so did anyone else love this 100%? here's my simple spoiler free reason

the emotional arc of our protagonists is so clearly realized and is the most important thing in the game: everything is in service to it, including it's dozens of hours of story progression and how they are presented chronologically and in what light (literally). as a filmmaker i appreciate how hard that is to sustain and i think they pulled it off because i felt this whole damn thing. not for everyone definitely for me tho!

No it's bad because they didn't do my boy White Base God Joel Miller right.

He shoulda, like, taken down 45 fireflies, and murdered dozens of innocent people.

Cause that's what heroes do.

For a 100 % spoiler free topic; we sure delved into crucial story aspects REAL good. Heck, the majority of the thread consists of this. There's plenty of other threads where folks are talking about the story in-depth, so do kindly head on over here.

Now, back on topic; I loved the absolute bejeepers out of this game. The gameplay was superb, especially when fighting human enemies. Their use of tactics really brought an extra dimension to the already tense fire-fights. I ended up using a lot of their attempts at flanking me to my advantage, either by placing trip-mines or simply shot-gunning them in the face; then using the entrance they'd come out of us to retaliate against the opponent in a similar fashion.

And while I've heard people say that it's "too heavy-handed" that each enemy has a name, it makes for a really interesting dynamic that these people have different relationships with each other. Some break down when a loved one is killed; others go into something again to a berserk stage. It made the encounters feel real in a way that other games do not. Opponents also have very different reactions to when you grab them; or when you beat them to the ground as the last person standing. (Some beg for their lives, others threaten you; some tell you their tale and try to shift blame.)

As for the story itself, I adored it. It's been touted as a bleak revenge story, and while part of that is definitely true; I feel that it's far more a tale about forgiveness and dealing with grief. In Abbys case, forgiving herself; in Ellies, forgiving Joel. Abby robbed her of that, which is where most of her anger towards her stems from.

I'm a little conflicted about the ending. I thought it was perfect in so many ways, but I couldn't help but wish for a slightly happier resolution after Ellie made the right decision to let go. Then again, as it is somewhat open-ended; perhaps it eventually leads to something better for those few who made it through.

Overall; I adoooooored this game. I hope they don't end up making a Last of Us 3. Or if they do so; perhaps showcase a different part of the world, such as the EU or Asia, featuring a different set of protagonists. I think there could be a lot of potential there, between seeing how different environments have shaped the infected, to how people have reacted. Europe and Asia have far less access to guns for one thing, so it'd make for some interesting changes in gameplay.

I didnt like every single aspect of it, it wasnt the equivalent of an Avengers movie where everything is designed to be enjoyable.

But yes I did love the overall game and am glad to have played an experience that was themetically challenging to the player.

Some good comments from the people above that feel similar.

The second half the game, IMO, justifies why they would even make a sequel since it re-contextualizes, challenges what the player sees as the in-group and the other and has thematic thesis it is presenting.

I do love it 100%, everything hit for me, even the "boring" collect any resource you can find parts. I got into this almost pavlovian loop of anticipation and joy of finding scissors or duct tape.

On a more analytic level, there are parts I have problems with, like the tropey oh you are captured, you are about to die but get out of it at the last moment, or get help out of nowhere.

In the end, when everything was done, it all just clicked into place, everything just made sense, emotionally and intellectually. The few instances of disconnect at that point just felt completely irrelevant because the journey as whole was so impactful.

@g_rex: Hard agree. People don't really analyze games very often. They take things as "is this fun to play" and also "do I like this story?" It's rare for somebody to look at the directive force behind it and critique how these elements assist the narrative, together. The lighting in this game plays a huge role, and it's been widely overlooked. And when people do get analytical and do a deep dive, you get folks condescendingly telling you you're overthinking it, as though somebody who studied this very specific discipline didn't spend five years of their life looking at this room in this level thinking about how it fits into the game.