It isn’t uncommon to see people dunk onNaughty Dogthese days. Maybe because it feels as if the studio has lost its way in recent years with an over reliance on narrative blockbusters, which soon get remasters that don’t change much at all. Gone is the golden era ofCrash Bandicoot,Jak & Daxter, and the early days ofUncharted, whilemany have already pouncedonIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophetdespite knowing next to nothing about it.
While we can criticise the position Naughty Dog holds in the triple-A space and the landscape of homogeneity it has helped introduce, it’s very difficult to fault the quality of each game it creates and how they stand up to others in the industry.The Last of Us Part 2offers a proactively subversive narrative, a nuanced cast of characters, and gameplay that feels responsive, realistic, and incredibly fun despite its macabre presentation. It rules.
Few Action Games Play Better Than The Last Of Us Part 2
The Last of Usis a masterpiece, but much of its gameplay is a simplistic expansion of what we had been playing in Uncharted for years. You took cover from enemies, popped out after it was safe to fire a few shots, and send fists flying if people got too close. The only major difference was the greater emphasis on stealth, because Joel and Ellie were naturally more vulnerable.
Neither of them were superheroes, needing to use every resource to their advantage as they dispatched their enemies in the coldest ways possible. It is a bloody and brutal game that’s a joy to play. It’s a shame the PS5 remaster didn’t incorporate the sequel’s combat because of the way it improves the original in every conceivable way. In fact, it made The Last of Us Part 1 look downright archaic in comparison.
Joel is an old man, and the moment you take control of him in the original, he is already hard and weathered from two decades of survival. He is tired of fighting, but has no other choice if he wants to carve out a life worth living. He hits hard and falls harder, so when you jump into Ellie’s shoes at the halfway point, she feels almost alien.
A light-footed girl able to leap onto the backs of enemies and stab the hell out of them, while dodging attacks, makes the act of sneaking around enemies easier than it’s ever been. Part 2 would take those ideas so much further.
Ellie And Abby Are Forces To Be Reckoned With
The sequel is no longer a matter of hiding behind chest-high walls and hoping for the best as you fire showers of bullets from the sanctuary of a rotting sofa. Its level design reflects this in its urban sprawls, wide open city environments, and an abandoned vision of Seattle that can feel lived in despite the end of the world being decades in the rearview mirror. It feels natural and more enjoyable to navigate, and thus combat encounters inspire constant creativity.
Being able to go prone shouldn’t make that much of a difference in these circumstances, but it does. Hiding yourself in tall grass and waiting as a band of Seraphites closes in should be the time to panic, but Ellie and Abby know that, with the right amount of patience and aggression, they can emerge victorious. It isn’t just about staying hidden either, as you may murder a foe with a melee weapon and dive into the underbrush with a press of a button before killing their two unsuspecting friends with a lethal shotgun blast.
Every single combat encounter is an invitation to get creative in the most grotesque manner possible, made possible by massive playgrounds and enemy AI that is clever in its own way but also willing to bend to the player’s whims.
I haven’t seen a third-person shooter match up to this quality since, and it’s rarely a conversation when discussing the pros and cons of The Last of Us Part 2.
No Return Was Proof Of The Combat’s Greatness
WhenThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredcame to thePS5last year, it brought with it a new wave-based roguelike mode where you could play pretty much every major character in the game as you progressed through several variable rounds ahead of taking on a challenging boss encounter. Sometimes you would need to kill everyone in sight, defend an objective, or simply survive until a timer ran down to zero.
It was a distillation of the gameplay’s brightest ideas with narrative taking a backseat, ample evidence that even when you put its excellent characters and storytelling aside, The Last of Us Part 2 can stand on its own feet. In fact, there is nothing else quite like it.
