The Last of Us Part II is one of the most high profile and anticipated games of 2020, and it definitely lived up to our expectations. However, there are still a few grievances and nitpicks we have with the game as a whole, and if they’d been addressed, the game could’ve been even better than it already is.
Before we go any further, do be warned that this article contains light spoilers for The Last of Us Part II.
No More ‘Open World’ Segments
By far the biggest thing that really throws off the game’s pacing, the little open world segment that you get when you first reach Seattle with Dina, is probably the weakest part of the game.
Right after an explosive intro and the reveal of Ellie’s impetus for the journey, you’re immediately tossed into a large open space to explore before moving forward.
This section feels a little uninspired and tedious, as there are just so many buildings to explore if you want to get all the available resources. To the game’s credit, you do get some missable scenes with Ellie and Dina that help add some context and life to their relationship that you wouldn’t otherwise get anywhere else in the game, but I can’t help but feel that these could’ve been included in other parts of the game as well, while they’re actively moving towards their next goal.
It’s a good thing that you can skip most of this section and just go straight for your objective, but you will be missing out on ammo and crafting materials.
“Let’s Find Another Way Around”
Another big complaint about The Last of Us Part II is its sheer length. Now don’t get me wrong, the story bits are fantastic. Every cutscene and character interaction is absolutely pertinent to the plot, but it’s the bits in between that can really drag.
Getting from point A to point B can feel too long, especially as you’re constantly running into random obstacles that force you to find another way around.
Without fail, every single chapter of the game will have one character saying some sort of variation of “let’s find another way around,” and every time that happens, my heart just sinks a little.
Some of these exploration bits drag on for a really long time, where you’re not really doing anything meaningful aside from just picking up stuff and constantly looking for the next thing to climb, or next ledge to hop over. It feels like padding, and some of it could’ve been trimmed.
Make Clickers More Threatening
The Clickers are the most iconic enemy type in The Last of Us, and while they definitely felt like a scary, consistent threat in the first game, that just isn’t the case in The Last of Us Part II.
Especially in the first half of the game, Clickers are not a threat at all when Ellie’s switchblade has infinite durability, which allows her to stealth kill all of them with no risk.
Because of this, Clickers have become the least threatening enemy type in the game, and even the Runners are more of a threat because they can spot you and instantly attract all enemies to your position.
On the topic of the infected, though, big shout out to the Shambler –this is easily the scariest enemy type in the game, and the most dangerous.
Another shout out to the Stalker, which gets way more time to shine in The Last of Us Part II, and actually actively hides and runs from you in the middle of a fight.
The Scars Needed More Screen Time
The Seraphites were one of two new factions introduced in The Last of Us Part II. Compared to the Washington Liberation Front (or wolves as they’re referred to in-game), the Scars seemed much more intriguing because of their image as a religious fanatical cult.
However, they get so little screen time, and we learn so little about them that when we do finally confront them, it almost feels hollow if not for the connection we’ve already built with Lev and Yara.
While you can glean some little tidbits of information about the Scars and their origins through character dialogue and notes that you pick up, it’s not enough.
All in all, the Scars needed more build-up and more time to develop as a threatening faction. In The Last of Us Part II, they just felt like another shapeless organization standing in our way.
Published: Jun 29, 2020 05:00 pm