After nearly seven years of waiting, Naughty Dog finally released The Last of Us 2, which is the highly-anticipated sequel to the studio's 2013 blockbuster title, and when the game released a few weeks ago, most video game outlets rated The Last of Us 2 with glowing reviews. However, the same couldn't be said to the reception that the game received from fans, which has been split right down the middle. While some loved the creative risks that Naughty Dog took with the sequel, others were not happy with the fate of one particular major character. Note: MAJOR SPOILERS follow.
Of course, despite the criticisms that The Last of Us 2 received, it did highlight one of the best features of its predecessor, which is its excellent storytelling. In 2013's The Last of Us, players were introduced to Joel and Ellie, and while their dynamic was rocky at the beginning, it soon developed into a father and daughter relationship, which is something that players soon became heavily invested in.
Before moving forward, it's worth noting that the intent of this article is to show how heartbroken reactions to the sequel are only possible because of the exceptionalism of the first game, nothing more and nothing less. This is an analysis of reactions of the second game to the first game, and while the response to the spoilers that follow were meant to be polarizing and comes in response to the first game, there have been over-the-top reactions that simply are not acceptable.
How The Last of Us 2 Highlighted The Exceptional Story of the First Game
In The Last of Us 2, Naughty Dog made the brave decision to kill off Joel early in the game. Joel's brutal death under the hands of newcomer Abby remains to be one of the most controversial plot points in the sequel and led some players to boycott the game and review bomb it on Metacritic. Of course, major character deaths in video games, films, books, and television is nothing new. But why did Joel's death lead to a major backlash among the fanbase of The Last of Us?
Although each player would have their own reasons as to why Joel's death has affected them so much, most would probably agree that since they have already invested so much into Joel and Ellie's characters, they would rather see a more positive direction for their story, which is something that The Last of Us 2 did not provide on purpose. Given that Joel was killed early in the game, fans were not satisfied with his tragic end, especially since he was killed by a character that no one even knew prior to the release of the sequel.
This major plot twist in The Last of Us 2made some players quit the game upon witnessing Joel's death, which is unfortunate given that the game has so much to offer beyond the end of a major character. As the story progressed, the game focused on how Ellie dealt with Joel's brutal end, which sparked her revenge quest to hunt down Abby and her friends. After losing her father figure, players witnessed her coming of age story and just how far she is willing to go to protect, and in this case, seek justice for the people that she loves. This transition is indeed hard to watch, especially when comparing it to Ellie in the first game, but it is important to remember that this is the reality of the world Ellie is living in, where humanity has fallen and is forced to resort to violence in order to survive.
Why Some Players Won't Even Give Abby a Chance
There are many reasons why some players hated The Last of Us 2 such as the introduction of the character of Abby, its alleged misleading trailer, and a plot hole revolving Joel's actions, which director Neil Druckman immediately explained. However, one of the reasons why some players hated Abby so much is because, from their perspective, Abby is this new character who killed one of the main protagonists as if he has not played an important role in the game. Of course, the gravity of Joel's death wouldn't be as significant if The Last of Us did not tell his story well. Given that some fans of the first game were so heavily invested in Joel, they have since overlooked his flaws that led to his death in the first place.
It is important to remember that Joel is not entirely innocent in this scenario. During the events of The Last of Us, Joel stormed the Firefly hospital who was about to perform a fatal surgery on Ellie, in hopes of extracting her immunity to reverse-engineer a vaccine. However, in the process of rescuing Ellie, Joel was forced to kill a good number of the Fireflies, including the surgeon, who was later revealed to be Abby's father.
Of course, this plot twist makes Abby's motives more , given that she has a valid reason to kill Joel not only for murdering her father but also for robbing humanity a chance to eradicate the Cordyceps infection. However, this is not to say that Joel made the wrong call in saving Ellie. Apart from the Fireflies not allowing Ellie to make a choice for the sacrifice that they were forcing her to make, no one knows for sure if the vaccine would have even worked, or if the Fireflies would have used it for good. Abby only acted the way she did to avenge for the tragic loss of her father, which is something that Ellie ended up doing in the sequel.
In the end, one of the positive things that The Last of Us 2 revealed to players is just how good the story of the first game was. Had The Last of Us not been successful in fleshing out Joel's character, his death in the sequel may not have been as significant and may have even allowed some players to head into the sequel's story with an open mind.
The Last of Us 2 is out now for the PlayStation 4.
