The Last of Us Part II: Balancing a perfect story, and Game-play | Teen Ink

The Last of Us Part II: Balancing a perfect story, and Game-play

March 18, 2024
By bpalacio0039 BRONZE, Ca, California
bpalacio0039 BRONZE, Ca, California
1 article 0 photos 0 comments


              If you’re tired of the typical post-apocalyptic story, then "The Last of Us Part II” is just the game for you. It is a beautiful heartbreaking breaking story with even better game mechanics. The sequel to the first game continues right where you left off, returning to Jackson and then 4 years later. Jumping into the game it already feels like you're watching a movie. The picturesque scenery throughout the entire game makes you feel very immersed in this world. Just like the first game, the setting takes place in an overgrown, post-apocalyptic United States, mainly the west side. A very eerie feeling reoccurs with the sight of fungus and spores on the walls that foreshadows what we’ll go against later in the game.


               The story of this game is one of the most heart-shattering, especially to fans who have played the prequel.  

In the Last of Us part 1 we are playing as Joel and we get to watch a bond grow between the two strangers Joel and Ellie build together as they venture to complete their mission to go across the country and deliver Ellie to the Fireflies Militia group. But after that plan goes bad, here in the sequel the game is now centered on Ellie, who is now an adult in this strange world, on a path of vengeance. Ellie faces new enemies in this game, new militia groups similar to the Fireflies. The main antagonist, Abby at first is perceived as a very despicable villain, but once you see her perspective of the story you start to think about who really is the “bad guy”. That is one of the best parts about this game because the different sides of the story and perspectives allow the player to decide who is the good and bad guy of the story. 

 

         With these new enemies come new ways to play. With the advancement of technology, these AI enemies are now super difficult to go against. This goes for human enemies and the infected. It almost feels like you're playing a multiplayer game because of how intelligent these enemies are. Since you're not a large man anymore, (Joel) you can’t play the way you played in the first game because you are now playing as a smaller 19-year-old girl.  With Ellie, it's a lot easier to be stealthy because of the ability to go prone and use the environment to hide, rather than the usual loud and proud way of playing. Although you are given advantages the game is still very challenging. But the way you survive is ultimately your choice. And for those reasons,  “The Last of Us Part II” is one of the best games because it gives the player the perfect balance of story and gameplay. 


The author's comments:

   This is honestly one of the most hardest pieces of writing I think I have ever done. I was stressing alot for this, mainly because video games are hard to cover but this specific game I really love and I am actually playing it rightnow. I played this game for the first time in 2019 which is when it released and I really enjoyed it. It was a very controversial game that recieved alot of controversial reviews. What was really hard for me was balancing out objective and subjective facts. In my very early draft I had alot of subjective facts, AND I MEAN ALOT. But after a good understanding of a review should be I was able to fix my problem and I like how it came out. I could have chose another topic to review but I chose the Last of Us because its a pretty cool game.


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