[Editor’s note: The following containsMAJOR spoilersforThe Last of Us: Part II.]
Naughty Dog’s highly anticipated sequel to their 2013 acclaimed hitThe Last of Usis now available to play in some places in the world. And you know what that means:SPOILERS. Some folks out there have broken embargo, so the story spoilers are already out there if you’re not careful. But if you areintentionallyseeking them out – whether it’s because you’re interested in the story but don’t plan on playing it, or just can’t wait to get to the end of the 30-hour trek to find out – you’ve come to the right place.
I wasn’t able to go into any real detail aboutThe Last of Us: Part IIin my review, but now that the embargo is up, all bets are off. Again, if youdon’t want to be spoiled, turn back now. I’m going to walk you through the story and its many,manyacts, including character reveals, deaths, and parts to play in the story. I’ll also focus on the enemies, both new and returning, who pop up in the telling of the tale and how they affect the narrative. I really do strongly encourage you to simply play the game to find out all of these details because the experience is truly something else. But if you simply cannot wait, here’s howThe Last of Us: Part IIplays out:
The Story So Far
If you haven’t played the originalThe Last of Us, that’s actually okay.Part IIdoes a solid job of catching you up on what you need to know, at least as far as playing the sequel goes. But the broad strokes of the 2013 award-winning game are these: You play as Joel, a gruff and capable survivor of the post-apocalypse that was brought about by a parasitic fungus that attacks and mutates people, turning them into monsters. Joel ekes out an existence as a smuggler, ferrying weapons, ammunition, drugs, and supplies wherever they need to go. He’s recruited by the Fireflies, a militia group seeking a cure. His cargo? A young girl named Ellie who may be the only human alive to have an innate immunity to the fungus.
Joel escorts Ellie across the wild and dangerous country to the waiting Firefly facility where doctors are prepared to experiment on Ellie to develop that cure. The problem is, the cure that saves humanity will definitely kill Ellie. Joel, having developed a strong surrogate father/daughter relationship with her through their journey, can’t allow that. Instead, he kills dozens of Firefly soldiers, personnel, and even doctors in order to spirit Ellie off to safety. Doubling down on his sins, Joel keeps this secret from Ellie for years, telling her that there are dozens of people out there with an immunity. While Joel thinks he’s doing what’s best for Ellie, the lie not only makes her feel like she lost what made her special, but will ultimately fracture the relationship between them.
And that’s whereThe Last of Us: Part IIpicks up.SPOILERSahead; ye been warned.
Seattle Day 1
Seattle Day 2
Seattle Day 3
Yep, so here’s the first big surprise of the game: You thought Ellie’s journey was almost over at this point, roughly 12 - 15 hours in. Nope. You’re maybe 40% of the way through at this point. Why? Because you’re now going to step into the shoes of perhaps the most-hated character in video game history. That’s right; it’s time to play as Abby.
Congratulations! If you made it this far, you’re roughly 80% through the game. Hang in there!
We flash forward about a year. Ellie and Dina are living peacefully in a farm outside Jackson, raising little J.J. together. This chapter is easily the slowest of the bunch, but that’s by design. Yes, there are shades ofRDR2’s “farm chores chapter” here, but it’s not all that long of a section and it’s actually quite nice and pleasant to play through. We learn that Tommy is, in fact, alive, but disabled by Abby’s gunshot. One of his eyes is permanently slumped and closed, and one leg doesn’t quite work right. He pays a visit to Ellie, Dina, and J.J. to tell them that he’s tracked down “a girl built like an ox and a kid with a scarred face” to Santa Barbara … he wants Ellie to finish the job because he can’t. (Tommy’s also dealing with his own demons back in Jackson as his quest for vengeance and frustration at his inability to achieve it caused a romantic break-up back in town.) While Tommy’s request is turned down by Ellie and flat-out rejected by a mad-as-hell Dina, Ellie’s own PTSD haunts her. She’s not eating, she’s not sleeping, she’s experiencing Joel’s death over and over again.
She thinks back to the dance in Jackson: Dina, dancing with some of the guys, prefers to dance with Ellie instead. She kisses her, leading to Seth telling them that this is a family event and to keep that in mind; as they leave, he says that they don’t need “another loud-mouthed dyke” in town, which causes Joel to step in. That’s the moment that pisses Ellie off, but it’s also the impetus she needs to talk to him…eventually.
Ellie makes the hard decision to go after Abby one last time. Dina tells her that she’s not going through this again, and the two part on hard terms.
Santa Barbara
And that is whereThe Last of Us: Part IIends. It’s been a brutal journey with twists, turns, ups and downs, divisive decisions and plenty of philosophical material to chew on for years. We hope you enjoyed this read-through, but even more so we hope you’ll check outThe Last of Us: Part IIfor yourself and experience the epic story that Naughty Dog has given us all.
