[NOTE: This is only a summary of the comparisons made by critical fans and not representative of Game ZXC's feelings towards the game. SPOILERS will follow.]

Well before The Last of Us Part 2 even released, there were some fans of the original game that were calling for boycotts of the sequel. And when the game eventually released, the criticisms of The Last of Us 2 only grew. From review bombs to personal threats, the response among some fans to the sequel has been so aggressive that it borders on obsessive. And the criticisms of the game call to mind the response to Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi back in 2017.

While the stories of The Last of Us Part 2 and The Last Jedi couldn’t be further apart, critical fans draw some strong comparisons between the two. They feel as though the faults of Naughty Dog’s video game resemble the faults of Disney’s blockbuster movie.

Treatment of a Beloved Character

Both The Last of Us Part 2 and Star Wars: The Last Jedi have drawn criticism for the way they treat their beloved main character. In the case of TLOU it is the sequel’s treatment of Joel that has become a major source of frustration, and in The Last Jedi it was the characterization and treatment of Luke Skywalker.

The Last of Us Part 2 shifts the focus to Ellie in its story and as a result, some feel that Joel was mistreated. The decision to use him as motivation for Ellie’s revenge story is seen as a betrayal. Coincidentally, both Last of Us and Last Jedi kill off these formerly main characters, but Naughty Dog’s game does it very early on.

Alongside the choice of killing off a beloved character, the decisions of those characters are called into question by disappointed fans. Some feel that Joel is only put in such a vulnerable position because the writers didn’t “understand” the character. Joel’s willingness to trust complete strangers has been a major sticking point for criticisms. So much so that it calls to mind the criticisms of Luke’s abandonment of the Force and his attempted murder of Ben Solo in The Last Jedi.

Blaming the Director

As far as the source of the major complaints, fans are pointing to Neil Druckmann as the creative individual that “dropped the ball.” Druckmann’s treatment by The Last of Us fans feels eerily similar to the way Star Wars fans jumped on Rian Johnson for his work on Episode 8. From theories about Druckmann inserting himself into the game to Johnson's dislike of existing Star Wars canon, there have also been a lot of conspiracy theories directed towards each.

Both fan groups feel the writer/director is the singular figure responsible for the failures of the sequel, and thus have directed a lot of the hate their way. Since The Last of Us Part 2 only just released, there hasn’t been enough time for Druckmann to gain distance and reflect on the experience, but for Johnson, it seems that he has taken the criticisms in stride.

Narrative Choices

It doesn’t happen as often as in movies, but occasionally video games are criticized for trying to push an agenda. In the case of both The Last of Us Part2 and The Last Jedi, some fans feel that the creators were trying to push a certain type of narrative onto fans and fulfill social obligations rather than creative ones.

For The Last Jedi, there were plenty of criticisms that used the term SJW and “woke,” and The Last of Us Part 2 is much the same. Fans of Naughty Dog’s game point to the use of a trans character and the choice to have players control Abby (a strong female protagonist) as two examples of this agenda pushing.

Review Bombing

Over the last few days, a strong effort has been made by some disappointed gamers to review bomb The Last of Us Part 2. While the Metacritic score for the game is still in the 90s (currently 94), the User Score is currently at 4.4 with over 73,000 ratings. There is no question that The Last of Us 2 is getting review bombed in an effort to drive the user score as low as possible. The average game gets around 10,000+ ratings from users when all is said and done, but The Last of Us Part 2 has nearly seven times that less than a week after release. Not to mention, the negative user scores started coming in as soon as the game was available, meaning many of the 0-point scores were from those who didn’t play the game.

By comparison, The Last Jedi sits at 90% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and 43% Audience Score. Again, the number of user ratings is much higher than the average film with 219,000+ scores and the negative scores started rolling in as soon as people could vote.

It’s not a blanket 1:1 but the fact that a lot of critics loved both The Last of Us Part 2 and The Last Jedi while many fans hated them is more than a coincidence. And the response to both has been excessive in an effort to punish the creators, which is odd.

Influence on Sequels

Ultimately, the response to Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi seemingly influenced the writing of its follow-up, The Rise of Skywalker. That film ended up pleasing neither camp, as the efforts to course-correct disappointed those that liked The Last Jedi and were seen as an admission of guilt by those that hated it. Still, the strong response had an impact and led to some changes in the sequel.

While fans don’t yet know if The Last of Us Part 3 will ever be a reality, it’s possible the response might impact its development. If the game completely ignores the existence of Abby or Lev, for example, that would feel similar to the way Episode 9 treats Rose, a character some fans did not like. But right now director Neil Druckmann is still taking in feedback and has no idea what The Last of Us 3 could be about.

The Last of Us Part 2 is available now for PS4.