the last of us part II (2019) & finding your feelings; pushing boundries

 

Re title photo: What the fuck is wrong with people?

First, the story. The medium-pushing story that is so innovative and provoking that it caused an uproar (from imbeciles) is remarkable. It's a hodge podge of a couple of different themes, but for me; the main takeaway is not to judge someone based off the worst thing they've ever done and that context matters. There's an episode of the podcast 'Criminal' about an elderly lady who chats and becomes friends with deathrow inmates and she says they don't have many friends. She says a line in that episode that has been rattling around in my head since I've heard it all those years ago: 'You're so much more than the worst thing you've ever done.' The Last Of Us's masterstroke is making you embody someone who has just done the worst thing they've every done but then give you all the context around it. All the gnawing and devasting context. It's not only a case of empathizing ( although what a big hurdle alone that would be), but it also employs the unique aspect of gaming and forces you to do some of these heinous acts. Forces you to play the villain, in their worst moments, but most importantly, also in their best. There's a great quote from videogamedunkey: '...acts of passion are contagious, both violent and sympatheic.' And the story plays out as such, a distant beacon of hope in this incredibly dark game. 

Alongside that, it challenges us to find the similarities of warring factions, of warring people. Seeing how Abby and Ellie would have gotten along splendidly if it was't for this wedge between them, inserted not on their own violations but their father figures. Recognizeing the humanity of another, even if they were opposing colours to you.

A thread that is in other articles that I wish I had picked up on more intrisically, is how murderous Ellie is as she descends into the plight of revenge. Maybe I'm just too conditioned for violence in games and I need another medium pushing game like 'Spec Ops: The Line' to show a mirror back at myself before I ever evaluate myself in art. Maybe that could be a new years resolution for me? 

All in all I find it hilariously terrifying that the reaction elicited from fans was the ended emotion, except they were incapable of processing those emotions through the art itself and resorted to real life threats as the art challenged them. 

This is a short moment where I would like to discuss the more inclusive themes and storylines highlighted both big and small in TLOU II:

Grow as a person all you fucks who think negatively and cynically on this, look inward and most of all look outward to those fellow humans around you. 

There's always room for educational and I hesitate to label people as lost causes but every now and again you're reminded of the depths of the people who walk among you. 

Back on track, of course there's the main thematic throughline of the cost of revenge in the game which works to varying degrees. 

The game is a bit too long for me and I felt it tiresome to play through the Seattle sections again with Abby, forging a whole new skill tree and arsenal but once I got over that mental hump I have of finishing things quickly, it wasn't so bad. It could also be my problem of needing to explore every nook and cranny which exponentially expands the runtime of the game. When we got into the final act and had to head to the Island and then California, I started to get a bit wreary but happy I pushed through. All in all, long games are hard for Mr. finish things quickly. Fuck me Patrick, enjoy things and take your time. 

The combat was challenging and engaging but i found the stealth aspect annoying, specifically the UI which told you when you were spotted. I have a 5.1 surround sound set up and still couldn't tell where the person who was looking my direction was nor did I feel it was paticualry accurate in getting spotted. Maybe this was due to my difficulty? (played on hard) but who knows. 

As a finishing point, I'd like to applaud the world building. Just absolutely amazing. Some of the best stories were those left by notes (and they usually led to treasure.) The AI of the enemies always talking to each other by name and mourning each other during combat. Just sureal stuff, truly. 

It's on that end that I whole heartedly recommend the Last of Us Part II as it creates such a deep world with complex characters that challenges you to watch inertatct and to take part in yourself. Bravo!