want to make the same sentences for The Last of Us Part 2. The game deserves to be one of the rare productions that managed to open the door of new generation games with Red Dead Redemption 2.
Last of Us: Part 2 Review: Story
Let’s talk about a little story and the world of the game after these heartwarming words. Don’t worry, in this review, I will not include the slightest inconvenience in the name of the story, that is, in the spoiler effect. Maybe we will talk about this topic in a different context and discuss it.
In the Last of Us story, we were encountering a phenomenon that shows how interesting life can have. While we were thinking of great wars, economic destruction and nuclear threats, we witnessed that a tiny mushroom species brought the end of humanity. Demolition and epidemic came along with the transmission of this fungus called cordyceps to humans. The effects of the fungus that trigger the anger centre and then cause deformations when it gets infected to people are more strikingly illustrated in The Last of Us Part 2. In the first game, we were witnessing the mother of nature taking over the world again, but with the passing of this work year in the next game, she moved a few steps further. The ruined streets, grass-covered buildings and literally quince-filled world composition that people had to bomb in order to stop the epidemic are beautifully illustrated in The Last of Us Part 2. So I can say that you can experience this ruined and post-apocalyptic feeling at every moment of the game.
New infecteds have also been added to the infectious ones we are familiar with from the first game like Runner, Clicker or Stalker. Apart from these infections that you encounter at every moment of the game, the type of enemies that you need to pay more attention to is as people. Hitting the bottom of mischief at every opportunity, they show us how cruel they can be. In the first game, small groups and people who appear in different formations are divided into larger groups this time.
The first of these groups is the WLF group, which operates in military order and has trained dogs. You have to cope with this group, who can trace with trained dogs in their area and look around.
Apart from the WLF (Washington Liberation Front) group, of course, we encounter religious fanatics that are inevitable in such a world. This group, which has a huge wound on their faces, is known as Seraphites or Scars. The members of the group, who use the bow and arrow as a weapon, have mastered stealth. You have to act more cautiously in the parts you encounter with this group, which chooses a more primitive life and is closely connected to their new religion.
When such a beautiful world is depicted, the functioning of the research dynamics is expanded. I have to say that the parts you researched with the map in your hand in the first parts of the game are quite satisfying. Exploring around has an important place in opening up Ellie’s new features. As you craft new items with the ammunition you find, you also improve your weapons and curator features. Just like the first game, but a more developed system was used. Surveying is also very important to unlock new features. You can reach these features thanks to the hunting and craftsmanship books you find. Meanwhile, it was really enjoyable to do weapon updates. As you see your character dominating the weapon, you want to wander between the weapons. I have to mention that the course is quite high when it comes to removing the magazine, installing new parts or something.
Of course, besides ammunition, there are different extras for your research for character and weapon features. First of all, you need to look around for more important points like locked safes. Finding the password of the boxes and accessing them is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. Apart from the coins and comic cards you find, you have more information about the world of the game with notes and letters left. What kind of drama is there in the background, even a random corpse you encounter has been beautifully exposed. Finding these notes is also the key to accessing new information about the characters and events. Although you do this for most of the game, you do not get bored and enjoy discovering new stories and learning new details about the game’s world.
Semi-Open World Game
Let’s continue to our The Last of Us Part 2 Review: Game uses a system we call the semi-open world. It is quite wide and you want to investigate every corner. Sometimes your curiosity can also leave you in a difficult situation. For example, I tried for minutes to open the door of a small room that was locked. When I opened the door, a large infectious army began to fend on me. With such different surprises, you continue to be alerted even in the research dynamics. The only thing I don’t like about this is that the game starts pushing you after a while. So let’s say you jumped into the garden of a building with a large dustbin that was impossible to move. After a series of events, you go back to that street, but you see that dustbin is a lie. So if there is a place in that building or garden that you don’t look at, you may have to say goodbye there.
The Last of Us Part 2 fighting system has become more sedate with its changing world and enemy structure. Generally, I can say that the fighting system follows the first game. In other words, you are approaching the incidents in stealth, or you are taking action as much as your ammunition allows. If you say “I avoid meddling, brother, I will take care of my job”, it is possible to sneak out of the enemies. There are two important elements that enrich the fighting system. These have taken place in the game as a floor system and various other ways. The Last of Us fighting system used a system that was generally seated on a single floor, but separated into different rooms. In The Last of Us Part 2, just like in the Uncharted 4 game, the floor system was introduced and the fighting system was put into a richer structure. Please continue to read our Lost of Us Part 2 review.
Is It Really Open World?
In other words, the areas where you face enemies are divided into different regions and consist of different elevations. You put this dynamic into a different structure by leaking between tall grasses that are the blessings of Mother Nature or ruined walls. Do not think that when you hide, you get comfortable. When your enemies are in an abnormal situation, they start to look around, they can drive you through the grass you are in or under a vehicle you are hiding and put a big punch into your mouth.
Of course, let’s talk about the artificial intelligence system at this point. One of the most criticized aspects of the first game was the artificial intelligence system. In The Last of Us part 2, artificial intelligence has been much improved, and it has been made harder depending on the playground, but it is still one of the biggest problems of the game. It works very well for the enemies to act wisely and try to get you stuck. However, you may still encounter some problems in areas where you can see with visibility and stealth. The most frustrating part of artificial intelligence shows up in the characters next to you. Due to the story, there are characters besides you in some moments of the game. These characters are able to act on their own, especially when you are sneaking around. You can witness that the auxiliary characters controlled by artificial intelligence run past enemies when you are very careful and crawl. In some cases, they stay behind, and when you cross that area, they can teleport to you.
There are two important points I love in the game’s combat system. The first is to keep tension is constantly high. So whether you are infected or meet groups of people, there is always a high tension in the game. This situation requires you to proceed more carefully as it stretches you. Another point I like is that all the enemies you encounter have a personality. The production team managed to make all enemies look like a living individual. As you kill the enemies you encounter, you can hear the screams of your friends or even shout and talk about the person you killed.
Another factor that makes the combat system so successful is the close combat dynamics. There was satiety in the first game that made you feel hit. With the addition of new animations and the visual development of this game, this has been further advanced. Going into close combat, taking care of your enemies quietly gives different pleasure. I have to mention the ‘Gore’ elements that the game contains at this point, namely its wildness.
I have never seen a game that has been so successful and so brutal before. Of course, you can see this kind of violence in independent games or in low-budget games. But when visuality and this element of violence were combined, another level emerged. Infected or not, it doesn’t matter. You have to see this violence with your own eyes when you pull the trigger with a shotgun or attack with close combat weapons. Of course, this is clearly more common in infectious people. Because with their rotting meat, they are more easily affected by weapons. This violent element in both the story and the gameplay has revealed how violent the world of The Last of Us is. We asked Anthony Newman, the game’s co-director, about this. He added that this world is a brutal world, and whatever it is, they did it during the production process.
As I said at the beginning, The Last of Us Part 2 has the visuals that open the door of the new generation. Do not think of it only with technical terms such as coating and lighting. The visual toning and technical integrity of the game are so beautiful that you enjoy every moment you spend. City theme, subway tunnels, green but also a muffled atmosphere … Every moment of the game has been carefully designed and in a pretty impressive way. In very rare cases, you may encounter minor errors such as reloading objects. The biggest shortcoming in this regard is that Playstation 4 pushes its limits. Despite playing on the PS4 Pro version, I can say that the console sweated some moments. Fan noise can sometimes be annoyingly loud.
Another factor that makes the story so successful is character expressions and vocalization. Naughty Dog, who is competent in motion capture, has created great workmanship again. There is a new facial capture technology developed by the company and used for the first time in Last of Us Part 2. Thanks to this new system, you can clearly see even the pressure on the faces of the characters. This happens more clearly when you hit your face or in scenes where the characters get closer. Last of Us Part 2 Review continues.
Finally, let’s open a short paragraph to the music of the game. Gustavo Santaolalla has again signed the theme music of the game. I can say that the timbres take the atmosphere of the game to a different place. By the way, as you can remember from the first promotional trailer, the importance of music in The Last of Us Part 2 story is also quite big. The production team succeeded in making it felt at every moment of the game. Apart from music, sound effects and techniques should not be forgotten. These sound effects are very important in the high tension I have mentioned in the combat system.
Is Last of Us: Part II Worth to buy?
As a result, Last of Us Part 2 review has been a production that gushes detail from all corners and drags the player to completely different feelings, despite its minor deficiencies. If you have noticed, I have never talked about story and actors. Because the game promises such a nice experience that you find yourself in different emotions in the face of this dead-end where people fall. The Last of Us Part 2 turns into an adventure that not only PS4 owners but anyone who loves to play should experience.
Thank you for reading our Last of Us Part 2 review. If you like it please don’t forget to share the review.
If you want more information about TLFO2, you can read our Naughty Dogs co-director Anthony Newman‘s interview.
