Why The Last of Us Part II is so Polarizing
When The Last of Us Part II was finally released to the general masses on June 19th, 2020 it was supposed to be the ultimate culmination of years of hard work and perseverance. The highly anticipated sequel to one of the greatest games of all time. The shining beacon of what the Playstation 4 could achieve. What could possibly go wrong? Well, it wasn’t the gameplay and certainly not the graphics. It was something more integral to the link between the game’s predecessor and itself. Something that would intrinsically split the large fanbase into pieces, much like the smashing of a wooden 2x4 on an unsuspecting runner. It was the game's story and the bold and unusual choices that would be a driving point for the great and cataclysmic divergence of players who felt many levels of differing emotions.
For many fans, The Last of Us Part II did things with its story that tarnished the overall experience and made the game ultimately unenjoyable. For the sake of the discussion, there will be spoilers in this piece so if you have not gotten around to finishing the game please leave now. Of course, if you don’t care about spoilers, feel free to stick around. Many critics of the game's story will point to the obvious point in which the story deviates from what fans wanted. The death of Joel at the hands of the new character Abby. It is a gruesome, violent death that left players shocked and devastated. It comes out of nowhere and leaves fans without one of the leading protagonists from the first game. Now, in a normal situation, this idea could work. Killing off main characters to drive a plot is a normal occurrence and can be very effective if done correctly. In my own personal experience, while I wasn’t pleased with the overall events of what happened in that snowy cabin in the woodlands of Wyoming, I could understand what the writers were trying to do. To push forward a feeling of anger and hate that would ultimately lead the player to want to seek revenge and that's exactly what happened. I didn’t hesitate to take out any of Abby’s friends or allies in Seattle. Playing as Ellie(The daughter figure of Joel) I was brutal and efficient in dispatching countless WLF soldiers. I didn’t think about they’re stories or lives. I just kept on killing whoever stood in my path. The game at this point was flowing quite well in my opinion and my inspection of streamers and lets players quickly discovered the same reactions amidst their playthroughs. The death of Joel, while painful was a true driving force for the player. A motivation to keep on going, through the waves of enemies in your way.
The true divergent moment occured when the player switched from controlling Ellie; the one who’d we been attached to the hip for a game and a half to Abby. The same Abby that had brutally killed Joel with a golf club. My initial reaction was one of disdain. I didn’t want to play as this character. I didn’t relate to her, I didn’t feel compassion for her even after her backstory and reason for wanting Joel dead was revealed. I just didn’t care. It wasn’t so much a rational reaction, but it was my feeling at the time and I couldn’t force myself to change it. I found the same reactions all over the internet. Of course, there were players who were open to the idea of Abby and some who even liked the character, but for me, the transition was too jarring and over the next ten hours of continuous Abby focused gameplay; profusely unsatisfying.
It was an interesting idea in theory. Similar to Metal Gear Solid 2 Son’s of Liberty’s attempt to shock the player with a quick and surprising change to a new protagonist. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold the same impact as that legendary game did. I have thought about why the switch didn’t work for so many people. There had to be a common denominator of why such a great number of players struggled to embrace the new character. I think that the answer boils down to a simple prognosis.
She had killed Joel.
That in itself isn’t enough to despise a character, even a playable one. It was the way in which she killed him, combined with the fact that she showed no remorse or ill effects whatsoever that played a compelling role in hurting the overall immersion for the player. The backstory wasn’t enough to sway players to care and even ten plus hours of her own story wasn’t enough in the end. Ellie suffers traumatically with PTSD as evidenced in numerous scenes during the game. It is realistic and helps the player emphasize with Ellie. Abby kills countless people during the game, both SCAR and eventually WLF alike, yet she doesn’t show even an ounce of remorse for her actions. If she had one scene where she thought about Joel’s death or even a sort of heart to heart with Ellie at the end of the game at a place where they could have unexpectedly found some form of common ground then maybe the reception of the game’s plot could have been more positive.
It is also plausible to conclude that if they had played around with the sequencing of the game's events, then maybe it would have been easier to stomach. If they rotated the two lead characters, switching back and forth, it could have provoked a more passionate response and made Abby more likable. Think of it as taking a medicine with a bad flavor. If you try little sips at a time, it becomes easier to stomach. If only slightly. The game has been criticized for being too long and plodding in its pacing and switching back and forth could have created more agency for both stories. Going from Ellie to Abby and back to Ellie would have kept the story moving and gave us more time to understand who Abby was as a person while still getting our time with Ellie.
I will take a minute to talk about how I admire the developers at Naughty Dog to take such a huge risk. It may not have paid off, but it was an admirable effort and I applaud them for it. It takes a lot of confidence to even attempt something like this, to make so players play as a character who is responsible for the murder of such a popular character, justified or not. The fight in the theater between Ellie and Abby with the player in control of Abby provoked such strong reactions from gamers, unlike anything I had ever seen. It was interesting to watch and even more interesting to play. I don’t know if I’d say it was enjoyable, but it was certainly bold.
Naughty Dog could have played it safe. They could have simply made a sequel with Joel and Ellie going on another adventure across the dilapidated remains of the country and fans would have loved it. They thought differently. Of taking on a challenge that would push themselves creatively and chart new waters in stories in games. It was a risk and it's up to the player whether or not it was worth it in the end, but the overall product is one to remember for the ages. For better and for worse.
