The Last of Us 2 - Review

The Last of Us Part II - REVIEW

The Last of Us Part 2 reviewed by Jonathon Dornbush on PlayStation 4 Pro.

The Last of Us Part II is an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Set five years after the events of The Last of Us (2013), players enter the role of 19-year-old Ellie, who comes into conflict with a mysterious cult in a post-apocalyptic United States. The game contains survival horror elements and is played from the third-person perspective. Players can use firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus.

The six-year development of Part II began in 2014, soon after the release of The Last of Us Remastered. Neil Druckmann returns as creative director whilst Gustavo Santaolalla returns to compose and perform the score. It was announced in December 2016 and delayed twice, first for further development and then due to logistical problems arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The game is scheduled for release on June 19, 2020. It received universal acclaim by critics.

The Last of Us Part II is an action-adventure survival horror game played from the third-person perspective. Players can use firearms, bows, improvised weapons, and stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus. The gameplay mechanics in Part II have also expanded upon its predecessor, The Last of Us. In it the player character can traverse the environment more openly by being able to reach higher vantage points by jumping and climbing while playing as the more nimble Ellie. Players can also crawl in a prone position to evade enemies. Throughout the game, players will have a non-player character assisting them. Additionally, large portions of the game are set in Seattle, Washington.

The game also sees the return of "Listen Mode" allowing players to locate enemies through a heightened sense of hearing and spatial awareness, indicated as outlines visible through walls and objects. Additionally, players can collect supplements to upgrade skills in a skill tree. The three main branches of the tree are Survival, Crafting, and Stealth. Survival upgrades improve health, Listen Mode's range, and throw distance. Crafting upgrades allow for melee upgrades, increase to Ellie's crafting speed, and the ability to craft smoke and stun bombs. Stealth upgrades improve prone movement speed, faster stealth kills, and unlock pistol silencers. Part II also introduces guard dogs that can track the player's scent.

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