The Last Of Us 2 Prioritized Shock Value Over Story Pacing

The Last of Us Part 2 is a critically acclaimed title from 2020 that went on to win many awards. However, this doesn’t mean that the game was so well-received with all of its players. TLOU2 currently sits at a 5.7 for player reviews on Metacritic even after The Last of Us 2‘s review bombs were deleted, which says a lot about the division Naughty Dog caused in the fanbase.

Fans of TLOU2 claim its controversial reception was due to the leaks shortly before the release of the game. However, this isn’t why all fans were disappointed with the much-anticipated sequel. Some of the The Last of Us Part 2‘s criticisms are valid, especially in terms of pacing and overusing shock value.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

[Warning: SPOILERS for The Last of Us Part 2 are below.]

TLOU2’s biggest issue is arguably the pacing of the main story, and how so many plot points were simply created for shock value. Many of these criticisms focus on The Last of Us 2‘s heavy use of flashbacks and the sudden deaths of many side characters. Naughty Dog could’ve avoided many of these criticisms, had it taken the time to lay out plot points and build up the characters first.

Why The Last Of Us Part 2’s Story Should’ve Been Told Linearly

The biggest and most obvious gripe many fans had was the handling of Joel’s death. It wasn’t going to be a surprise if Joel died, but it was how and when he died in the game that displeased many fans who had waited years to watch him return. The game begins beautifully with Joel explaining the ending of Part 1 to Tommy and finished with a heartwarming talk between Joel and Ellie. Then, Joel isn’t seen for another 2 hours of gameplay. When he is finally shown again, it’s when players first take control of Abby, who just happens to stumble upon the one person she is seeking out in the middle of a snow-covered forest in Jackson. Events play out as Joel seemingly has no issues trusting Abby and after only 2 hours of a much longer game, Joel is killed off.

At this point, due to starting in medias res, players have no idea who Abby is, and they don’t know why Ellie and Joel weren’t talking, although fans can assume why. All players know is that Abby killed Joel, and Ellie is now out for blood. It could’ve been a great storytelling device, had the scene gotten any actual build-up. Fans had waited seven years to see how the captivating cliffhanger ending would unfold, except to see it, they’d have to spend many hours playing the TLOU2 before seeing Joel reveal this to Ellie.

Naughty Dog could’ve told this story linearly and perhaps avoided most of the controversy the game received. The Last of Us 2 could begin as it did with Joel talking to Tommy and Ellie, and then instead of doing a time skip, the next scene is Abby racing into the hospital to discover what Joel had done. The narrative could then swap between the two protagonists as the story unfolds side-by-side. While Ellie’s curiosity slowly eats away at her, knowing that Joel is lying and hiding something, players would also draw parallels to Abby as she seeks out any information pertaining to Joel.

Not only would this have given the fans of The Last of Us closure with Joel, but it would’ve also created a much-needed build-up to the downfall of Joel and Ellie’s relationship. Instead, they were somewhat cheated out of this moment before his death. As it is, Joel’s death simply serves as shock value and a poorly used plot device to make players want to hunt Abby relentlessly.

Rearranging The Last Of Us 2’s Story Could Help Character Development

Changing up the order of flashbacks would also result in Abby seeming different in The Last of Us 2, perhaps more human, rather than a brutal murderous psychopath. With more development prior to her killing Joel, fans may have been keener on accepting her side. Instead, players need to wait a long time to begin Abby’s narrative and see her backstory. By this point, players have murdered all of Abby’s friends, but when playing as Abby, her friends are still alive. What Naughty Dog tried to do here was show the other side is human too, that the enemies Ellie killed had feelings and aspirations, too. However, it was too late for this kind of twist. Those characters were dead, their development didn’t matter because their ending was set in stone. Had the pacing been changed around, players could’ve learned more about characters like Manny, Owen, Mel, and Nora, before their demises.

Unfortunately, most of these side characters get very little development, and when they do, it’s only after they’ve died. Compared to characters like Tess, Bill, Sam, Henry, and David from TLOU, Part 2’s side characters provided little more than shock value deaths and tools to continually spark revenge. Jesse, Manny, Yara, and Isaac all die in quick cutscenes and get mourned for just a few seconds before Abby or Ellie move on to the next objective. Their deaths provided almost no change to the story or impacted the characters in any meaningful way. Character deaths in The Last Of Us’ storyline meant something and changed how Joel and Ellie interacted. Joel’s feelings toward Ellie began to change after Tess’ sacrifice, Sam and Henry’s deaths scarred Ellie and even got to Joel, and David’s death was the turning point at which Ellie just wanted to make it to the hospital and find the cure, even if it meant her own death.

By ordering the flashback scenes and the days spent in Seattle in a linear fashion to tell Abby and Ellie’s story side-by-side, players might’ve been more open to accepting Abby, and see more clearly the dark moral path Ellie was headed down. Abby’s friends would’ve been given more screen time before Ellie killed them, and it could’ve impacted the story further beyond their basic role in a revenge story. Instead, players were given a jumbled storyline and had to follow constant backtracking of plotlines.

Had The Last of Us Part 2 been told linearly, fans would’ve gotten to experience Joel and Ellie’s relationship slowly crumble, all the while Abby’s vengeance is building in the background, slowly creeping up to the inevitable showdown. Then, just when Ellie is thinking she can try to forgive Joel, his life is ripped away from her. Abby would no longer be a random killer, but a human being who sought revenge against the man who killed her father and stopped the cure from being created. Players would understand her views better, and her transition into helping Lev escape wouldn’t feel so rushed after players are fed hours of backstory just prior to her change.

The Last Of Us Part 2’s Story Needed Big Changes

The way TLOU2 was told might have been a great way to tell a completely new storyline with new characters; however, many fans saw it as a cheap trick to make Abby and Lev the new faces of the franchise. Joel was tossed aside early on, and Ellie makes bad decisions for the sake of revenge.  In TLOU2, Ellie is forced to kill dogs, and even kills a pregnant woman, all while pushing her friends away. Meanwhile, Abby is playing with dogs, helping a runaway kid, and fighting for her life against the WLF and the Scars. It all played out in a poor attempt to bury the old protagonist, especially because Ellie is left with absolutely nothing by the end.

The Last of Us Part 2 ended up feeling shallow and rushed with the way its story had been told. Fans of the first game wanted to see the cliffhanger ending unfold, and how Joel and Ellie could work it out, except that’s not what they got. The main driving force behind what made The Last of Us so special is lost in the sequel, and all that’s left are vacant shells being pushed through a story to fit the theme of revenge. Characters should carry the plot – and not the other way around. By telling a non-linear narrative, Naughty Dog missed out on why fans loved the first game.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Unlocks Infinite Flying with Jet Pack

About The Author

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *