47 thoughts on “The Last of Us Part 2 first-time playthrough 19”
I am glad you were as touched by this game as so many of us were. It was an emotional roller coaster, and seeing you experience it made it like playing it again myself for the first time. Looking forward to your next game!
This has been an incredible journey to watch you experience this story. I’ve watched a few playthroughs and usually skip to key points to see some reactions. With your videos, I’ve watched every single second because I absolutely love your commentary, reactions, emotions etc.
Bittersweet that the games are over, but I’m excited for the uncharted series and beyond. I’ll be here!
the loading screen after you finished the game, suggest that Abby and Lev made it to Catalina island : )
Abby knew what Ellie did not at the moment, that taking revenge dont make you feel better, maybe even worse. thats why she spared Ellie and Dina (Lev her good conscience). Ellie sparing Abyy in the end, is like you said, she realize this wont help her. I think Ellie "won" by not killing Abby. At least she kept her humanity.
I love this game so much there is no heroes or villains in this game just flawed complicated people as humans tend to be and it's only worse since they are living in a post-apocalyptic world. And Ellie letting Abby go is her realizing that killing her won't change anything and Ellie is saving a piece of her humanity she's chosen to not only forgive Abby but in turn finally forgive Joel and try to find peace in the darkness "When your lost in the darkness look for the light" such a beautiful deep complex masterpiece of a game. And yes I believe one day there will be a Part 3.
Joel is my favorite character in any media. I have spent more time with him than any other character. Many playthroughs and many hours of watched let’s plays from others.
I wasn’t angry at Abby. I wanted answers. These answers were not what I had hoped for. I went through all stages of grief. And it prepared me for the loss I felt when my grandpa died last year.
I always wanted to play games for adults, with mature topics. The original The Last Of Us was a game with mature topics. When I first played it I got captured by some of the emotional scenes but I didn’t understand the whole thing. So, I thought it was ok. I was too young. But something stayed with me. Here and there I watched a first time let’s play of the game and with every journey, I connected more to Joel and Ellie. Through the internet and people sharing their thoughts and memories about TLOU, I learned to LOVE the game.
Before Part II came out, I was pretty optimisic about the game.
I had seen the trailer where Jesse was replaced with Joel and so I was not too worried about Joel. Joel’s death destroyed me. I was in denial during the whole basement scene. When I saw Joel’s gravestone, it hit me like a truck. That was the moment, whem my expectations were crossed off and overwritten. No Joel in this game. I cried for 30 minutes straight. I wasn’t angry at Abby. I am not a violent, hateful person. I understand the concept of personal opinion and I respect everyone. I just wanted answers because I couldn’t process why Naughty Dog did what they did. So, I went with Ellie on this journey. I wasn’t driven by negativity. And the spiral downwards wasn’t easy to watch. But I stuck with her because I wanted to see a happy end for her. I wanted for Ellie what Abby got with Lev. When the game switched to Abby, I was curious. I was open minded. Unfortunately, witnessing her story through her eyes, couldn’t mend the hole in my soul. Abby and Lev are two interesting characters and in any other game I would have loved to see their story. But for me it is hard to let go. On good days, I feel happy for Abby and Lev, on bad days I wish, Part II wouldn’t exist. I still struggle with the loss. This last scene between Joel and Ellie is beautiful. It recontexturalizes the whole journey. I hate that Ellie lost everything. Especially her two fingers. The guitar was her connection to Joel. (Now, there is people who have analized every detail, and they come to the conclusion that the ending isn’t as dark as it seems.)
I try to capture my thoughts and put them into words. Because I think these comments are important for both sides. I was alone with my grief when I first played Part II, but since then I have become part of the community and I want to give back to others. So, last but not least:
Thank you, Kat. It was a pleasure to watch your personal journey with both games. Thanks for sharing it with us. Let’s plays like this help me to mend the wounds, to connect to the characters and to people. There is a saying in German («Geteites Leid ist halbes Leid»), which translates to «Shared pain is pain cut in half.» I agree with your thoughts on the end. The people at Naughty Dog care and good art isn’t art that pleases everyone. Good art evokes emotions and creates discussion. Videogames is art.
I am looking forward to your Uncharted series. Naughty Dog are masters at creating relatable, likable characters. Uncharted is a good follow up. Have a nice day or night, whenever you read this.
Ahh the end so bittersweet abbys ending absolutely destroyed me for her and levy but so did ellies the destruction of both of these characters is horrible especially after you see all abby goes through to try to do better and the realization that ellie will do absolutely anything except deal with her emotional grief of losing joel and all the trauma surrounding that as much as I love abby the most ironic thing is that if ellie had just stayed home she would have gotten exactly what she wanted! For ellie to find abby how she did and still force her to fight her really shows how lost ellie is and again almost gets what she wanted and lets her go because killing abby would have done absolutely nothing to heal ellie as abby killing joel did absolutely nothing to heal her ! They both needed to find ways to let go and heal their trauma without murder and vengeance and I think that flash of joel in her mind was a way to try to bring her back show her shes gone too far that it's time to let it all go just like abbys memory of Jerry did the same for her helped her truly let it all go ! I hope we get a part 3 with both of these young women hopefully leading semi happy lives in this messed up world they live in ! Fun fact abby took Owen's bag I'd assume his weapons and that was probably his firefly tag his grill and his boat and the only note she writes the whole game is to him he was her person..
I appreciate you going through all that at the end, but I find the most comforting thing to be just knowing that while the detractors were(and are) loud, they are clearly the vast minority. For every person shouting into the void about why they think the game is bad, there are fifty people happy to engage and share how much they were moved by it. The comments on your videos seem to reflect this too, though that might also just be your positivity breeding a positive community. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your playthrough and your thoughts, and I'm excited to see you take on Uncharted!
i'm so sad it's over, i never wanted this playthrough to end.
i never connected to abby like you did during my first playthrough, they never could make me care for her, that happened later, so i didn't cry. but i wish i had, i just felt extremely uncomfortable with the entire situation and wanted it to stop. to be honest, naughty dog didn't succeed with me in getting me so angry i wanted to go on this revenge mission with ellie, i probably would have stayed in jackson. but i was sad and confused and i wanted to know why, so i went.
when i got to the end i was like "well that sucked. … anyway, that was probably the best game i have ever played". it was an incredibly hard game to get through, i would catch myself crying and grieving joel and his relationship with ellie while i was working, it was on my mind 24/7 and when it ended that sadness stuck around for a long time, i really had to process every detail in this game, every feeling, all the sadness and the anger. i couldn't even really cry while i was playing it, this game really hurt me, lol. i still think about this game very, very often and keep going back to it again and again. it's one of my absolute favorite stories. it's the only game i've ever played that has put a mirror up to my face and asked me, who are you? it's also the only game i've ever played where i could see myself so clearly in the main protagonist, i think ellie is my favorite character out of any character i've ever loved.
i'm so glad that you loved it as much as i did. maybe we'll see each other in someone else's playthrough, i'm certainly sticking around to watch you play uncharted, number four is my favorite, i think three on my list after these two games. thanks for letting me experience the game with you, kat, it was so much fun 💗
There was no deception about Joel and Jessie if you watched the trailer close enough you can tell even when ellie was packing the gun in joels jacket you can tell thats not him and so many ppl just didn't pay close enough attention to the details i wouldn't say thats naughty dogs fault
So, it seems you and I have a rather different conclusion after finishing the game. trying to "discuss" anything through yt comments is rather pointless we can both agree right? Instead, I'd like to leave you with a simple question, (everything always starts with a simple question):
– What do you think Ellie would've done? Does it seem to you that TLOU2 Ellie is the same Ellie of TLOU1?
kat, if you haven't you should check out the first trailer that was released, the reveal trailer from 2016. a lot of people guessed the plot of the game from that and i think it's really good in how it embodies everything the game is about without actually spoiling anything about story or gameplay. you should check out the reaction to it too, people had been waiting so long and they weren't expecting it, so when that firefly symbol showed up.. that was an amazing day.
Thanks for all your videos and thoughts, it's been fun to watch, and see your perspective, and I'm glad you were not spoiled! Personally as a gamer, I am more interested in mechanics and gameplay, than story. As such I felt like this game was very similar to the first, I welcomed the dodge mechanic and prone, and a couple of new tools, and otherwise shared the pros and cons of the first game.
I dislike time jumps and character swaps in games of this kind, because I like building up my kit, weapons and ammo in survival games, and to just lose it all is always like "ehhh ok… back to square one then", and flashback sequences feel totally disposable to me. In terms of the story I felt that they made a lot of brave and surprising decisions. But at the same time, I felt very early on that Ellie was blinded by rage and shouldn't have left Jackson. The message of the destructive cycle of revenge was so clear to me, and as such I just felt totally at odds with the character I was playing. The game also has a dissonance between wanting you to go through this revenge, and showering gore everywhere – and then make you feel awful about it by having enemies have individual names and screaming to death when their leg comes off etc… So it's like… well do I even have another option to take? Not really! it's not like MGS where you can do a non-lethal run really. So it didn't really work out for me, emotionally.
I feel like the criticism that is made about Abby and Lev and the game being too "woke" etc is really unfortunate. I found it refreshing to have such a female-centric game and I welcome representation of trans people. And great to see such a buff, powerful character like Abby – who is also shown to have their own flaws and weaknesses.
It is very interesting seeing people's anger about Joel being offed in this game… To me, the first game ended with Joel's decision basically destroying any hope for the future of mankind, and removing the possibility of a vaccine for any individual who has since been bitten… That's a pretty very serious thing to have done… and I think the developers wanted you to come away with mixed feelings about Joel… but because of people's reaction to this game, it feels like there is a big part of the audience who didn't feel that way lol… and are like "joel did nothing wrong!!" etc… that's not how I felt, and we were told in the first game also that Joel had murdered innocent people in order to "survive", and his behaviour had led Tommy to say that he only has nightmares because of that time with Joel, and that his survival was "not worth" what he had done! So the idea that someone wanted to go after to Joel in the future, was of no surprise to me! And I went into the revenge mission as Ellie feeling like, well Joel really had that coming honestly, what do you want me to say…
I think you landed right about where I did in regard to the story. I'm impressed with how open you stayed to what ND was trying to accomplish, and it really seems like you got the message that they were attempting to convey. Ultimately, TLOU is a story about people: our connections, our ambitions, our trauma, and our flawed decisions. People are messy, and so is this game.
I hate that Joel died, but I understand why it happened, both from a story perspective and from a real life one. Joel was not a good person for most of the apocalypse; he was a Hunter, a smuggler, and he straight up murdered his way across the country with Ellie. He left a swath of destruction that made it inevitable that someone would want retribution. When he asked Abby who they were, she told him to guess, and when he thought about it, he realized that there were too many possibilities for him to try. Abby had already shot out his knee and he knew he was done for. Joel was willing to die with a stiff upper lip, knowing that if you live by the sword you die by the knife. He never imagined Ellie would show up, and I waver on whether she brought him comfort in his last moments or if he died agonizing over the thought that she was next.
When the first trailer for TLOU2 dropped, it was simple. A pan up to a stop sign with the Fireflies logo spray painted on it, then a slow, continuous shot through a house with dead people strewn through the halls. You see Joel in the doorway from behind, never seeing his face, and Ellie is sitting on the end of a bed, holding a guitar in her bloody hands. She looks up at him, glaring fit to burst, then says: "I'm going to kill… every… last… one of them."
I knew then that Joel was going to die. They never showed his face, and the only thing that would make Ellie so vengeful (in my mind) was if someone killed Joel. From that point on, I ignored any other trailers or news articles, and when 'The Leak' happened, I somehow managed to avoid all of the hubbub around it. I think this went a long way towards allowing me not to fall into some of the preconceived notions others had. Still, even knowing that Joel's death had to be the catalyst, when it finally happened I was destroyed. Just like Ellie, my heart was torn out and I was filled with vengeful hatred towards Abby and her group… just like ND wanted.
When the change in perspective happened halfway through, I balked. Why the heck was I playing Joel's killer? But then I remembered that we played her at the beginning. That ND had already shown us that Abby was conflicted when Tommy told her his and Joel's names. Before leaving the outpost, she hesitated, her face clearly conflicted. Could the man saving her life really be the same one she meant to kill? But just like Ellie, her need for revenge pushed her onward and drove her to torture and kill Joel. And then, right after… From her perspective, we could see that killing him brought no relief. It didn't bring her dad back or assuage the pain that was tearing her apart: it was empty. Trusting that ND had a plan and that I needed to see things through, I pressed on.
Then the miracle happened. I not only grew to understand Abby, but to love her as much as I love Ellie. The parallels were clear almost immediately, and I came to the understanding that I was watching two people going through the same trauma on the same path for revenge, but at different points. Abby realizes in the beginning that revenge brings no comfort, and she spent her portion of the game trying to pull herself out of that dark and hateful place; Ellie, on the other hand, was just starting that downward spiral into it.
TLOU2 is not an easy game to play. It is a dark, heart-breaking torment in so many places, and I can see why some people had a hard time with the tone and the choices you were forced to make. So many times throughout, I just wanted Ellie to stop, to go back to Jackson with Dina and let it go, but I knew she couldn't. Like Abby said, she had to see it through. And so, we were dragged down into the depths with her, knowing that this wasn't who Ellie was, that she was trying too hard to 'be like Joel' (as Druckmann stated), and that it was destroying her. It was a painful journey, but isn't that the nature of all tragedies? I understand the desire for a 'happy ending', but not every story can be a fairy tale. Indeed, I feel we miss out on many poignant and powerful stories if we refuse to engage with the ones that hurt. Was Schindler's List a bad movie just because it was about the Holocaust? The things that happened in it were bad, but the movie was hauntingly beautiful and touching, even while sickening us and making us weep. Art imitates life, and as such, I think ND did an amazing job telling such a realistic and down-to-earth story about hurt people hurting people, all set against a backdrop of the post-apocalypse. Much like with real life horrors, people are broken down and will make decisions that they would never condone in other circumstances, and I appreciate the stripping away of fantasy for stark realism in this situation.
Thank you for taking us along on your journey through TLOU2 and for sharing your experience. This is now my 18th(!) time watching someone else play through the game, and it's by far my favorite. I look forward to more games and more great conversations as you tackle more games. I'm so thankful that I found your channel and just want you to know that your videos have been a bright spot in an otherwise crummy couple of months (work stress, coming down with the 'Rona, etc.). Keep up the great work and I'll see you soon for Uncharted! ☺
A lot of people didn't have a problem with Joel's death, but hated the way the writers chose to kill him. Something I think a lot of people miss is that Abby had to kill him like this. Their group mantra is, "may your survival be long, may your death be swift". Joel had already lived a pretty long life (for this world anyway), so if Abby were to give him a quick death, she would have just been giving him the thing they all hope for. This would not fill her need for revenge. It would basically be doing him a favor (in their world). If she would have killed him with one shot, it would have been a giant plot hole in this story. In my opinion this game is a masterpiece in story telling, and that is just one example of it.
Great playthrough, and I appreciated the well thought out wrap-up at the end. I'm so glad you got to experience the entire game without being spoiled, which is easier said than done. Excited to see what you decide to play next.
The message of the game is supposed to be 'revenge is wrong' but then they did Joel dirty by making him softer than he ever was in the original TLoU. Then Ellie and Dina saddle up to go kick ass and as soon as they meet up with Abby the game forces to play as Abby, the object of our ire and hatred. Once the switch happened it was like they were trying to justify Joel's death and diffuse our feelings, when truth is we were still reeling from Joel's fate. If the story of the first game was about the Abby losing her dad to Joel/Ellie, we'd be pissed if we had to play Ellie, but we don't exist in that universe, and people didn't appreciate the writer's trying to pull back and paint a grayer middle ground. It felt like they were hiding behind the game's in-game message by presenting perspective and nuance instead of blood and thunder. I wouldn't say either is right or wrong, but people have their desires/preferences. Having watched this play thru years later I didn't feel AS strongly about being forced into Abby mode, but that might be because Lev and the scar/seraphites were the best part about the game.
I’m so happy, you nailed every single thing I think and feel about the game and its controversies. The game hurts, and I was upset, but it was necessary and the game benefits so much from it.
I usually dismiss the false advertisement complaints. Movies do it all the time now to avoid spoilers, and I'm actually a fan of this, even if in some instances it leads to disappointment. But the trade off is actually being surprised, which is a positive for me. But I get why this surprise is…not well received lol
I do hate that a lot of people really didn't give the game a chance after Joel died. I saw a lot of bad faith playthroughs out there, like where they kind of just played the game to "give it a chance" but you could tell they were now super hyper critical of every single little thing. They kept playing, but really it's almost as if they might as well hopped off with the rest of people that stopped when Joel died. Worse even, because once you get to Abby's part of the game the salt is unbearable. A LOT of those people that were disappointed Ellie didn't kill Abby were people that kept playing the game just to kill her. They weren't interested in the story anymore.
Another thing about Joel's death that yoi touched on was the way he died, which was yes done that way to serve a purpose. He didn't have a heroic death, and it hits hard but it falls in line with the way they've fleshed out this world. His past was going to catch up with him. IMO, Joel HAD to die, as sad as it is. And people kind of expected him to be this legacy character like Nathan Drake or Kratos or something. But this world isn't like that. There's harsh consequences to every action a character takes. So people not being able to cope with that led to a bunch of bullshit before the game even released. Unhappy fans who played the game leaked his death, and kept spamming it in people's twitters or livestrams about how he dies by a golf club, you know making it look pathetic out of context. People also talk shit about Naughty Dog disrespecting Joel, and how him and Tommy are acting "out of character", as if people don't change. They had to explain that Joel is now 4 years living in peace, and on patrol him and Tommy are trying to make friends bring people into Jackson. They di say that his intsticts do start kind of kicking in once he's in the middle of the room, but by then it's too late and he gets shot by Abby. Even before Neil had to come out here and spell it out, I felt all these things just with the few moments we see Joel and Tommy. They're in rescue mode. Old Joel wasn't a rescuing type. And of course Tommy at the end changing so much is jarring, but understandable. Like you have to sit with it and think about it through his perspective. A lot of those bad faith players weren't thinking deeply about the game anymore. They wanted to be spoon fed what they wanted, which was Abby dead lol I know this sounds really harsh I think there's some valid criticisms of the game but my experience arguing with people for the last two years is that most stopped playing the game when Joel died and know the story just from YouTube videos hating on the game or finished it just to kill Abby and have mentally checked out about everything else.
I think the biggest thing I've argued about is the guys that reduce this game to a just "revenge bad" story, because it's so much more than that. I'd say that's like a surface level message that is in this story sure, but Ellie doesn't spare Abby because "revenge bad". She didn't play as Abby half of the game. To her, she's still the villain. She stops because she remembers how Joel looked at her that last night. How he told her Dina would be lucky to have her. When we pan up to see Ellie's face as she's frowning Abby, we see what she's become. She's lost Dina now, and she's lost in the dark. She knows why Abby killed Joel. So now she's just doing the selfish thing, just as Joel did when she saved her.
The main message of this game is acceptance. She couldn't accept that Joel saved her and robbed her of her destiny. She thinks that's what would've made her life mattered. When Joel tells her he would've done it again, she realizes how much her life matters to him. So she can accept that, finally and she's willing to try to forgive him for it. Once again she is robbed of this choice, and isn't given the chance to repair her relationship with Joel. And she now can't accept this.
So in the end she decides to let him go. It isn't about Abby. It's more about what she became, or almost became, and choosing to live up to how Joel saw her. My hope is that she did go back to Jackson. I don't think Dina will get back together with her, at least not for a long time, but I think Ellie will try to be part of their lives again. Will they accept the scraps of this person that came out of the other end of the tunnel? Guess we'll see, but a lot of people saw a bleak ending, which it wasn't. I mean when she's at the ocean it is a bleak moment. The track that plays in that scene is appropriately called "Beyond Desolation". It's her lowest low, BUT she finds the light. And while the final scenes in the house are somber, they're hopeful. I was sad to see a lot of people didn't pick up on the light of hope that it shines on Ellie. She's finally moving forward.
Even the title screen change is an indicator. The gloomy beach we've seen all along changes to the sunrise at Catalina Island, with Abby and Lev's boat left to show us that they made it. They both found the light.
I mean there's SO much more to say, but I've written enough. It's a masterful game. I do think it has its faults, pacing in some areas and maybe length (I didn't want the game to ever end so I was fine with it but I know some people thought it was too long, which is a fair criticisms), but as for the story it's just too good. Easily my favorite game of all time.
Hi Kat. I haven't really started the video yet but if this is the last part I would just like to say thank you for a wonderful playthrough and experience. I already commented before that your playthrough was also my first experience with the game, and it's been quite a journey. Every time the game brought you to tears I was right there with you!
Before I watch the video through though, I would like to recommend another game! I'm not sure if you actually take game recs but Telltale's The Walking Dead series is among my favorite games of all time and I'd highly recommend! The Last of Us part 1 also had a few easter eggs referencing it.
Alright, I'm off to watch the video. Thank you again!
People need to understand that nuance is a big part of real life, and that some of the best stories have many layers. The first game had a beautiful story, and that was mostly because it forced the player to think instead of telling them what they should be feeling. This game doubles down on that. Every, single, thing that you do in this game is explained in some way from another perspective, and even things that happen in the beginning may seem random, but that’s because, when told chronologically, it is one coherent story. This game approached storytelling in a way that has never been done before, at least to this extent. With a new kind if structure, a lot of players understandably found it jarring compared to it’s predecessor, but the ballsyness to pull off something like this is super commendable
the new home screen most likely shows Abby and Lev’s beached boat, overlooking the domed building on Catlina Island. Where the fireflies are regrouped. Unlike the old home screen which showed the location of Ellie’s darkest moment where fought an emaciated Abby, the new home screen has the sun shining which gives hope that Abby and Lev are moths who’ve found the light
This game may stick with you for a very long time. I'm still obsessed with TLoU2 after finishing it more than a year and a half ago. The story still hits me like a ton of bricks every time I experience it, and the gameplay is exceptionally compelling. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Your insights have been illuminating. I look forward to watching your future videos.
I have watched countless TLOU playthroughs because I'm obsessed, but yours is absolutely one of the best i've ever watched. Great gameplay, willingness to share real emotions, and super emotionally intelligent with the ability to grasp and articulate all the complexity and nuance of the story. Bravo!!
HealtoDeath you have very good insights to this game. I believe it was a masterpiece in gaming. Mt only comment about this game is the theme I believe Naughty Dog was trying to get through and that is having hatred for someone or seeking revenge rarely turns out the way you think it will. I have so much admiration for people who have lost a loved one by the cruelty of someone else and came to the decision to in order to be happy and move forward is to forgive that person. Not easy I'm sure but maybe the right choice. Loved your playthrough.
Incredible end to a lovely playthrough of this game Kat and I hope you're immensely proud of this, as it will capture a lot of Naughty Dog fans who haven't found you yet.
I knew from the moment I started seeing how emotionally connected you were here that this final episode would break you in two, but it has broken everyone who's been watching with you in the past. We've all wept at similar points you have, and you just join us now with understanding.
Wanted to add a point about Ellie to discussions – throughout the game you'll see in her journal that she is able to sketch Joel but can't remember what his eyes look like. She tries at several points to draw them and isn't able to visualise him. This is also captured in several moments where any memory she has of him is anger. When she goes to kill Abby at the end, watch her arms in the water. They go taut like iron cables and she stands up to apply a lot of extra force to hold Abby down. She fully intended to kill her in that moment, and what stops her is a positive memory of Joel for the first time since he died, which causes her to fall back from Abby and then remorse and grief flood her. Powerful scene, and you'll see in her journal after that that she sketches him for the first time sitting on the porch playing his guitar.
That final scene when she reveals she had forgiven Joel is heartbreaking as he dies the next day pretty much, but you now know he died believing he had his pseudo daughter back. I love Joel's body language in that scene. He is passive and a "sad" stance throughout, but that one moment when she challenges his judgement on what he did in the hospital, he stands tall above her and makes eye contact and tells her he regrets nothing. LOVE that scene.
This playthrough has been terrific Kat, thanks a lot for finishing it and for the great post game breakdown, loved it all.
Hey, I recognized your name in an instant, I seen you in a lobby, I think it was AI or either a real game I can't remember, but anyway I found your YouTube, hai.
The porch on which the final conversation took place was the first thing we saw when we set out as Ellie. She was living in a garage in Joel's backyard. Also at the beginning, she had pictures of Dina, Jesse, and Cat above her bed, but no picture of Joel. Instead, there was a drawing of a moth. But Joel had a framed photo of Ellie and him in his house. So many details that don't reveal their complete meaning until you learn the full story.
Thank you for sharing your experience of this game with us. ❤🩹
@HealtoDeath Since you brought up the controversy surrounding the Jesse/Joel trailer-swap, I don't actually think it's as comically deceptive as it sounds. I find a lot of the arguments rallying against it are often made in bad faith, though I can understand on a surface level why someone might feel that way about the switcheroo.
I see it as a red herring; a widely used storytelling tool designed to mislead you by making you assume something before you have enough of the facts to know that the drawn conclusion is wrong. It's intentional sleight-of-hand, for sure, but I believe using said trailers to prove wrongdoing has the opposite effect–providing yet another instance of promotional/pre-release material that uses the underlying themes of Joel being on Ellie's journey in spirit without ever explicitly claiming that he's there physically.
The conversations she's having in each of the trailers are metaphorical, not literal. It supports Ellie's state-of-mind following his death. There's no scene in the game where she sits there playing the guitar while Joel sits over her shoulder asking what she plans to do. Even in the Joel/Jesse swap-out scene, the words uttered are, "You think I'd let you do this alone." That's intentionally vague. Joel never leaves her mind, never leaves her thoughts or her heart. Everything she does is in service to Joel and her own guilt. She carries Joel throughout, reliving positive memories and negative trauma the entire time. All of the teaser clips allowed you to form your own opinion, but I believe that being upset by this not being the case on-release is more a case of disappointing one's self via their own predictions, not any ND actually handed out. And it's illogical to call it a bait-and-switch when ALL of the pre-release scenes follow the same motif of metaphorical vs. literal messaging. Were that argument to hold weight, the other scenes in the trailers would have had to have been in-game, which they were not.
If you go back and look at all of the promo material, it supports Ellie's journey–only filtered through the lens of her own trauma, not reality. That's my two-cents on it, anyways. I believe it's a smart piece of foreshadowing a motif without explicitly giving it away entirely.
Well done on a superb playthrough! One of the best.
Glad you picked up on the ray of light that is the final flashback – the point where we learn that Ellie and Joel's final conversation wasn't the confrontation at the dance. It's the beginning of a reconciliation and means the ending isn't quite as bleak as it otherwise would have been. Ellie was spurred on to fight Abby after an image of tortured Joel returned to her mind. Just at her moment of victory this is replaced by the happier image of Joel on his porch from that night, where she had offered forgiveness, and so she cannot follow through with the execution. She has beaten Abby and now grants her another chance – just as Abby had done twice already for her.
The comparisons between Abby and Ellie are obvious – both go on a journey for revenge, and both lose almost everything and everyone that they love. In Ellie's case she even loses the ability to play the guitar.
But there is a less discussed comparison between Abby and Joel. Both lose the most important person in their lives at the start of their story, leading them to a darker path. Remember the references about Joel (Tommy: "I got nothin' but nightmares from those years" / Ellie: "He and Joel did a lot to survive after the outbreak"). As for Abby she joins the WLF and uses it as a focus for training and preparing for her own revenge. For both Abby and Joel, their priorities take a turn when becoming protectors of a child, initially out of reluctant obligation but then coming to care about them, and eventually are prepared to do whatever it takes to look after them. They both find redemption through love. Further, Joel saved Abby's life and it came back to haunt him, Abby spared Ellie's and also paid a price. So for me, yes there are parallels between Abby and Ellie, but actually Abby is the new Joel. (A point that haters of this game will strongly object to).
I've watched many, many playthroughs of TLOUII in a desperate attempt to relive my own experience. Nothing's come close until now. I'm so glad you recorded this, so glad you shared it; most importantly, I'm just happy you enjoyed (if that's the right word!) your time. I didn't really think I'd ever find someone whose feelings about the whole experience lined up with my own, but here we are! Thanks again and hope you have just as fun a time with the Uncharted series 🙂
I have played through TLOU2 almost 5 times now and i’ve watched all or parts of around 20 Let’s Plays of it. I pretty much know all of the lines said by now. With this background i have to say that your playtrough might be my all time favourite one. Keep up the great work…
I am glad you were as touched by this game as so many of us were. It was an emotional roller coaster, and seeing you experience it made it like playing it again myself for the first time. Looking forward to your next game!
This has been an incredible journey to watch you experience this story. I’ve watched a few playthroughs and usually skip to key points to see some reactions. With your videos, I’ve watched every single second because I absolutely love your commentary, reactions, emotions etc.
Bittersweet that the games are over, but I’m excited for the uncharted series and beyond. I’ll be here!
the loading screen after you finished the game, suggest that Abby and Lev made it to Catalina island : )
Abby knew what Ellie did not at the moment, that taking revenge dont make you feel better, maybe even worse. thats why she spared Ellie and Dina (Lev her good conscience). Ellie sparing Abyy in the end, is like you said, she realize this wont help her. I think Ellie "won" by not killing Abby. At least she kept her humanity.
I love this game so much there is no heroes or villains in this game just flawed complicated people as humans tend to be and it's only worse since they are living in a post-apocalyptic world. And Ellie letting Abby go is her realizing that killing her won't change anything and Ellie is saving a piece of her humanity she's chosen to not only forgive Abby but in turn finally forgive Joel and try to find peace in the darkness "When your lost in the darkness look for the light" such a beautiful deep complex masterpiece of a game. And yes I believe one day there will be a Part 3.
This game is unique.
Joel is my favorite character in any media. I have spent more time with him than any other character. Many playthroughs and many hours of watched let’s plays from others.
I wasn’t angry at Abby. I wanted answers. These answers were not what I had hoped for. I went through all stages of grief. And it prepared me for the loss I felt when my grandpa died last year.
I always wanted to play games for adults, with mature topics. The original The Last Of Us was a game with mature topics. When I first played it I got captured by some of the emotional scenes but I didn’t understand the whole thing. So, I thought it was ok. I was too young. But something stayed with me. Here and there I watched a first time let’s play of the game and with every journey, I connected more to Joel and Ellie. Through the internet and people sharing their thoughts and memories about TLOU, I learned to LOVE the game.
Before Part II came out, I was pretty optimisic about the game.
I had seen the trailer where Jesse was replaced with Joel and so I was not too worried about Joel. Joel’s death destroyed me. I was in denial during the whole basement scene. When I saw Joel’s gravestone, it hit me like a truck. That was the moment, whem my expectations were crossed off and overwritten. No Joel in this game. I cried for 30 minutes straight. I wasn’t angry at Abby. I am not a violent, hateful person. I understand the concept of personal opinion and I respect everyone. I just wanted answers because I couldn’t process why Naughty Dog did what they did. So, I went with Ellie on this journey. I wasn’t driven by negativity. And the spiral downwards wasn’t easy to watch. But I stuck with her because I wanted to see a happy end for her. I wanted for Ellie what Abby got with Lev. When the game switched to Abby, I was curious. I was open minded. Unfortunately, witnessing her story through her eyes, couldn’t mend the hole in my soul. Abby and Lev are two interesting characters and in any other game I would have loved to see their story. But for me it is hard to let go. On good days, I feel happy for Abby and Lev, on bad days I wish, Part II wouldn’t exist. I still struggle with the loss. This last scene between Joel and Ellie is beautiful. It recontexturalizes the whole journey. I hate that Ellie lost everything. Especially her two fingers. The guitar was her connection to Joel. (Now, there is people who have analized every detail, and they come to the conclusion that the ending isn’t as dark as it seems.)
I try to capture my thoughts and put them into words. Because I think these comments are important for both sides. I was alone with my grief when I first played Part II, but since then I have become part of the community and I want to give back to others. So, last but not least:
Thank you, Kat. It was a pleasure to watch your personal journey with both games. Thanks for sharing it with us. Let’s plays like this help me to mend the wounds, to connect to the characters and to people. There is a saying in German («Geteites Leid ist halbes Leid»), which translates to «Shared pain is pain cut in half.» I agree with your thoughts on the end. The people at Naughty Dog care and good art isn’t art that pleases everyone. Good art evokes emotions and creates discussion. Videogames is art.
I am looking forward to your Uncharted series. Naughty Dog are masters at creating relatable, likable characters. Uncharted is a good follow up. Have a nice day or night, whenever you read this.
Ahh the end so bittersweet abbys ending absolutely destroyed me for her and levy but so did ellies the destruction of both of these characters is horrible especially after you see all abby goes through to try to do better and the realization that ellie will do absolutely anything except deal with her emotional grief of losing joel and all the trauma surrounding that as much as I love abby the most ironic thing is that if ellie had just stayed home she would have gotten exactly what she wanted! For ellie to find abby how she did and still force her to fight her really shows how lost ellie is and again almost gets what she wanted and lets her go because killing abby would have done absolutely nothing to heal ellie as abby killing joel did absolutely nothing to heal her ! They both needed to find ways to let go and heal their trauma without murder and vengeance and I think that flash of joel in her mind was a way to try to bring her back show her shes gone too far that it's time to let it all go just like abbys memory of Jerry did the same for her helped her truly let it all go ! I hope we get a part 3 with both of these young women hopefully leading semi happy lives in this messed up world they live in !
Fun fact abby took Owen's bag I'd assume his weapons and that was probably his firefly tag his grill and his boat and the only note she writes the whole game is to him he was her person..
I appreciate you going through all that at the end, but I find the most comforting thing to be just knowing that while the detractors were(and are) loud, they are clearly the vast minority. For every person shouting into the void about why they think the game is bad, there are fifty people happy to engage and share how much they were moved by it. The comments on your videos seem to reflect this too, though that might also just be your positivity breeding a positive community. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your playthrough and your thoughts, and I'm excited to see you take on Uncharted!
i'm so sad it's over, i never wanted this playthrough to end.
i never connected to abby like you did during my first playthrough, they never could make me care for her, that happened later, so i didn't cry. but i wish i had, i just felt extremely uncomfortable with the entire situation and wanted it to stop. to be honest, naughty dog didn't succeed with me in getting me so angry i wanted to go on this revenge mission with ellie, i probably would have stayed in jackson. but i was sad and confused and i wanted to know why, so i went.
when i got to the end i was like "well that sucked. … anyway, that was probably the best game i have ever played". it was an incredibly hard game to get through, i would catch myself crying and grieving joel and his relationship with ellie while i was working, it was on my mind 24/7 and when it ended that sadness stuck around for a long time, i really had to process every detail in this game, every feeling, all the sadness and the anger. i couldn't even really cry while i was playing it, this game really hurt me, lol. i still think about this game very, very often and keep going back to it again and again. it's one of my absolute favorite stories. it's the only game i've ever played that has put a mirror up to my face and asked me, who are you? it's also the only game i've ever played where i could see myself so clearly in the main protagonist, i think ellie is my favorite character out of any character i've ever loved.
i'm so glad that you loved it as much as i did. maybe we'll see each other in someone else's playthrough, i'm certainly sticking around to watch you play uncharted, number four is my favorite, i think three on my list after these two games. thanks for letting me experience the game with you, kat, it was so much fun 💗
Thanks.
There was no deception about Joel and Jessie if you watched the trailer close enough you can tell even when ellie was packing the gun in joels jacket you can tell thats not him and so many ppl just didn't pay close enough attention to the details i wouldn't say thats naughty dogs fault
I’m just glad Ellie loves joel too
I’m just glad Ellie think as joel as her father
So, it seems you and I have a rather different conclusion after finishing the game. trying to "discuss" anything through yt comments is rather pointless we can both agree right? Instead, I'd like to leave you with a simple question, (everything always starts with a simple question):
– What do you think Ellie would've done? Does it seem to you that TLOU2 Ellie is the same Ellie of TLOU1?
kat, if you haven't you should check out the first trailer that was released, the reveal trailer from 2016. a lot of people guessed the plot of the game from that and i think it's really good in how it embodies everything the game is about without actually spoiling anything about story or gameplay. you should check out the reaction to it too, people had been waiting so long and they weren't expecting it, so when that firefly symbol showed up.. that was an amazing day.
p.s. did you listen to the song in the credits?
Thanks for all your videos and thoughts, it's been fun to watch, and see your perspective, and I'm glad you were not spoiled! Personally as a gamer, I am more interested in mechanics and gameplay, than story. As such I felt like this game was very similar to the first, I welcomed the dodge mechanic and prone, and a couple of new tools, and otherwise shared the pros and cons of the first game.
I dislike time jumps and character swaps in games of this kind, because I like building up my kit, weapons and ammo in survival games, and to just lose it all is always like "ehhh ok… back to square one then", and flashback sequences feel totally disposable to me. In terms of the story I felt that they made a lot of brave and surprising decisions. But at the same time, I felt very early on that Ellie was blinded by rage and shouldn't have left Jackson. The message of the destructive cycle of revenge was so clear to me, and as such I just felt totally at odds with the character I was playing. The game also has a dissonance between wanting you to go through this revenge, and showering gore everywhere – and then make you feel awful about it by having enemies have individual names and screaming to death when their leg comes off etc… So it's like… well do I even have another option to take? Not really! it's not like MGS where you can do a non-lethal run really. So it didn't really work out for me, emotionally.
I feel like the criticism that is made about Abby and Lev and the game being too "woke" etc is really unfortunate. I found it refreshing to have such a female-centric game and I welcome representation of trans people. And great to see such a buff, powerful character like Abby – who is also shown to have their own flaws and weaknesses.
It is very interesting seeing people's anger about Joel being offed in this game… To me, the first game ended with Joel's decision basically destroying any hope for the future of mankind, and removing the possibility of a vaccine for any individual who has since been bitten… That's a pretty very serious thing to have done… and I think the developers wanted you to come away with mixed feelings about Joel… but because of people's reaction to this game, it feels like there is a big part of the audience who didn't feel that way lol… and are like "joel did nothing wrong!!" etc… that's not how I felt, and we were told in the first game also that Joel had murdered innocent people in order to "survive", and his behaviour had led Tommy to say that he only has nightmares because of that time with Joel, and that his survival was "not worth" what he had done! So the idea that someone wanted to go after to Joel in the future, was of no surprise to me! And I went into the revenge mission as Ellie feeling like, well Joel really had that coming honestly, what do you want me to say…
The end is nigh! Waiting on Ragnarok to come out so we can continue with BOY.
I think you landed right about where I did in regard to the story. I'm impressed with how open you stayed to what ND was trying to accomplish, and it really seems like you got the message that they were attempting to convey. Ultimately, TLOU is a story about people: our connections, our ambitions, our trauma, and our flawed decisions. People are messy, and so is this game.
I hate that Joel died, but I understand why it happened, both from a story perspective and from a real life one. Joel was not a good person for most of the apocalypse; he was a Hunter, a smuggler, and he straight up murdered his way across the country with Ellie. He left a swath of destruction that made it inevitable that someone would want retribution. When he asked Abby who they were, she told him to guess, and when he thought about it, he realized that there were too many possibilities for him to try. Abby had already shot out his knee and he knew he was done for. Joel was willing to die with a stiff upper lip, knowing that if you live by the sword you die by the knife. He never imagined Ellie would show up, and I waver on whether she brought him comfort in his last moments or if he died agonizing over the thought that she was next.
When the first trailer for TLOU2 dropped, it was simple. A pan up to a stop sign with the Fireflies logo spray painted on it, then a slow, continuous shot through a house with dead people strewn through the halls. You see Joel in the doorway from behind, never seeing his face, and Ellie is sitting on the end of a bed, holding a guitar in her bloody hands. She looks up at him, glaring fit to burst, then says: "I'm going to kill… every… last… one of them."
I knew then that Joel was going to die. They never showed his face, and the only thing that would make Ellie so vengeful (in my mind) was if someone killed Joel. From that point on, I ignored any other trailers or news articles, and when 'The Leak' happened, I somehow managed to avoid all of the hubbub around it. I think this went a long way towards allowing me not to fall into some of the preconceived notions others had. Still, even knowing that Joel's death had to be the catalyst, when it finally happened I was destroyed. Just like Ellie, my heart was torn out and I was filled with vengeful hatred towards Abby and her group… just like ND wanted.
When the change in perspective happened halfway through, I balked. Why the heck was I playing Joel's killer? But then I remembered that we played her at the beginning. That ND had already shown us that Abby was conflicted when Tommy told her his and Joel's names. Before leaving the outpost, she hesitated, her face clearly conflicted. Could the man saving her life really be the same one she meant to kill? But just like Ellie, her need for revenge pushed her onward and drove her to torture and kill Joel. And then, right after… From her perspective, we could see that killing him brought no relief. It didn't bring her dad back or assuage the pain that was tearing her apart: it was empty. Trusting that ND had a plan and that I needed to see things through, I pressed on.
Then the miracle happened. I not only grew to understand Abby, but to love her as much as I love Ellie. The parallels were clear almost immediately, and I came to the understanding that I was watching two people going through the same trauma on the same path for revenge, but at different points. Abby realizes in the beginning that revenge brings no comfort, and she spent her portion of the game trying to pull herself out of that dark and hateful place; Ellie, on the other hand, was just starting that downward spiral into it.
TLOU2 is not an easy game to play. It is a dark, heart-breaking torment in so many places, and I can see why some people had a hard time with the tone and the choices you were forced to make. So many times throughout, I just wanted Ellie to stop, to go back to Jackson with Dina and let it go, but I knew she couldn't. Like Abby said, she had to see it through. And so, we were dragged down into the depths with her, knowing that this wasn't who Ellie was, that she was trying too hard to 'be like Joel' (as Druckmann stated), and that it was destroying her. It was a painful journey, but isn't that the nature of all tragedies? I understand the desire for a 'happy ending', but not every story can be a fairy tale. Indeed, I feel we miss out on many poignant and powerful stories if we refuse to engage with the ones that hurt. Was Schindler's List a bad movie just because it was about the Holocaust? The things that happened in it were bad, but the movie was hauntingly beautiful and touching, even while sickening us and making us weep. Art imitates life, and as such, I think ND did an amazing job telling such a realistic and down-to-earth story about hurt people hurting people, all set against a backdrop of the post-apocalypse. Much like with real life horrors, people are broken down and will make decisions that they would never condone in other circumstances, and I appreciate the stripping away of fantasy for stark realism in this situation.
Thank you for taking us along on your journey through TLOU2 and for sharing your experience. This is now my 18th(!) time watching someone else play through the game, and it's by far my favorite. I look forward to more games and more great conversations as you tackle more games. I'm so thankful that I found your channel and just want you to know that your videos have been a bright spot in an otherwise crummy couple of months (work stress, coming down with the 'Rona, etc.). Keep up the great work and I'll see you soon for Uncharted! ☺
53:08 A bad potato joke; You mean one that's half baked? I'll see myself out…
A lot of people didn't have a problem with Joel's death, but hated the way the writers chose to kill him. Something I think a lot of people miss is that Abby had to kill him like this. Their group mantra is, "may your survival be long, may your death be swift". Joel had already lived a pretty long life (for this world anyway), so if Abby were to give him a quick death, she would have just been giving him the thing they all hope for. This would not fill her need for revenge. It would basically be doing him a favor (in their world). If she would have killed him with one shot, it would have been a giant plot hole in this story. In my opinion this game is a masterpiece in story telling, and that is just one example of it.
Great playthrough, and I appreciated the well thought out wrap-up at the end. I'm so glad you got to experience the entire game without being spoiled, which is easier said than done. Excited to see what you decide to play next.
The message of the game is supposed to be 'revenge is wrong' but then they did Joel dirty by making him softer than he ever was in the original TLoU. Then Ellie and Dina saddle up to go kick ass and as soon as they meet up with Abby the game forces to play as Abby, the object of our ire and hatred. Once the switch happened it was like they were trying to justify Joel's death and diffuse our feelings, when truth is we were still reeling from Joel's fate. If the story of the first game was about the Abby losing her dad to Joel/Ellie, we'd be pissed if we had to play Ellie, but we don't exist in that universe, and people didn't appreciate the writer's trying to pull back and paint a grayer middle ground. It felt like they were hiding behind the game's in-game message by presenting perspective and nuance instead of blood and thunder. I wouldn't say either is right or wrong, but people have their desires/preferences. Having watched this play thru years later I didn't feel AS strongly about being forced into Abby mode, but that might be because Lev and the scar/seraphites were the best part about the game.
Bloodborne then? Bloodborne!!
I've very much enjoyed watching you play through these two games dude. Pleasure
It's fun playing this game a second time with a silenced machine gun! Did you miss that the gun was silenced? lol
I’m so happy, you nailed every single thing I think and feel about the game and its controversies. The game hurts, and I was upset, but it was necessary and the game benefits so much from it.
I usually dismiss the false advertisement complaints. Movies do it all the time now to avoid spoilers, and I'm actually a fan of this, even if in some instances it leads to disappointment. But the trade off is actually being surprised, which is a positive for me. But I get why this surprise is…not well received lol
I do hate that a lot of people really didn't give the game a chance after Joel died. I saw a lot of bad faith playthroughs out there, like where they kind of just played the game to "give it a chance" but you could tell they were now super hyper critical of every single little thing. They kept playing, but really it's almost as if they might as well hopped off with the rest of people that stopped when Joel died. Worse even, because once you get to Abby's part of the game the salt is unbearable. A LOT of those people that were disappointed Ellie didn't kill Abby were people that kept playing the game just to kill her. They weren't interested in the story anymore.
Another thing about Joel's death that yoi touched on was the way he died, which was yes done that way to serve a purpose. He didn't have a heroic death, and it hits hard but it falls in line with the way they've fleshed out this world. His past was going to catch up with him. IMO, Joel HAD to die, as sad as it is. And people kind of expected him to be this legacy character like Nathan Drake or Kratos or something. But this world isn't like that. There's harsh consequences to every action a character takes. So people not being able to cope with that led to a bunch of bullshit before the game even released. Unhappy fans who played the game leaked his death, and kept spamming it in people's twitters or livestrams about how he dies by a golf club, you know making it look pathetic out of context. People also talk shit about Naughty Dog disrespecting Joel, and how him and Tommy are acting "out of character", as if people don't change. They had to explain that Joel is now 4 years living in peace, and on patrol him and Tommy are trying to make friends bring people into Jackson. They di say that his intsticts do start kind of kicking in once he's in the middle of the room, but by then it's too late and he gets shot by Abby. Even before Neil had to come out here and spell it out, I felt all these things just with the few moments we see Joel and Tommy. They're in rescue mode. Old Joel wasn't a rescuing type. And of course Tommy at the end changing so much is jarring, but understandable. Like you have to sit with it and think about it through his perspective. A lot of those bad faith players weren't thinking deeply about the game anymore. They wanted to be spoon fed what they wanted, which was Abby dead lol I know this sounds really harsh I think there's some valid criticisms of the game but my experience arguing with people for the last two years is that most stopped playing the game when Joel died and know the story just from YouTube videos hating on the game or finished it just to kill Abby and have mentally checked out about everything else.
I think the biggest thing I've argued about is the guys that reduce this game to a just "revenge bad" story, because it's so much more than that. I'd say that's like a surface level message that is in this story sure, but Ellie doesn't spare Abby because "revenge bad". She didn't play as Abby half of the game. To her, she's still the villain. She stops because she remembers how Joel looked at her that last night. How he told her Dina would be lucky to have her. When we pan up to see Ellie's face as she's frowning Abby, we see what she's become. She's lost Dina now, and she's lost in the dark. She knows why Abby killed Joel. So now she's just doing the selfish thing, just as Joel did when she saved her.
The main message of this game is acceptance. She couldn't accept that Joel saved her and robbed her of her destiny. She thinks that's what would've made her life mattered. When Joel tells her he would've done it again, she realizes how much her life matters to him. So she can accept that, finally and she's willing to try to forgive him for it. Once again she is robbed of this choice, and isn't given the chance to repair her relationship with Joel. And she now can't accept this.
So in the end she decides to let him go. It isn't about Abby. It's more about what she became, or almost became, and choosing to live up to how Joel saw her. My hope is that she did go back to Jackson. I don't think Dina will get back together with her, at least not for a long time, but I think Ellie will try to be part of their lives again. Will they accept the scraps of this person that came out of the other end of the tunnel? Guess we'll see, but a lot of people saw a bleak ending, which it wasn't. I mean when she's at the ocean it is a bleak moment. The track that plays in that scene is appropriately called "Beyond Desolation". It's her lowest low, BUT she finds the light. And while the final scenes in the house are somber, they're hopeful. I was sad to see a lot of people didn't pick up on the light of hope that it shines on Ellie. She's finally moving forward.
Even the title screen change is an indicator. The gloomy beach we've seen all along changes to the sunrise at Catalina Island, with Abby and Lev's boat left to show us that they made it. They both found the light.
I mean there's SO much more to say, but I've written enough. It's a masterful game. I do think it has its faults, pacing in some areas and maybe length (I didn't want the game to ever end so I was fine with it but I know some people thought it was too long, which is a fair criticisms), but as for the story it's just too good. Easily my favorite game of all time.
Hi Kat. I haven't really started the video yet but if this is the last part I would just like to say thank you for a wonderful playthrough and experience. I already commented before that your playthrough was also my first experience with the game, and it's been quite a journey. Every time the game brought you to tears I was right there with you!
Before I watch the video through though, I would like to recommend another game! I'm not sure if you actually take game recs but Telltale's The Walking Dead series is among my favorite games of all time and I'd highly recommend! The Last of Us part 1 also had a few easter eggs referencing it.
Alright, I'm off to watch the video. Thank you again!
Neil definitely has an idea for Last of Us 3, what that is, who knows, but it feels like it will happen at some point.
Your analysis at the end was spot on imo. So what is next?
I knew the ending would hit you. They really did break that little girl aye. Thanks for sharing dude. An amazing game with raw bold writing.
People need to understand that nuance is a big part of real life, and that some of the best stories have many layers. The first game had a beautiful story, and that was mostly because it forced the player to think instead of telling them what they should be feeling. This game doubles down on that. Every, single, thing that you do in this game is explained in some way from another perspective, and even things that happen in the beginning may seem random, but that’s because, when told chronologically, it is one coherent story. This game approached storytelling in a way that has never been done before, at least to this extent. With a new kind if structure, a lot of players understandably found it jarring compared to it’s predecessor, but the ballsyness to pull off something like this is super commendable
An amazing playthrough. Loved it beginning to end. Your introspection, awesome!
Anddd 40-50ish playthroughs I’ve watched you’ve gotten the craziest glitches 😂 so congrats on that as well 😂😂
I still hated Abby and still wanted to kill her by the end. Hence me not liking this sequel as much. Still have a bad taste in my mouth
the new home screen most likely shows Abby and Lev’s beached boat, overlooking the domed building on Catlina Island. Where the fireflies are regrouped. Unlike the old home screen which showed the location of Ellie’s darkest moment where fought an emaciated Abby, the new home screen has the sun shining which gives hope that Abby and Lev are moths who’ve found the light
I’m way behind on your Last of Us videos but you looked like you needed a hug in that thumbnail photo. 🤗
This game may stick with you for a very long time. I'm still obsessed with TLoU2 after finishing it more than a year and a half ago. The story still hits me like a ton of bricks every time I experience it, and the gameplay is exceptionally compelling. Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Your insights have been illuminating. I look forward to watching your future videos.
I have watched countless TLOU playthroughs because I'm obsessed, but yours is absolutely one of the best i've ever watched. Great gameplay, willingness to share real emotions, and super emotionally intelligent with the ability to grasp and articulate all the complexity and nuance of the story. Bravo!!
HealtoDeath you have very good insights to this game. I believe it was a masterpiece in gaming. Mt only comment about this game is the theme I believe Naughty Dog was trying to get through and that is having hatred for someone or seeking revenge rarely turns out the way you think it will. I have so much admiration for people who have lost a loved one by the cruelty of someone else and came to the decision to in order to be happy and move forward is to forgive that person. Not easy I'm sure but maybe the right choice. Loved your playthrough.
Incredible end to a lovely playthrough of this game Kat and I hope you're immensely proud of this, as it will capture a lot of Naughty Dog fans who haven't found you yet.
I knew from the moment I started seeing how emotionally connected you were here that this final episode would break you in two, but it has broken everyone who's been watching with you in the past. We've all wept at similar points you have, and you just join us now with understanding.
Wanted to add a point about Ellie to discussions – throughout the game you'll see in her journal that she is able to sketch Joel but can't remember what his eyes look like. She tries at several points to draw them and isn't able to visualise him. This is also captured in several moments where any memory she has of him is anger. When she goes to kill Abby at the end, watch her arms in the water. They go taut like iron cables and she stands up to apply a lot of extra force to hold Abby down. She fully intended to kill her in that moment, and what stops her is a positive memory of Joel for the first time since he died, which causes her to fall back from Abby and then remorse and grief flood her. Powerful scene, and you'll see in her journal after that that she sketches him for the first time sitting on the porch playing his guitar.
That final scene when she reveals she had forgiven Joel is heartbreaking as he dies the next day pretty much, but you now know he died believing he had his pseudo daughter back. I love Joel's body language in that scene. He is passive and a "sad" stance throughout, but that one moment when she challenges his judgement on what he did in the hospital, he stands tall above her and makes eye contact and tells her he regrets nothing. LOVE that scene.
This playthrough has been terrific Kat, thanks a lot for finishing it and for the great post game breakdown, loved it all.
Hey, I recognized your name in an instant, I seen you in a lobby, I think it was AI or either a real game I can't remember, but anyway I found your YouTube, hai.
The porch on which the final conversation took place was the first thing we saw when we set out as Ellie. She was living in a garage in Joel's backyard. Also at the beginning, she had pictures of Dina, Jesse, and Cat above her bed, but no picture of Joel. Instead, there was a drawing of a moth. But Joel had a framed photo of Ellie and him in his house. So many details that don't reveal their complete meaning until you learn the full story.
Thank you for sharing your experience of this game with us. ❤🩹
@HealtoDeath Since you brought up the controversy surrounding the Jesse/Joel trailer-swap, I don't actually think it's as comically deceptive as it sounds. I find a lot of the arguments rallying against it are often made in bad faith, though I can understand on a surface level why someone might feel that way about the switcheroo.
I see it as a red herring; a widely used storytelling tool designed to mislead you by making you assume something before you have enough of the facts to know that the drawn conclusion is wrong. It's intentional sleight-of-hand, for sure, but I believe using said trailers to prove wrongdoing has the opposite effect–providing yet another instance of promotional/pre-release material that uses the underlying themes of Joel being on Ellie's journey in spirit without ever explicitly claiming that he's there physically.
The conversations she's having in each of the trailers are metaphorical, not literal. It supports Ellie's state-of-mind following his death. There's no scene in the game where she sits there playing the guitar while Joel sits over her shoulder asking what she plans to do. Even in the Joel/Jesse swap-out scene, the words uttered are, "You think I'd let you do this alone." That's intentionally vague. Joel never leaves her mind, never leaves her thoughts or her heart. Everything she does is in service to Joel and her own guilt. She carries Joel throughout, reliving positive memories and negative trauma the entire time. All of the teaser clips allowed you to form your own opinion, but I believe that being upset by this not being the case on-release is more a case of disappointing one's self via their own predictions, not any ND actually handed out. And it's illogical to call it a bait-and-switch when ALL of the pre-release scenes follow the same motif of metaphorical vs. literal messaging. Were that argument to hold weight, the other scenes in the trailers would have had to have been in-game, which they were not.
If you go back and look at all of the promo material, it supports Ellie's journey–only filtered through the lens of her own trauma, not reality. That's my two-cents on it, anyways. I believe it's a smart piece of foreshadowing a motif without explicitly giving it away entirely.
Well done on a superb playthrough! One of the best.
Glad you picked up on the ray of light that is the final flashback – the point where we learn that Ellie and Joel's final conversation wasn't the confrontation at the dance. It's the beginning of a reconciliation and means the ending isn't quite as bleak as it otherwise would have been. Ellie was spurred on to fight Abby after an image of tortured Joel returned to her mind. Just at her moment of victory this is replaced by the happier image of Joel on his porch from that night, where she had offered forgiveness, and so she cannot follow through with the execution. She has beaten Abby and now grants her another chance – just as Abby had done twice already for her.
The comparisons between Abby and Ellie are obvious – both go on a journey for revenge, and both lose almost everything and everyone that they love. In Ellie's case she even loses the ability to play the guitar.
But there is a less discussed comparison between Abby and Joel. Both lose the most important person in their lives at the start of their story, leading them to a darker path. Remember the references about Joel (Tommy: "I got nothin' but nightmares from those years" / Ellie: "He and Joel did a lot to survive after the outbreak"). As for Abby she joins the WLF and uses it as a focus for training and preparing for her own revenge. For both Abby and Joel, their priorities take a turn when becoming protectors of a child, initially out of reluctant obligation but then coming to care about them, and eventually are prepared to do whatever it takes to look after them. They both find redemption through love. Further, Joel saved Abby's life and it came back to haunt him, Abby spared Ellie's and also paid a price. So for me, yes there are parallels between Abby and Ellie, but actually Abby is the new Joel. (A point that haters of this game will strongly object to).
Videogamedunkey made a great point about Ellie in the end.
When she says to Abby "Just go. Just take him."
She isn't talking about Lev.
I've watched many, many playthroughs of TLOUII in a desperate attempt to relive my own experience. Nothing's come close until now. I'm so glad you recorded this, so glad you shared it; most importantly, I'm just happy you enjoyed (if that's the right word!) your time. I didn't really think I'd ever find someone whose feelings about the whole experience lined up with my own, but here we are! Thanks again and hope you have just as fun a time with the Uncharted series 🙂
I have played through TLOU2 almost 5 times now and i’ve watched all or parts of around 20 Let’s Plays of it.
I pretty much know all of the lines said by now.
With this background i have to say that your playtrough might be my all time favourite one.
Keep up the great work…
I never had a game that had me feel so depressed it was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time