The Last of Us Part II Review

As a piece of engineering it is close to unmatched on PlayStation 4. Animation blending, the prone crawl, the dodge that finally gives melee weight, glass that shatters plausibly, accessibility options that became an industry standard overnight: the moment-to-moment craft is exceptional, and the encounter spaces in Seattle are the best stealth arenas Naughty Dog has built. The problem is what the structure asks of you.

Killing a beloved character in the first act and then spending ten hours forcing sympathy for the killer is a legitimate idea, but the halfway perspective swap arrives after Ellie's arc has built enormous momentum, and the pacing never recovers. The theatre confrontation and the Santa Barbara coda both extend past the point they have made. Ashley Johnson and Laura Bailey are extraordinary. It is a serious, unpleasant, brilliantly made game that mistakes exhaustion for catharsis, and the grade reflects the whole shape.