This review is 100% spoiler free and will only discuss narrative elements that have already been explored through trailers and interviews. The story of The Last of Us Part II is much larger than the one detailed in this review, and should be experienced firsthand by the player. Special thank you to PlayStation for providing a review copy of the game.  Seven years have passed since the release of The Last of Us. In 2013, Naughty Dog astounded critics and fans alike with its newest IP—and the story it told. The Last of Us’s ambiguous ending left Joel and Ellie’s future uncertain, however, during PlayStation Experience in 2016, the sequel was officially announced. Following this announcement, series creator Neil Druckmann clarified the decision to go with the ‘Part II’ branding instead of a numerical value because the new game would conclude the story that commenced with The Last of Us, rather than be a new entry. After a long and tumultuous wait, audiences can finally experience the conclusion to Joel and Ellie’s story. The Last of Us holds a special place amongst fans, and as with all forms of media, a successor runs the risk of diminishing the experience if it does not meet expectations. This fear is especially true when considering narratives that do not require a follow up or give any indication that there is one to come. The Last of Us ended with such vagueness, allowing any future that befell Joel and Ellie left for audience interpretation. Naughty Dog felt differently, however, as the developers believed that there is more of this story to be told. The Catalyst: The Last of Us Part II picks up five years after the events of the previous game, with Joel and Ellie living a semi-normal life in Jackson, Wyoming. Walled off from exterior threats, Jackson’s citizens can live normally, given their current circumstances. Their peace is due in part to the efforts made by the individuals who travel the outer perimeters, conducting supply runs and culling the groups of infected that wander into their jurisdiction. Given their experience, Joel and Ellie have assumed this role, with the narrative beginning on the morning of a routine perimeter check. Players take control of Ellie, a hardened adult no longer held back by her previous ignorance of the outside world, as she prepares to embark on a supply run with a close friend, Dina. The supply run serves as a tutorial, providing players with the experience necessary for the journey ahead. Ellie and Dina are tasked with reporting to one of Jacksonville’s outer watchtowers and eliminating any infected they find on their way. However, before they can complete their task and turn home, a snowstorm forces them to find shelter. The world of The Last of Us is full of threats, new and old, and Joel and Ellie’s journey is no different. Shortly after the introduction, Ellie experiences a traumatic event that serves as the catalyst for the game’s narrative. Armed with one goal in mind, Ellie will take the player on a crusade powered by vengeance, as she seeks to bring justice to those who have wronged her. With a story that is more personal to those involved, players will find themselves becoming just as invested to see things through to the end. Much like the previous game’s seasonal mechanic, The Last of Us Part II features a timed approach to its narrative storytelling. Rather than an entire calendar year, The Last of Us Part II takes place over several days, sectioned into each respective day. Throughout the game, players experience a journey that goes beyond the foundation laid by the previous title, witnessing events that reinforce the adult nature of The Last of Us Part II. Ellie has no remorse for her actions, therefore players faint of heart should proceed with caution, as the title wears its mature rating on its sleeve. Bricks and Bottles: The Last of Us Part II represents an evolution in video game narrative and animation. Building on the foundation of the previous game, the title refines the experience to near perfection, establishing a level of immersion that elevates the medium. Whether it is Ellie brushing individual leaves out of her face when walking under an overhanging branch, or teetering off a structural ledge to find balance before she falls, the developer provides great detail to her presence in this world. The facial animations of The Last of Us Part II are seamless. Naughty Dog is able to maintain the animation quality normally found in pre-rendered footage throughout the experience, allowing players to see the genuine moment-to-moment emotion of each character in real time. Every smirk, tear, and angered brow is representative of how the characters are feeling at that moment. Since the player assumes control of Ellie for Part II, the developers had to alter elements of gameplay to reflect the differences between her and Joel from the first game. The size difference between the characters enables a stealth focus this time around. The stealth mechanics have been overhauled to reflect the change of character, making every combat encounter feel more personal as Ellie fights with persistence and passion. Unlike Joel, Ellie can now go prone, allowing her to follow paths that would otherwise be inaccessible. Additionally, Ellie’s pocketknife eliminates the need for crafting shivs for stealthily taking out infected. A welcome change, no doubt, as the dual purpose for shivs in The Last of Us presented a challenge for players who would have liked to fully explore the environment but needed the extra security from the infected. On the topic of exploration, The Last of Us Part II is the largest game Naughty Dog has created to date. Each area has numerous secrets to find by exploring alternative paths and even creating new ones. The enhanced mobility added by the developer allows Ellie to jump without requiring a prompt, making those would-be out-of-reach platforms accessible for exploration. As a result, the game encourages players to explore every location due to the returning collectibles and upgrade system. In addition to the new jump mechanic, The Last of Us Part II allows for elements of the environment to be manipulated for personal gain. Is the entrance to a building blocked off but its interior is visible through the outside windows? Ellie can smash the window with bricks, bottles, and her default melee to open a new path for exploration. Fortunately, this window mechanic is not reserved for narrative purposes, as any window that can be seen through can be broken. Players looking to gather as much as they can to improve their survivability should not ignore this mechanic. Much like the first game, The Last of Us Part II features an upgrade system that enhances the experience. Throughout the game, players can find training manuals that open new upgrade paths that drastically change how the game is played, along with workbenches where they can utilize the scrap collected to upgrade their weapons. The weapon upgrade system further showcases the animation quality by making Ellie apply each modification in real time. The camera shifts to an almost first-person perspective, as Ellie will dismantle, clean, and enhance any weapon players choose in realistic fashion. Endure and Survive: The Last of Us Part II wastes no time in expressing its mature identity. The game builds upon the combat of its predecessor and polishes it to a new level. The additional gameplay elements previously mentioned can all be utilized within combat to give players an advantage. On higher difficulties, any advantage becomes a necessity as resources are scarce. Players will have to make split second decisions on whether hand-to-hand combat is the best route to preserve ammo, or if close quarters combat is too risky and there is no other option but range. Unlike the first game, the enemies of The Last of Us Part II can provide more of a challenge in hand-to-hand combat. Even though Ellie plays differently to Joel, one would be mistaken to assume she is not as lethal. If anything, Ellie’s passion for revenge makes her a greater threat to any enemy than Joel is. The brutality of combat in this game is more realized than in the previous title, with players given more tools at their disposal this time around. Sometimes, burning through ammo is not a wise decision when there is no guarantee of recovering it. In many circumstances, close quarters combat will be the preferred route. When entering melee combat, enemies can fight back creating an equal challenge to those who retaliate with gunfire. To counter this, Naughty Dog introduced a dodge mechanic that allows Ellie to sidestep and backstep to avoid incoming attacks. Melee fights now become a dance as players will have to read their opponents’ moves to know whether to go in for the attack or dodge out of the way. Regardless of how players choose to fight, the combat in The Last of Us Part II is visceral and frantic. Players will feel the weight of every kill, as the executions are made more personal by the realistic sounds of steel scraping bone, or one choking on their own blood. The infected can overwhelm players in the blink of an eye as they travel in larger numbers than the previous game, and their unpredictable movement almost forces players to resort to melee instead of wasting ammo trying to land a head shot. Certain upgrades to both Ellie and player weapons can alleviate some of the stress combat brings, but to maintain those advantages rarer resources must be used to craft them. This scarcity presents a new level of combat mastery, as these decisions need to be factored in for every fight. The Enemy of My Enemy: The Last of Us Part II introduces two new enemy factions in addition to the infected. Both the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the Seraphites represent the humanoid contrast to the infected, each possessing their own methods of combat and weaponry. Throughout Ellie’s crusade for vengeance, players will have to contend with the consistent war fought between the WLF and the Seraphites, while trying not to get caught in the middle. Every faction adds their own flavour to the combat in The Last of Us Part II. Each one challenges the player to approach combat in different ways. The infected test the players stealth ability, as it is easy to get overrun by their numbers. While they are the easiest to navigate, one small mistake and the fight can turn hairy fast. Along with the typical Runners and Clickers, Stalkers will hide in the shadows and surprise players by charging their flank and grappling them. When grappled by a Stalker, it is difficult to break the hold, often resulting in a significant loss of health. Another infected type is the Shamblers that prioritize proximity and ranged attacks via acidic expulsions. The WLF is a military faction that uses an arsenal previously held by the army. They are more uniform with their approach to combat and will utilize cover-based tactics to outgun and flank players if their guard is down. Even though they attack in large groups, they are easy to defeat in a gunfight, so long as Ellie has the ammunition to do so. Stealth is also a viable option to reserve ammo in these encounters, however silenced weapons will often be the most useful option. The Seraphites present the most interesting addition to the flow of combat. They serve as a contrast to the WLF in their appearance, ideology, and combat by combining the tactics used by the other factions, resulting in the hunter becoming the hunted. When in combat against the Seraphites, the tides of battle can shift so swiftly that before players realize, they are surrounded by an invisible enemy. By using the overgrowth of the environment, the Seraphites are difficult to see, which makes combat all the more challenging when an arrow pierces Ellie out of nowhere, and players have to spend vital time pulling it out before they can continue. Their preferred method of communication is whistling, elevating the tension in combat by issuing battle commands unbeknownst to the player. Players do not always have to tackle these factions head on. If the opportunity arises, the player can pit two factions against each other to dwindle the numbers and even the odds. If there is a patrolling WLF group and the player knows there are some infected lurking in a building, they can break the glass windows and cause the infected to overwhelm the WLF. Sometimes, it is easier to stealth one’s way through a few infected than risk a firefight and the loss of ammo. Every Last One of Them: The Last of Us Part II presents an experience that is near perfect in every way. Those who play it will be hard pressed to find issues with the title as Naughty Dog has, once again, taken their time to polish the experience. During the game’s runtime there were hardly, if any, technical issues encountered. While the combat has intense moments, there is always the possibility that more could have been done to differentiate the factions. The three enemy factions, while varied in design and presentation, could have used more variation in combat to help make each type more unique. Although players can alter their playstyle to suit the different challenges each of them present, it is possible for the more patient players to take on each faction the same way. Having some faction specific mechanics would have helped alleviate some of this, like how certain infected present challenges to melee and stealth. The attention to detail present throughout the game is worthy of recognition, especially considering how vocal Naughty Dog has been in the past with improving accessibility for all players. The developer is seeking true agency for players in providing them with the proper tools necessary to modify their experience with The Last of Us Part II. Accessibility options such as text to speech, magnification and visual aids, and full controller remapping are all found in the game’s options for individuals to utilize. Naughty Dog has done what many have thought impossible with The Last of Us Part II, surpassing the original in every way. There are few games that can rival the level of emotional storytelling that The Last of Us Part II presents. No matter what audiences know going into the game, Naughty Dog has found every possible way to subvert expectations and maintain a level of surprise throughout. The Last of Us Part II’s narrative is much more personal than the first game, and players feel that weight throughout the entire experience. Naughty Dog had a lot to prove with The Last of Us Part II. After the influential The Last of Us in 2013, it felt impossible for the developers to live up to the expectations they set. Not only does The Last of Us Part II surpass expectations, it sets a new industry standard for narrative storytelling and animation in a video game. There is evidence in every inch of this game that the developers at Naughty Dog poured their heart and soul into finishing what they started. The Last of Us Part II is much more than a sequel; it is the conclusion of a story that will stand the test of time. No matter what the future of gaming holds, audiences will always remember what The Last of Us’s story represents for the medium at large.