Why I like The Last of Us Part II

Spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2, including the TV season coming next year. 

It’s amazing what a leaked video can do. After key plot points for The Last of Us Part II dropped onto the internet, anticipation for the Naughty Dog game switched from hype to nerves. Neil Druckmann took a golf club to a key character from The Last of Us Part I, and the internet burned in fury. 

I understand why. Joel was a key character in the first part, following a character trajectory while nursing his feelings as a father. Naughty Dog presented a compelling story shown over four seasons, designed so that his final choice – one which potentially dooms the world – is shown in a sympathetic light. Killing him in the first hour of Part II hit hard, and turned people so angry. Imagine the type of hole that can leave – and that’s exactly how some see Part II. 

But that was the problem. The leak came out as a short clip, without build-up nor the context of the full game. Joel’s death is necessary for exploring the metatheme of Part II: revenge. Ellie’s warpath to find Joel’s killer, and understanding the consequences of revenge as it burns others along its trajectory. The audience was angry that Joel died; congratulations, because that was the exact reaction the writers of Part II wanted within the context of the game. 

Part II worked because Joel died. We follow Ellie’s perspective as she hunts for Abby, working with a friend who detached herself from Ellie by the story’s conclusion. We then pivot the story to Abby’s perspective, showing how her father was killed by a bearded maniac who stopped the world from being saved. By the end, Ellie finally realises that revenge will destroy her – and lets Abby go. 

The story is not perfect. The biggest issue is the ludonarrative dissonance between Ellie’s and Abby’s care for some people, and murdering hundreds during gameplay sequences. The game was also too long – some of it could have been cut down for a greater punch. 

But overall it works within the theme of the story. The golf club has its place, alongside Ellie’s tilted guitar resting under the windowsill.