🎮 Review – The Last of Us Part II

🧠 Introduction

When I first launched The Last of Us Part II, I knew I was in for something powerful—but I had no idea just how much. The story takes place several years after the first game. Ellie is now a nineteen-year-old woman—more mature, tougher, but still with that same sharp tongue that defines her.
The game opens with Joel and Tommy in a garage. Joel is cleaning his guitar and telling Tommy about what happened in the hospital in Salt Lake City—how he saved Ellie by killing almost everyone, including the surgeon who was supposed to create a cure. Ellie was meant to be the key to humanity’s salvation, but Joel couldn’t let her die. He asks Tommy to never tell Ellie the truth, fearing it would break her. Tommy agrees, and the two return to Jackson, where they now live.
After a brief farewell, Joel visits Ellie and plays a song for her on his guitar. Then we jump to the present—Ellie is prepping for patrol with her friend Jesse and Dina, Jesse’s ex-girlfriend.
Meanwhile, we’re introduced to a new character—Abby. Strong, determined, and focused on a single goal: finding Joel Miller. Why? Because Joel killed her father—the doctor from the Salt Lake City hospital. Abby seems to live by the biblical saying, “an eye for an eye,” and she follows that path with brutal clarity.
Tragically, she succeeds. The scene where Joel dies is devastating. I broke down in tears—it was painful to watch, both as a player and through Ellie’s eyes. From this point on, rage and revenge consume Ellie. Together with Dina, she sets out to find Abby and make her pay.

🌍 World and Atmosphere
Once again, the developers have created a rich, haunting world—full of dangers, secrets, and eerie, abandoned places. There are still Clickers, Bloaters, and new types of infected that release deadly gas (I still can’t remember their names, but they’re terrifying).
The world remains mostly untouched—some scattered human settlements, but it’s still the same brutal wasteland we know from the first game. Only now it feels even more immersive and threatening.

🎭 Characters & Story
Ellie has changed. Not on the surface, but deep inside. Her obsession with revenge drives her every action. It slowly turns her into something else—someone darker. The game dares to do something bold: it makes you question your own role. Ellie starts to look more and more like the villain, while Abby, who "only" avenged her father, begins to seem... human.
Abby is a complicated character. It’s not easy to connect with her—partly because of her physical appearance—but her story is real and painful. She loses her friends, her status, everything.
Dina, on the other hand, is a warm, grounded presence. She brings light to the darkness around Ellie, offering empathy and support—like a mother holding everything together.
This contrast between characters adds so much depth to the narrative and makes it incredibly powerful.

🕹️ Gameplay and Design
The game looks absolutely stunning. Graphically and technically, it's top-tier. With FSR, RTX, and great optimization, it runs smoothly and looks fantastic.
The core gameplay remains true to the first game—stealth, crafting, scavenging—it all works perfectly. There are subtle improvements, like the ability to craft a silencer, which is super useful for silent kills.
Ellie and Abby have unique mechanics. Ellie has a permanent knife for stealth kills, while Abby must craft hers. These little differences keep things fresh and strategic.
The enemy AI has been significantly improved—if you kill one enemy, others will notice their absence, search the area, and if they find a body, they’ll alert the group. It forces you to think more carefully and plan ahead.

🎵 Music and Sound
Just like the first game, the music is incredible. It knows when to stay quiet and when to rise. Through the Valley completely won my heart—it became my personal anthem.
The sound design is also terrifyingly good. I can’t count how many times I was scared just from hearing a Clicker hiss through my headphones, or a Stalker breathing around the corner. It’s unbelievably immersive.

❤️Summary
The Last of Us Part II isn’t just a game. It’s an emotional grenade, a powerful story of pain, revenge, and humanity. It challenges you—it makes you feel. Whether you can forgive Abby, or grieve Joel, is up to you.
To me, this sequel raised the bar. The characters are phenomenal, the atmosphere is oppressive in the best way, the music is flawless, and the gameplay is tight and refined. The graphics and performance are at the top of their game. And yes—I’ll absolutely play it again in New Game+.

Played on:
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB
G.SKILL Trident 32GB (6000MHz) DDR5
Windows 11

Rating:

🎮 Review – [i]The Last of Us Part II[/i] 🧠 Introduction When I first launched [b]The Last of Us Part II[/b], I knew I was in for something powerful—but I had no idea just how much. The story takes place several years after the first game. Ellie is now a nineteen-year-old woman—more mature, tougher, but still with that same sharp tongue that defines her. The game opens with Joel and Tommy in a garage. Joel is cleaning his guitar and telling Tommy about what happened in the hospital in Salt Lake City—how he saved Ellie by killing almost everyone, including the surgeon who was supposed to create a cure. Ellie was meant to be the key to humanity’s salvation, but Joel couldn’t let her die. He asks Tommy to never tell Ellie the truth, fearing it would break her. Tommy agrees, and the two return to Jackson, where they now live. After a brief farewell, Joel visits Ellie and plays a song for her on his guitar. Then we jump to the present—Ellie is prepping for patrol with her friend Jesse and Dina, Jesse’s ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, we’re introduced to a new character—Abby. Strong, determined, and focused on a single goal: finding Joel Miller. Why? Because Joel killed her father—the doctor from the Salt Lake City hospital. Abby seems to live by the biblical saying, “an eye for an eye,” and she follows that path with brutal clarity. Tragically, she succeeds. The scene where Joel dies is devastating. I broke down in tears—it was painful to watch, both as a player and through Ellie’s eyes. From this point on, rage and revenge consume Ellie. Together with Dina, she sets out to find Abby and make her pay. 🌍 World and Atmosphere Once again, the developers have created a rich, haunting world—full of dangers, secrets, and eerie, abandoned places. There are still Clickers, Bloaters, and new types of infected that release deadly gas (I still can’t remember their names, but they’re terrifying). The world remains mostly untouched—some scattered human settlements, but it’s still the same brutal wasteland we know from the first game. Only now it feels even more immersive and threatening. 🎭 Characters & Story Ellie has changed. Not on the surface, but deep inside. Her obsession with revenge drives her every action. It slowly turns her into something else—someone darker. The game dares to do something bold: it makes you question your own role. Ellie starts to look more and more like the villain, while Abby, who "only" avenged her father, begins to seem... human. Abby is a complicated character. It’s not easy to connect with her—partly because of her physical appearance—but her story is real and painful. She loses her friends, her status, everything. Dina, on the other hand, is a warm, grounded presence. She brings light to the darkness around Ellie, offering empathy and support—like a mother holding everything together. This contrast between characters adds so much depth to the narrative and makes it incredibly powerful. 🕹️ Gameplay and Design The game looks absolutely stunning. Graphically and technically, it's top-tier. With FSR, RTX, and great optimization, it runs smoothly and looks fantastic. The core gameplay remains true to the first game—stealth, crafting, scavenging—it all works perfectly. There are subtle improvements, like the ability to craft a silencer, which is super useful for silent kills. Ellie and Abby have unique mechanics. Ellie has a permanent knife for stealth kills, while Abby must craft hers. These little differences keep things fresh and strategic. The enemy AI has been significantly improved—if you kill one enemy, others will notice their absence, search the area, and if they find a body, they’ll alert the group. It forces you to think more carefully and plan ahead. 🎵 Music and Sound Just like the first game, the music is incredible. It knows when to stay quiet and when to rise. [i]Through the Valley[/i] completely won my heart—it became my personal anthem. The sound design is also terrifyingly good. I can’t count how many times I was scared just from hearing a Clicker hiss through my headphones, or a Stalker breathing around the corner. It’s unbelievably immersive. ❤️Summary [b]The Last of Us Part II[/b] isn’t just a game. It’s an emotional grenade, a powerful story of pain, revenge, and humanity. It challenges you—it makes you feel. Whether you can forgive Abby, or grieve Joel, is up to you. To me, this sequel raised the bar. The characters are phenomenal, the atmosphere is oppressive in the best way, the music is flawless, and the gameplay is tight and refined. The graphics and performance are at the top of their game. And yes—I’ll absolutely play it again in New Game+. Played on: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB G.SKILL Trident 32GB (6000MHz) DDR5 Windows 11 Rating: [code]MY RATING: ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ 10 / 10[/code]