Game Review: The Last of us II

by Toby Barrett

The Last of Us Part II is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and exclusive for the PlayStation 4.

Last time we saw Ellie (aged 14) and Joel (aged mid 40’s) where they had escaped the antagonists of the first game, the fireflies, a rebel group that opposes the oppressing United States Armed Force under the control of FEDRA.

This second game takes place 5 years after the first game, you are no longer playing as Joel Miller, the protagonist in the first game, but as Ellie Williams the daughter figure to Joel.

However the duo are not on speaking terms at the beginning of this game, later explaining that Joel lied to Ellie about her not being the cure to the Cordyceps Brain Infection which she finds out she is the cure. It is also later explained that Joel killed all the scientists that knew how to create this cure, also angering Ellie.

Unfortunately Ellie's anger on Joel is later changed to sadness. Joel is attacked by one of the scientist's daughters, Abby, bent on revenge for her father. Ellie watches as her father figure Joel Miller is beaten to death, Abby enjoying every second.

Ellie, broken, angry and grieving wants to add one more stage of grief ....Revenge. Ellie, joined by her girlfriend, Dina, go on a rampage through Seattle chasing after Abby and her team. One by one Abby’s friends are killed in a brutal way. As Ellie ventures further through Seattle fighting through past firefly members, Infected and Abby’s friends, finds out Dina is pregnant which causes Ellie to rethink her choices however not back down and give up, she is then joined with their best friend Jesse to continue the adventure and later Joel's brother Tommy helps bring the group back home.

Ellie finds that she can not live in a world where Abby is alive so continues 2 years later on her adventure on the hunt for Joel’s killer, leaving Dina and their new born child home, worried.

Ellie, alone, angry and bent for revenge ironically becomes Abby, bent on revenge and angry. Realising this let Abby live, going back home to Dina and their child.