By: Angelique Taylor 

Spoilers: The Last of Us II

The Last of Us II is based off of The Last of Us I by director Neil Druckmann. It is well-known as a post-apocalyptic zombie game surrounding love, war, and revenge between characters and factions that will tug at your heartstrings when you least expect it.

The Last of Us I takes place in Seattle, Washington. We are introduced to Joel Miller, former smuggler of the FEDRA (which is a military quarantine zone and faction), talking to his brother Tommy about why he saved Ellie, an infected girl with the cordyceps virus in her head that makes her immune to the zombie virus, from the capitol building when he did. As Tommy’s body-language seems distant and hesitant to agree, he does understand that Joel lost Sarah and Ellie reminds Joel of the father-daughter bond they had before she died. After this sequence, credits roll to the side as you now get the controller to drive Joel. 

Joel and Tommy saddle up on their horses through a forest to a beautiful town called Jackson in Seattle. The main situation here is Abby Anderson avenging her father’s death, killing almost everyone she can to get to Joel, as Joel had to kill the doctors before they operated on Ellie for the cure in her brain. The characters include Joel Miller, father and now ruthless, caring and understanding man that has turned soft since living in the city Jackson, and Ellie Williams, who before was with the Fireflies and lived in the FEDERAL faction. She’s courageous, straightforward and ruthless like Joel. Addy Anderson is a courageous woman that lives in Salt Lake City looking for vengeance. These main characters shape The Last of Us II and make the meaning of love, war, and vengeance strong. 

I loved this game. It contains controversy around if Abby was the good guy or if Joel was the bad guy, or if Ellie was doing the right thing. Many gamers who finished The Last of Us II agree that this is an emotionally stressful game as you’re forced to play Abby and Ellie. When Joel died, it was definitely the worst. I had to put my controller down in shock and cried for a hour losing hope to even continue to play this game. As I further continued, the deeper symbolism became apparent to me understanding both sides of the spectrum Abby and Ellie had to face. If you have finished Part I or are now going on to Part II, brace yourself for this emotional rollercoaster!