The Unmistakable Humanity of The Last of Us: Part II

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  • Опубліковано 29 тра 2024
  • In just the short few months since the game's release, The Last of Us: Part II has already been widely considered to be one of the most controversial game narratives of all time, largely due to the game's structure and the enormity of risky storytelling decisions taken within it. In this video, I attempt to explore the purpose and scope of those risks, all to eventually shine a light on the unmistakable humanity within The Last of Us: Part II.
    CHAPTER SELECT
    0:00 Prologue
    2:07 Part I: Ellie
    7:45 Part II: Abby
    16:43 Part III: Aftermath
    21:51 Part IV: Reflection
    33:30 Outro
    I tell stories about stories. With acclaimed documentary-style video essays on your favorite movies, shows, and video games-- including Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Last of Us: Part II, and Cyberpunk 2077-- ArTorr combines a love for storytelling with high-production and a personal edge. Consider subscribing to support the channel!
    The Tragedy of Cyberpunk 2077 | • The Legend of Star War...
    The Legend of Mass Effect | • The Legend of Mass Effect
    ArTorr's Video Games (Playlist) | • ArTorr's Video Games
    FOLLOW ME
    Twitch | / saitorr
    Twitter | / parkesharman
    Instagram | / parkesharman
    The ArTorrium Discord Server | / discord
    ________________________________________
    || VIDEO CREDITS (in order of appearence) ||
    The Last of Us: Part II (2020)
    The Last of Us (2013)
    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    Jurassic Park (1993)
    Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Season 7 (2020)
    Spider-Man PS4 (2018)
    La La Land (2016)
    || SOUND / MUSIC CREDITS ||
    The Last of Us (2013) by Gustavo Santoalalla
    The Last of Us: Part II (Original Soundtrack) (2020) by Gustavo Santaolalla and Mac Quatle.
    This video was edited using these PC Specs: bit.ly/1Vdgt2L
    Thank you all for watching!!
    #TheLastOfUsPartII #TheLastOfUs2 #Gaming #VideoEssay #VideoGames #Ellie #Joel #Abby #GameoftheYear #2020 #GameAwards #TLOU2
  • Ігри

КОМЕНТАРІ • 4,9 тис.

  • @DrMuffin1080
    @DrMuffin1080 3 роки тому +7011

    Everyone tries to put logic into Ellie’s decision. What they don’t understand is that when you are so hurt mentally you don’t act logically.

    • @Whatacomedian_
      @Whatacomedian_ 3 роки тому +340

      What most people dont realize every thought stems from emotion.

    • @jamesweston4089
      @jamesweston4089 3 роки тому +18

      Yeah! Fuck logic. What is logic anyway.

    • @XoftheTITANS
      @XoftheTITANS 3 роки тому +90

      Who needs logic in the last of us universe. All raw dumb emotions and no common sense. Have sex and get high instead of doing your patrol. Forgive your father's murder but not the "bigot". Go on a warpath but dont kill Lev bc reasons. Go on an emotional tantrum bc Joel killed a whole evil cult to save your life. Abandon your family bc Joel's death even tho you treated him like shit bc reasons. Sure, guess being stupid is the dame as being emotionally hurt

    • @elijahwinchester6690
      @elijahwinchester6690 3 роки тому +186

      @@MCLJN85 no, the average person with her experiences would do nearly the exact same thing. regardless, ellie isn't the average person. but, in the case that she was a level-headed, unscathed, normal person born without any pre-existing problems waiting for her outside of her mother's womb, it would be impossible for her to remain that way after the experiences that she was faced with. for her entire life, she was all alone; she lost everyone who stood to prove otherwise. the only person that she ever had was joel, because he was different from everyone else, in her eyes; he was the one that wouldn't die. he was so capable of protecting the both of them, that he could never die! even if she never talked to him again, he was still going to be there, living out whatever his life would become ( joel felt the same way in this aspect; he didn't care if she hated him, so long as she lived out the life that he fought to save for her ). ellie put joel on a pedestal even when angry with him because she genuinely believed he'd always be there. of course, he's still human and she was just too blinded by the length of their time together to see that completely.
      so, when the reality comes crashing down, and even while she's watching the blood spill from his skull, she's miraculously convinced there's a way out for him and she begs him to just open his eyes and get up like he always did. he doesn't, obviously. even if he had tried to get up and crawl with a missing kneecap before bleeding out completely, he wouldn't be any match for the group of trained soldiers with them, lmao. ellie was clearly irrational when it came to the limit of joel's morality. ultimately, she loses the one person who was supposed to live; her best friend, her father, and the person she thought he was at one point. so, as emotional as it already would've been, it only makes her more illogical, considering her experiences.

    • @MsAMVMaker
      @MsAMVMaker 3 роки тому +29

      I'm more interested in putting logic in Abby's actions. Why does she and her friends, who know how strong the drive of revenge can be, let Ellie live? I chock it up to bad writing.

  • @The_winds_of_change
    @The_winds_of_change 3 роки тому +7184

    Ellie didn't want to kill Abby because she killed Joel; she wanted to kill Abby because she took away the opportunity for Ellie to forgive Joel.

    • @tranvinhnhat1289
      @tranvinhnhat1289 3 роки тому +194

      True but without self forgiveness, this would end badly.

    • @The_winds_of_change
      @The_winds_of_change 3 роки тому +747

      @@tranvinhnhat1289 in the end she channels that element of her that wanted to forgive Joel and uses it to forgive Abby.
      This game didn't deserve the hate it got

    • @alphagamer9505
      @alphagamer9505 3 роки тому +223

      @@The_winds_of_change she didn't forgive Abby, she forgive herself for not forgiving Joel while he was alive and so she made faithful decision of stopping to hate Abby.

    • @sanskarmishra5309
      @sanskarmishra5309 3 роки тому +115

      @Frank Marano her drive for vengeance is definitely her guilt. She would have went after Abby anyway no doubt but her guilt made her overlook the fact that she put everyone's life in danger by doing so

    • @houtan4238
      @houtan4238 3 роки тому +68

      Exactly. And in my opinion the moment she spared abby was because she noticed that she had a lot of chances to forgive joel before he died but she didn't take them, so the guilt of not forigiving joel is mostly her fault and she has to blame herself not just abby

  • @EversonBernardes
    @EversonBernardes Рік тому +1741

    "The price of choosing empathy in an apathetic world".
    Perfect words.

    • @clementello
      @clementello Рік тому +26

      "And that's why I killed all the Fireflies at that dumb hospital."

  • @BigBadMadDog.
    @BigBadMadDog. 2 роки тому +3262

    I have now played this game three times. The first time, I was dissapointed and confused. The second time, I started to understood and appreciated the direction. The third time, it fucking clicked man. This is one of the most emotional, complex and beautiful yet horrifying pieces of media I've ever experienced. A true work of art.

    • @wildcats1369
      @wildcats1369 2 роки тому +70

      Played twice, first one was yeah its fine on the second playthrough ( infinite ammo on)
      You get explosive arrows
      You get explosive arrows
      Everyone gets explosive arrows
      Even dogs

    • @boxcutter4
      @boxcutter4 2 роки тому +4

      SO TRUE

    • @crazybabuskaman3923
      @crazybabuskaman3923 2 роки тому +2

      @@wildcats1369 Jesus you're a monster lmao. I find myself replaying encounters with infinite ammo on its so much fucking fun.

    • @EJD339
      @EJD339 Рік тому +55

      I liked it the first time but didn’t care for Abby’s story but my second play through was when it really clicked for me.

    • @bihko4928
      @bihko4928 Рік тому +22

      Exactly! The first I watched it, I was badly confused but still thought it was good but now rewatching it again closely, it's a masterpiece !

  • @dakkster
    @dakkster 2 роки тому +3817

    I think "The last of us" doesn't refer to a group of people, but the bit of humanity in each of us. The part in each of us that's left of us. The last bit of humanity in us.

    • @johnjoseph6874
      @johnjoseph6874 2 роки тому +110

      It’s a perfect title for this series

    • @daxter9619
      @daxter9619 2 роки тому +53

      Nice interpretation. Love it!!

    • @vanessapolovy2803
      @vanessapolovy2803 2 роки тому +24

      That's so on point!

    • @zanetlou1689
      @zanetlou1689 2 роки тому +5

      Yeah mate you are thinking about this too much

    • @dakkster
      @dakkster 2 роки тому +16

      @@zanetlou1689 Hardly. You're just shallow.

  • @The4j1123
    @The4j1123 3 роки тому +3548

    28:22 As Bill once said "At least the infected are predictable... It's the normal people that scare me ."

    • @karanbansal9320
      @karanbansal9320 3 роки тому +87

      That sounds like a line from the first pirates of the Caribbean
      Dishonest man can be trusted to betray you
      Honest are the ones to look out for

    • @mitsunitaiko1742
      @mitsunitaiko1742 3 роки тому +37

      while he has a point saying that, Joel clearly didn't think about that. It is true that there is no going back and the vaccine won't fix humanity, but Joel just thought "I don't want Ellie to die because I like her more than the world", which is understandable, but still selfish

    • @fatherbewithme
      @fatherbewithme 3 роки тому +1

      Yess

    • @user-dq8gs8ms8b
      @user-dq8gs8ms8b 3 роки тому +17

      Bill knew better than anyone

    • @dragon-cr3lc
      @dragon-cr3lc 3 роки тому +1

      Pl

  • @kratosatreusjoelellie
    @kratosatreusjoelellie Рік тому +2037

    I can't explain the complete feeling of emptiness and sadness I feel each time I finish this game. How lucky are we to be in this era of gaming!

    • @johnnycakes15
      @johnnycakes15 Рік тому +65

      Same I just played both back to back and I'm just trying to feel something after. It's something I've never felt watching a movie or playing a game

    • @crypticgh0st622
      @crypticgh0st622 Рік тому +33

      @@johnnycakes15 It’s because it’s so.. PERSONAL like we feel like we’ve known them our whole lives

    • @jsdzgaming1367
      @jsdzgaming1367 Рік тому +7

      L take

    • @ghostie9852
      @ghostie9852 Рік тому +18

      Yes and this was the point I think they wanted us to feel what Ellie felt doing all this killing in search of vengeance only to realize that she’s lost everything dina Jessie Joel she is now alone and that is what the shot of Ellie sitting alone in the water after fighting Abby symbolizes that we were now truly alone

    • @dingo5797
      @dingo5797 Рік тому +34

      @@jsdzgaming1367 notice how everyone else puts logic in their reply as to how this game is good, and you can't say anything but "L take" 💀💀💀

  • @missy2105
    @missy2105 Рік тому +816

    i cried during tlou2, and i cried watching this. so many people HATE this game because like you said, it's messy, but it's meant to be. you explained this so well and in such detail that i found myself loving tlou2 even more than before. the way you summed it up as "we are playing as the horror" BLEW ME AWAY because you're right. some people have pointed out little glimmers in the final scene that hint at ellie's redemption: she has dina's bracelet again when she didn't during santa barbara, her hair is longer, she has a different shirt on. all little hints that could point she made it back to jackson, to love, to herself. god i can't wait for tlou3

    • @pnut3844able
      @pnut3844able Рік тому +11

      If it's not a game with Joel and Tommy during the 20 year gap, I don't want it

    • @BiggerBear
      @BiggerBear Рік тому +8

      Can anyone confirm to me if TLOU3 is definitely happening or are we just on hopes? 😅

    • @pnut3844able
      @pnut3844able Рік тому +13

      @@BiggerBear it's not confirmed. Neil said he knows everyone wants it, but they've already started on their next project, a new IP.

    • @BiggerBear
      @BiggerBear Рік тому +17

      @@pnut3844able understandable. I think we will get it, just not in this decade. I mean, the first TLOU came out in 2013 and Part 2 arrived 7 years later. So they’ll want to make it perfect

    • @spacenuts2781
      @spacenuts2781 8 місяців тому +5

      "Its actually an artist choice to make a shitty game"

  • @peytonlathrop1324
    @peytonlathrop1324 3 роки тому +395

    ellie probably had so much, SO MUCH ptsd. she got so skinny. so skinny. she looks so different. she isn’t the old, fun, crazy ellie. Joel meant so much to her, and when he died, it changed her.

    • @surrealistic
      @surrealistic 3 роки тому +28

      true, felt like something broke in me too because I loved the first game so much and bonded so fast with joel and ellie :/

    • @svgstarlight
      @svgstarlight 3 роки тому +71

      that’s exactly what i was thinking. seeing ellie with dina and JJ on the farm, as well as her in santa barbara always sent chills down my spine because she looked like a completely different person. she looked haggard and completely swallowed up from everything she had gone through. i kept thinking, this isn’t the ellie i know, it was horrifying to see what her trauma had done to her.

    • @Ismael-kc3ry
      @Ismael-kc3ry 3 роки тому +37

      “If I ever were to lose you, I’d surely lose myself.”

    • @AImighty_Loaf
      @AImighty_Loaf 3 роки тому +6

      I know right, Ellie is so thin and weak it really surprises me how she can do half the shit she does

    • @franksinatra2024
      @franksinatra2024 2 роки тому +10

      Which is interesting because when Abby is young she is skinny but after her father passes she bulks up. Guess there is some difference in coping with loss.

  • @deskmaker
    @deskmaker 2 роки тому +900

    the moment abby kills joel and has that unsatisfied expression,, It reminds me of the lines that a character I adore once said. "I thought winning would be different"

    • @pacman5698
      @pacman5698 2 роки тому +44

      Oh Catra...

    • @J-manli
      @J-manli 2 роки тому +39

      Megamind: "I did it?"
      Citizens of Metrocity: "He did it?"

    • @karlwilker579
      @karlwilker579 Рік тому +37

      Of all places to find a She-Ra reference... good job.

    • @MideIck11
      @MideIck11 3 місяці тому

      Yօʊ The Last Of Ma'am Peacenik 2 ʄanboʏs aʀɛ sօʍɛ օʄ tɦɛ stʊpɨɖɛst aռɖ ʍօst ɨnvasɨvɛ, ɛʟɨtɨst, ʊռpʀօɖʊctɨvɛ aռɖ աօʀtɦʟɛss ɢօօɖʏ-ɢօօɖʏ tʀօɢʟօɖʏtɛs! Aʟʟ օʄ ʏօʊ ɖʊʍb tʀօɢʟօɖʏtɛs sɦօʊʟɖ stɨcӄ tօ cʀyɨռg օn rɛɖɖɨt ɨn ʏօʊʀ basɛʍɛռts, ɨt's tɦɛ օռɛ tɦɨռɢ ʏօʊ'ʀɛ ɢօօɖ at ɨռ tɦօsɛ օӼʏɢɛռ-աasȶɨռɢ ʍɨstaӄɛs ʏօʊ caʟʟ "ʟɨvɛs", ɨɖɨօts աɦօ tɦɨռk ʏօʊ'ʀɛ sօmɛthɨռg աɦɛռ ʏօʊ'ʀɛ ʊsɛʟɛss aռɖ braɨռɖɛaɖ ʍօռkɛʏs! 😆

    • @deskmaker
      @deskmaker 3 місяці тому +2

      @@MideIck11 ain't reading allat

  • @cheyturnervisuals
    @cheyturnervisuals 7 місяців тому +67

    Fighting Ellie was so intense and scary, you know how good she is, but you really get a sense of how terrifying she can be when you have to fight her.

  • @jaroneller1525
    @jaroneller1525 2 роки тому +630

    "this is a horror movie and we're playing the horror" what a raw quote, gave me actual goosebumps holy fuck. im beyond thrilled to have found this review, not only because it's one of the rare positive ones but even more so because it's hauntingly poetic and shows such a profound understanding of the story and its themes. thank you so much for sharing this

  • @JuanFlores-ub6px
    @JuanFlores-ub6px 3 роки тому +3256

    I've seen countless video-essays about the last of us 2 and i can confidently say this is THE best out there, thank you

    • @ArTorrPresents
      @ArTorrPresents  3 роки тому +156

      Considering that much of, if not all of this video's traffic stems from the last of us 2 video essays of much larger channels.. this truly means alot. Thank you!

    • @nickv1212
      @nickv1212 3 роки тому +13

      ​@@ArTorrPresents You got a sub and a bell from me. Good stuff.

    • @gal4xyislost
      @gal4xyislost 3 роки тому +5

      Luke Stephens is pretty good

    • @gatewayrealtor664
      @gatewayrealtor664 3 роки тому +36

      this is great but youtube "The Last of us 2 is a perfect sequel" Its also a must see... Let me know if any of you see it? Glad these genuinely good video essays exist. Haters of the game rarely look at them. I wish angry Joe would watch just ONE of these!

    • @danielaardila5081
      @danielaardila5081 3 роки тому +11

      I was just about to say that. I love TLOU 1 and 2, they have inspired me to do so much and pursue so much and this essay proves why, a game, a way of entertainment that will let you go so deep in them so much that you can pull a video essay this awesome. It is amazing.

  • @lich1717
    @lich1717 3 роки тому +1164

    Just amazing man. The part where Abby goes against Ellie in the theater was horrifying. Made me realize how dangerous and unpredictable Ellie is. Reminded me of Dina saying "I think they should be terrified of you". It was true.

    • @jennaadsitt5974
      @jennaadsitt5974 3 роки тому +135

      I felt the same thing! When I played it I thought “wow, I’ve never realized how terrifying Ellie is until this moment”

    • @sgtmian
      @sgtmian 3 роки тому +96

      i've never felt more conflicting emotions from any medium. scared for ellie, scared of ellie, proud of and full of love for ellie ...

    • @kildeer
      @kildeer 3 роки тому +88

      @@jennaadsitt5974 "Is this what it's like to be an NPC facing a player character?"

    • @joshuapeterson2366
      @joshuapeterson2366 2 роки тому +7

      @@youtubestayatyourrootsforfsake ya I was playing on hard and I had to drop it down to normal because I died probably 100 times and I wanted to get past it lol

    • @davidmitchell3247
      @davidmitchell3247 2 роки тому +7

      Nah, I was always on ellies side, I never thought she was dangerous or unpredictable.

  • @Ballman-qd6ky
    @Ballman-qd6ky Рік тому +216

    The last of us is a perfect demonstration of moral grey area, how there’s no distinctly villainous characters in the series and also how each of the main characters is driven by multifaceted events of pain and loss which plays on the idea that reality is never black and white and that it’s always darker and more complex than we’d like to think

    • @soop7349
      @soop7349 4 місяці тому

      Very great comment, but I think there is an exception of there being no distinctively villainous characters that being Isaac..

    • @myzticalz3289
      @myzticalz3289 4 місяці тому

      @@soop7349he isn’t distinctively evil, he is tired of the deaths on all sides and is willing to do anything to end the war.

    • @Soulthief4056
      @Soulthief4056 3 місяці тому

      @@soop7349David was pretty evil

    • @godzillazfriction
      @godzillazfriction 6 днів тому

      the concept of 'Morality' serves to give out 'meaning' as a concept, but it exemplifies the allegorical and paradoxical nature of trying to give out 'meaning' - for and against Humanity aka Human Nature or what it means to be 'Human'...
      'Morality' as with other concepts/dilemma's such as 'Normality' - 'Good & E_iL, Hero & Villain' - etcetera, etcetera...
      it all stems from a subset of an 'idea' that forms a set of standards that gets objectified in (perceived) truth of what it's supposed to be as and what it should be...
      these 'ideas' are only stemmed or derived by the Human impulse/Genome, it's happening today as how it's always been happening since Humans have settled in finally...

    • @godzillazfriction
      @godzillazfriction 6 днів тому

      or...
      'Morality' is a blurred and convoluted conjunction that is meant to make 'meaning' when it's all BS at the end of the day by just for the fact alone that Humans exist...
      "morality" is an abstract that's stemmed from an idea to give 'meaning' against the haphazardly on what the basis level of Good and Evil offers, despite that it isn't the case because of how "morality" as a concept is paradoxical by or against nature...
      there's no measures to deter a set of principles between Good and Evil for you to be deemed as 'moral' since the contradiction plays at hand with the concept of 'immoral' that's stemmed from 'moral' but it plays contradictory connotations with the concept of 'moral' by acknowledging the alignment and principles through Good and Evil, and Immoral is deemed to differentiate those who apparently don't set the standards of what's 'moral' which for some reason alludes to 'Good'...
      Amoral on the other hand, is the contradictory opposite to what 'moral' is and is instead generalised through the notion of not caring or dwelling or not grasping on the notion of what's 'right and wrong' - which the definition plays a hand of it being deemed 'different' despite 'morality' having the same or connotating paradoxical play...

  • @billyparham630
    @billyparham630 2 роки тому +108

    When I saw the close up of Ellies missing fingers right before she enters the house, I expected the house to be empty. The camera made it central. It seemed to me that the two missing fingers represented Dina and JJ. Can't see it otherwise. Then she was portrayed playing the guitar and failing to do so. The damage was done and it was permanent. She lost them and it suggests they are not meant to reunite.

    • @Joe_Okey
      @Joe_Okey Рік тому +22

      On the contrary, all of the clues point to the fact that they did get back together and are living in Jackson. First, Ellie obviously did not go straight to the farm after leaving Santa Barbara, her fingers were healed and she had obviously spent time in Jackson healing up. Second, she was not wearing Dina's bracelet when she left for Santa Barbara and she was wearing it when she visited the farm for the last time. Finally, there is a deleted scene that shows Ellie picking up J.J.'s stuffed elephant toy as she walks through the farm on that last visit. The scene was more than likely deleted because Neil wanted to keep the ending as open as possible, and that scene gave a bit too much information as to the status of Ellie and Dina.

    • @AlexMercadoGo
      @AlexMercadoGo Рік тому +3

      Your comment has brought me even more tears. Ellie destroyed so much goodness before she finally came to embrace her grief.

    • @Wveth
      @Wveth 7 місяців тому +10

      @@Joe_Okey I'm sorry, I don't think your reasoning is very good. "Ellie obviously did not go straight to the farm after leaving Santa Barbara, her fingers were healed and she had obviously spent time in Jackson healing up." What? Why would she travel a huge distance and THEN stop to heal? She took care of her fingers in Santa Barbara and then left when she was healed; the alternative is putting herself way more at risk for absolutely no reason.
      "Second, she was not wearing Dina's bracelet when she left for Santa Barbara and she was wearing it when she visited the farm for the last time." Ellie never gave it back to Dina, at least not that we saw. My first thought upon seeing the bracelet was completely different; she felt too horrible about herself to put it on but now, by the time she gets to the farm, she wants to remember that connection again because it was important to her. It does not mean she met Dina or she intends to go back. The bracelet is more about Ellie letting go of her "everything happens for a reason" viewpoint, which Dina never agreed with.
      "Finally, there is a deleted scene that shows Ellie picking up J.J.'s stuffed elephant toy as she walks through the farm on that last visit. The scene was more than likely deleted because Neil wanted to keep the ending as open as possible,." I'm sorry, but you're just seeing what you want to see here. She could have just as easily been looking at it to contemplate her lost family.
      This story is weaved through a lot of subtle moments, that much is true. But those other subtle moments are communicated through actual story connections, not just by taking the interpretation that feels the most right to you personally. The only real connection you brought up was the bracelet, which is at least connected to Dina. But if you listen to the conversation around the bracelet when it's handed over, you'll see that the writers already loaded it with a different meaning than the one you hypothesize about here.
      Ellie used to believe in luck, in fact it was David from the first game who said there's no such thing. Now she's taken on David's way of thinking... maybe by the end, her putting the bracelet back on is telling us that she no longer believes that way, no longer believes that she has to make all her trauma MEAN SOMETHING by dying for the cure, or by avenging Joel. I think that fits the story a lot better. There are other hints too I think, but I don't have time atm and this message is too long already lol

  • @kellenlewis3087
    @kellenlewis3087 3 роки тому +641

    Anyone ever think about how Ellie is where Joel was at the beginning of the last of us part 1? Alone and empty having run everyone close away. Exactly what she was most afraid of

    • @Xxsorafan
      @Xxsorafan 3 роки тому +51

      Just like Joel and Abby found their beacon of light so will Ellie :)

    • @linakillaa4629
      @linakillaa4629 3 роки тому +57

      i thought this same exact thing and i was always confused why so many people were upset about ellies character in the second game because no one criticized joel when he was in the same spot. i do miss her sarcastic and joking personality from the first game but, like you said, shes in the exact spot she was afraid of. we cant expect her to keep the same attitude she had when she was 14

    • @kellenlewis3087
      @kellenlewis3087 3 роки тому +42

      @@Xxsorafan We. Need. Part. 3.

    • @throwsrocksatrezdogs4476
      @throwsrocksatrezdogs4476 3 роки тому +5

      Tlou came out as ps3 was transitioning to PS4 .. tlou2 came out when PS4 was transitioning to ps5 .. so part 3 , if it comes out .. will be ooof , when .. 🤔

    • @bigcat9558
      @bigcat9558 3 роки тому

      She has tommy

  • @TheThirdPew
    @TheThirdPew 3 роки тому +3117

    You went crazy on this video bro. Brought up so many things I didn't think about like the different generations and how this one was focused more on the generation that was born into this world. Thought I couldn't even appreciate the game any more and you went ahead and gave me that. Great video essay!

    • @ArTorrPresents
      @ArTorrPresents  3 роки тому +114

      Thank you man! I loved your video about the game too, appreciate you taking the time to watch my video!

    • @DMrKunst2
      @DMrKunst2 3 роки тому +11

      I enjoyed your video too Zed

    • @theaveragegamer1719
      @theaveragegamer1719 3 роки тому +4

      Nathan is obsessed .

    • @alejandroalvarado3409
      @alejandroalvarado3409 3 роки тому +30

      @@theaveragegamer1719 all of us are... is a very powerful game like any other.

    • @shafferkropke7271
      @shafferkropke7271 3 роки тому +2

      Ur vid was good too

  • @damiannova5207
    @damiannova5207 Рік тому +265

    3:48 “Remember the man who took you to the museum? That might’ve been the happiest day of my life. I can’t let that man die for nothing.”
    I got chills. You nailed it with this video, and your descriptions of Ellie’s thought process are so immersive and convincing it felt like I was playing the game all over again.

  • @henryparks4602
    @henryparks4602 2 роки тому +122

    The level of writing in this video is absolutely insane. Video essays are an amazing form of media, this channel takes it to a new level of potential. Absolutely love this channel

  • @vsf_dave811
    @vsf_dave811 3 роки тому +1055

    The Last of Us Part II may be the most intentionally misunderstood game ever. It was such a great sequel but people hated it because they couldn’t allow themselves to see the story from any perspective other than “Joel is the hero”

    • @gubarmy6714
      @gubarmy6714 3 роки тому +118

      And it’s kinda sad because as much as I love Joel, what he did was irredeemable.

    • @vsf_dave811
      @vsf_dave811 3 роки тому +168

      @@gubarmy6714 and at the same time, it was. It’s all a matter of whose perspective you view it from. That’s the whole point of the game, everyone is the protagonist in their own story and everyone thinks they’re the good guy. But the reality is that actions have consequences no matter how right or wrong someone thinks they are.

    • @gubarmy6714
      @gubarmy6714 3 роки тому +89

      @@vsf_dave811 exactly! There’s no antagonist, there’s no protagonist, it’s just a very human story. Everyone has flaws, every one can be stupid, every one can be loving, there is no definitive good guy/bad guy. It is extremely refreshing. One thing I don’t understand is that people think that the first games ending is supposed to be where it stops because it’s “ambiguous.” Yes it totally is, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a huge cliff hanger because it is one of the biggest cliff hangers in video game history.

    • @vsf_dave811
      @vsf_dave811 3 роки тому +53

      @@gubarmy6714 Part 2 is all about consequences. No matter how hard a choice may be to an individual person, that choice has ripple effects to others whether we like it or not. I also thought it was very refreshing and bold to have the player play as a person whose life was shattered because of what the protagonist did in the first game. I don’t think I’ve ever played another game that has that perspective. It takes some emotional intelligence to fully appreciate and empathize with Abby, Ellie, and Joel. All of them had impossible choices to make and were faced with devastating circumstances. But yeah, people just wanted another game to run through and shoot people as Joel with their brain turned off.

    • @Newt0386
      @Newt0386 3 роки тому +51

      @@vsf_dave811 Upon my first playthrough I was guilty of holding my personal preferences above the storyline. I hated Abby. I hated playing as Abby. But I began to lower my defenses in my second playthrough. I understood. Abby was absolutely wrecked by the decisions of Joel. I wouldn’t have done differently had I been in Joel’s shoes. But I realized..I also wouldn’t have done anything different had I been in Abby’s shoes.

  • @braincube013
    @braincube013 3 роки тому +1632

    One of the most twisted and insane story’s ever… doesn’t even seem like a game when you’re playing… amazing.

    • @hate8471
      @hate8471 3 роки тому +7

      Ikr

    • @GeyerII
      @GeyerII 3 роки тому +3

      You thought it looked like a movie?
      Even "poetically" it's practically impossible to forget it's not real life

    • @hate8471
      @hate8471 3 роки тому +51

      @@GeyerII one of the most realistic emotional and impactful game I've ever played and I've played alot of games ppl hate but most don't sit back and try to truly understand what tlou2 Is about it's not just about revenge it's about the battle ellie has with herself and Joel's death Joel just wants her to be happy and at the end ellie doesn't kill abby because killing her will make no difference she has to forgive that's why you see a flashback of joel at the end

    • @victoronyeukwu3903
      @victoronyeukwu3903 3 роки тому +14

      Yeah that's why we all are just emotionally shredded. There better be part 3 to help make sense all these.

    • @braincube013
      @braincube013 3 роки тому +1

      @@victoronyeukwu3903 For real.

  • @Elementl19
    @Elementl19 Рік тому +265

    This is the most emotionally complex and well written story I've ever seen in a game. It dives into these emotional journeys with such brutality but they're emotions we've all felt before...love, loss, anger, numbness, guilt...we can all connect to these characters one way of another, putting us in their shoes and feeling every emotions they experience. I think that's why most people didn't like the game at first...it's a beautiful masterpiece of humanity and what being human means.

    • @juancanessa3614
      @juancanessa3614 Рік тому +4

      people didn't like it cause it was a sequel that had no business being a sequel. In the first game they made a point of gameplay matching the story, in this one its like they make a point of the opposite. Ellie and Abby kill hundreds of people but you are telling me the cycle of violence is bad and violence has consequences? Please. Abby sees a group of parents cart away their children and proceeds to slaughter this parents without batting an eye. All this kids are now fatherless. Who cares? Abby clearly doesn't. writers don't care either.

    • @Ronam0451
      @Ronam0451 Рік тому +1

      @@juancanessa3614 you're just everywhere, aren't you? If you don't like the game, here's an idea, get a life and stop going after people that like it. It's just pathetic, you're looking like a little kid that didn't get it their way.

    • @lightningmonky7674
      @lightningmonky7674 7 місяців тому

      Have you changed your mind yet?

    • @bwhere45
      @bwhere45 27 днів тому

      @@juancanessa3614 if you play on survivor or grounded you quickly find out how many encounters there are where killing can be avoided entirely. You choosing to mow down hundreds of people is not the same as the characters choosing that.

  • @mranthonymills
    @mranthonymills 2 роки тому +130

    I loved this game. How it shows that framing is everything. How it shows that you'll excuse actions taken by the main character because they're the main character. And how it's willing to make the player feel what the character feels, through exhaustion, through not wanting to torture. I loved how it made you feel the pain of obsession.

  • @benmac7552
    @benmac7552 3 роки тому +681

    If we do get a part 3 with Ellie's redemption arc playing out I have no fucking clue how I'm gonna cope with the years of waiting for that game.

    • @amimim69
      @amimim69 3 роки тому +14

      Seeing the amount of hate a part 3 probably won't come

    • @benmac7552
      @benmac7552 3 роки тому +110

      @@amimim69 I honestly don't think that will matter since the part 2 still reviewed well and sold well, and I imagine that's all Sony will care about.

    • @amimim69
      @amimim69 3 роки тому +66

      @@benmac7552 well good news for me.I love tlou and tlou 2...So give me some more..

    • @ilikerice5208
      @ilikerice5208 3 роки тому +44

      I don’t want a redemption arc. This ending was utterly desolate and completely enveloping, somehow more than the first one. I really wanted a second game, but I’m soo happy with the second I don’t want a third

    • @benmac7552
      @benmac7552 3 роки тому +33

      @@ilikerice5208 I've been going back and forth on whether I want a third game or not. I still think there is potential to continue Ellie's story but I'm not sure if the franchise as a whole needs it.
      There is definitely a conclusion to Ellie's story worth a third game but telling that story, and ensuring it is up to the caliber of the previous games and respects them feels like it could be a very up hill battle. If they make a part 3 it has to be close to perfect, which is why it might not be a good idea.
      If part 3 does happen it needs to be the best work Neil Druckmann and the rest of the writing staff have done. That dosen't neesecarily means it would be better than part 1 because part 1 would've been easier to create since there is no set standard.

  • @joeyeulo1489
    @joeyeulo1489 2 роки тому +439

    I just completed this game last night and it pulled off an amazing combination of horror (both human and otherwise), beauty, rage, sadness...just a vast array of emotions

    • @silvercloudj
      @silvercloudj 2 роки тому +8

      I love seeing comments like this. There are so many people saying they’ve finally finished the game and it was something worth playing. I’m glad you enjoyed the game

  • @hectorportillo2572
    @hectorportillo2572 Рік тому +18

    This game really captured what hatred can lead to when you forget all empathy. Hatred can corrupt people completely. That is the reason this game forces you to be empathetic even in the face of the person or thing that has caused you so much pain, because without forgiveness you will truly be lost to your hatred.

  • @isabotini13
    @isabotini13 7 місяців тому +17

    this made me sit on the floor and sob uncontrollably. i love this game and it’s message with my whole heart.

    • @realspider-man2217
      @realspider-man2217 4 місяці тому

      It may not be a masterpiece like the first but man is it still so good

  • @T3AMKILL
    @T3AMKILL 3 роки тому +698

    I have to disagree that her leaving the farm was about vengeance! This is something that is ALWAYS misunderstood. She didn’t leave the farm for vengeance! She wanted to stay, but she COULDN’T. Did she look like someone with bloodlust or a broken, depressed person?
    The trip to Santa Barbara was a last attempt to fix her trauma. She would’ve otherwise killed herself on that farm. She went to SB to confront her trauma, and overcome it or die. If she stayed, it was wait and die. But she decided to go and fight for a chance of life. For a chance to be able to live a life.
    She felt guilty of Joel’s death. In her panic attack he yells out Ellie’s name. Keep in mind Ellie already had severe survivor’s guilt before all this. Now Joel died saving her. This adds to her survivor’s guilt x100. Her mental state was so bad that she had to leave in the middle of the night like some sort of addict.
    Also, Halley Gross said: "To my mind, when she’s leaving the farm it almost isn’t about Abby at that point so much as it’s about “I literally cannot survive if I don’t try and handle what’s going on because this PTSD is just getting worse, I’m losing control, I feel like I’m at risk to my family, and I have to hope that there’s an answer on the other side because I don’t know how to live with this. If I stay here it’s suicide.” It’s more a conversation about mental health and surviving than it is justice for Abby or even seeking Joel. It’s just like “I don’t know how to be a person anymore.”
    She set off to kill Abby because she thought this would fix her trauma. NOT for the sake of revenge. There is a huge difference here.
    Her trip to SB was overcoming her trauma. And she was able to overcome it without having to kill Abby. We see throughout the game that what Ellie is doing in Seattle is hurting her because it isn’t her. She had so much pain and guilt pent up she had to go to rock bottom to let it all out and that’s where she got her catharsis.
    The trip shows how much and the lengths she is willing to go for her life. At the end it cost her 2 fingers and her family, but she finally became free, reclaimed her autonomy, and moved past her survivor’s guilt.
    About Abby: She is also mirror Joel in so many ways.
    We see how ruthless Abby becomes after losing her father and hellbent on killing the monster who killed him. We then see Abby become the very same monster she sought to kill. “If you gaze long enough into the abyss...”
    These parallels and intertwined stories is what made Part 2 so interesting. Also the clever idea of having Abby pick up coins.
    I think the reason Ellie hunted Abby wasn’t for “revenge” in the usual sense, but because she waited 1 day too long to forgive Joel and that chance was taken away forever. She can never make things right with him. To me, Ellie’s journey wasn’t for “revenge” of Joel’s killer. It was anger, guilt and trauma that this person took away the chance for her to make things right with him that put her into a rage, on top of the trauma of witnessing the brutality of Joel’s death, in addition to her lack of self worth to begin with. She didn’t feel deserving of life in the first place, and then Joel died for it.
    Abby on the other hand I would say was a normal revenge journey as we know it and it is Abby’s arc that shows us that revenge does nothing. It won’t fix anything, and we see her find her redemption by doing something good, by helping to children in a selfless act even if it might have been for selfish reasons. Abby too then finds her new purpose in life and motivation to live after her revenge journey cost her everything.
    We also see Ellie overcome her trauma. We experience her worsening PTSD, we experience her hit rock bottom, and we experience her overcome it all. To me, she finds her life as a purpose and goes through hell for it. Not someone else giving her reason to live, but herself giving her reason to live. It is a complete flip of what she was like initially. Thinking her life’s purpose was to die, but through Joel and her realization I think her life’s purpose is now to live.
    She had every reason to kill Abby on that beach but she didn’t. Joel’s death was the ultimate sacrifice and proof of his love. Killing Abby would have just denied that.
    EDIT: I just saw you say she is going out for find her redemption. I again disagree. For what does she need redemption? Abby and Joel were parallels, and they did something that needed redemption. The game shows us that no matter how much Ellie tries, she isn’t Abby/Joel. It isn’t who she is as a person, and every time she tries she hurts herself even more. Look at Nora. She unintentionally re-enacted what caused her trauma in the first place, which ended up deeply hurting her.
    Ellie does not need a redemption because she did not lose her humanity in the first place. She was on the PATH of losing it, but she didn’t.
    Part 3 shouldn’t be redemption, it should be on recovery. Ellie’s journey of recovery. A journey of healing. Her life, her relationship, everything. A journey of healing and overcoming disability (her loss of fingers).
    Both games were for me about love. Joel’s love to Ellie in Part 1, and Ellie’s love to Joel in Part 2. Part 3 should be Ellie’s love to herself, her life, with the people she cares for.

    • @mahbal3441
      @mahbal3441 2 роки тому +33

      WOW, thank you for making me understand a bit better this story🙂

    • @renapper9962
      @renapper9962 2 роки тому +46

      I don't know what to say but I really like the way you describe your feelings and somehow it makes me feel good because tlou2 is not something people talk about.

    • @blazbad1193
      @blazbad1193 2 роки тому +20

      Yeah and to add on, Ellie could’ve said anything to Abby or explained why she wants her dead, but all she said was “I can’t let you leave.” Proving that even Ellie just wants to kill Abby for her own sake

    • @T3AMKILL
      @T3AMKILL 2 роки тому +69

      @@blazbad1193 She thought that’s what she had to do. She herself didn’t even know, she was about to leave until her PTSD flashed again, reminding her why she’s here and why she’s so broken. Her trauma started with Abby, so she thought killing her would end it.
      Abby already killed the very object of her revenge and in the process turned Ellie into someone like her. Ellie went down the same path and came close to doing the same thing to Lev but didn't. When Ellie crying says "just take him" she saw herself in Lev who still has his Joel and by sparing Abby she is not doing to him what Abby did to her. She is telling his Joel to take him while she sits there alone and cries. Letting go of the person who took her Joel.
      Joel and Abby's violent past is not shown to us, it's told to us and we see a few of their worst acts, but mostly experiencing their redemption arcs during our playtime with them. They're both introduced to us as people who are already broken and in need of rediscovering their humanity with the help of another.
      The ending allows her to retain her humanity so she doesn't reach the point where she needs an innocent kid companion, unlike Abby and Joel. She was the innocent kid companion once and the light in Joel's darkness so in a way she gets to be her own Ellie and bring herself back from the brink in the end. She allows her humanity to prevail. It doesn't immediately absolve her of everything she did but this is only the first step towards healing. Her story ends where Abby's started except where Abby had to kill Joel first and then began to redeem herself, Ellie was able to show mercy to the very object of her revenge. In that sense, she is even ahead of Abby.

    • @_DaniDLF_
      @_DaniDLF_ 2 роки тому +13

      This comment is soooo underrated. Thank you for providing us a better understanding of the story.

  • @NaitorYT
    @NaitorYT 3 роки тому +319

    Amazing video, but I have a completely different idea on why it's called The Last of Us. To me both the games and the name talk about what people do when they're robbed of everything. What's left of them, of their humanity, and to which lengths they're willing to go to obtain their peace or happiness. "No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for"

    • @ArTorrPresents
      @ArTorrPresents  3 роки тому +46

      I really like this take!

    • @tigerbark3906
      @tigerbark3906 3 роки тому +1

      that's actually a really good idea

    • @Tyler_W
      @Tyler_W 3 роки тому +3

      Yeah I agree. I take the question to be "the last of what" rather than "who is us" in the title, and I'd say the amswer to that is our humanity, the story of The Last of Us 1 and 2 is about finding, rediscovering and preserving the last of our humanity in a world that encourages us to lose more and more of it every day as the world in many ways feels like it's slowly goes to pot.

    • @IOTewks
      @IOTewks 2 роки тому

      "Maybe we stopped looking for the light" was the MVP line

  • @ultimatequeenofdeath666
    @ultimatequeenofdeath666 Рік тому +15

    i love how bitter this game feels, it embodies this feeling of pure unadulterated pain, or numbness, because seeing these characters change or die makes it just so... ugh... i get a stomach ache and or a headache whenever it even pops into my head, i love it

  • @DimasTWD
    @DimasTWD 2 роки тому +125

    This is why i love TLOU 2 despite seeing people hates it left and right. Like this is a true story telling game!

    • @blinded2329
      @blinded2329 Рік тому +18

      Facts tlou2 is my favorite game of all time the story is 10/10 gameplay 10/10 graphics 10/10 soundtrack and sound design 10/10 bruh especially the sound i remember stealthing through the seraphite swamp on grounded with headphones in the dark and jesus the crickets in the background and the sound of the enemies breathing as the get closer is insane. I love this fucking game so much

    • @hy2707
      @hy2707 Рік тому +3

      @@blinded2329 “love this fucking game” I agree, 10/10 fucking experience

  • @catalina187
    @catalina187 3 роки тому +469

    I feel that this is the reason Naughty Dog were kinda chill about the critics of the game from the gamers themselves. It's clearly hard to make sense of things at first...It's denial, but when we reach the point of clarity it's when we realize how much we can actually relate to the game, and not only that...through the video you did it puts order to many of the chaotic thoughts we had about it. I myself was very conflicted with the game and this was why. It's hard to see the harsh reality of what we are facing.

    • @debuthunter5389
      @debuthunter5389 3 роки тому +8

      Made the storyline, metaphors and jumping too complex for most people to grasp, especially when focused on trying not to die. You get through it and be like WTF, yet it takes someone breaking down the whole thing like this video to be able to be like "yeah, alright, I see what they were going for". They shot themselves in the foot by being too elaborate, and less approachable to the gamer.

    • @bogdanionut7768
      @bogdanionut7768 3 роки тому +25

      @@debuthunter5389 they were bold. Really bold by going with this route.

    • @StealthyTNT
      @StealthyTNT 3 роки тому +36

      @@debuthunter5389 I think if people acted like adults for a second and got over their drama when Joel's death got leaked, more people would've been able to see what the game was trying to tell. People went into the game with the mindset of already disliking it. While I agree that they were very bold with this game and took a very big risk, it's not their fault people are idiots. If the goal is simply to make sales and money, then sure dumb everything down as much as possible. But I appreciate when people go the extra effort to send a meaningful message despite it not necessarily being financially optimal.

    • @debuthunter5389
      @debuthunter5389 3 роки тому +3

      @@StealthyTNT - I literally had no idea about any leaks or reviews prior to playing (I try to keep offline). Played past Joel's death and said "THIS GAME IS EPIC", but once it started getting into playing as Abby it started to fall down for me.
      It has taken giving it many months, and a couple playthroughs to start to appreciate some of the detail in it.

    • @sgtmian
      @sgtmian 3 роки тому +11

      @@debuthunter5389 i think most people were uncomfortable at that point because we don’t know her and we don’t want to know her, so we resist. but when you let them tell the story and understand her motives you realize they ‘re not that different and even though i didnt like abby by the end i didnt want her to die.

  • @ianbatista631
    @ianbatista631 3 роки тому +1438

    This should have a million views. Just perfect analysis.

    • @BinBin-hy4ec
      @BinBin-hy4ec 3 роки тому +1

      Ian Batista I know

    • @loopson6807
      @loopson6807 3 роки тому +1

      Totally!

    • @davidstewart4195
      @davidstewart4195 3 роки тому +2

      Couldn't have said it better myself, anybody who has played this game, and took this emotional roller coaster ride, needs to watch this. Well done man. I am speechless.

    • @ManuPro3
      @ManuPro3 3 роки тому +6

      Ppl don’t or don’t want to understand games and their stories.
      People like that better play COD for the rest of their life.

    • @loopson6807
      @loopson6807 3 роки тому +5

      @@ManuPro3 There are those who love both 😁

  • @keeganlaughlin
    @keeganlaughlin Рік тому +17

    I’m glad I’ve found a video with my type of people. This game wasn’t what many wanted, but was a story with a moral that was needed. A “Joel and Ellie adventure” wouldn’t be as good as the TLOU 1 and that’s clear, there would be no drive and no tension. This game was good. If you open your mind up and let your heart do the playing, the loss and grief you go through with Jesse, manny, owen, mel, (almost) tommy is so devastating and heartbreaking. You feel so hopeless and you just want the fighting to stop because you keep witnessing unnecessary death. This game is a masterpiece that’s not many have the pleasure of truly experiencing.

  • @stevengreen11
    @stevengreen11 Рік тому +37

    It's too bad most people can't provide more thought and analysis like what we find in this video. This is great. Thank you.

  • @Thecoolguy463
    @Thecoolguy463 2 роки тому +493

    I’ve never understood the outrage over playing as Abby. Neil was genius for this IMO. There are no “good guys” in this story. It’s simply people trying to survive in a wretched world. Masterful storytelling and one of if not my favorite narratives in video games ever.

    • @juancanessa3614
      @juancanessa3614 Рік тому +13

      I couldn't disagree more. Having the goals of the controlled character not match the goals of the player is headache inducing and a terrible way of telling a story through video games.

    • @Thecoolguy463
      @Thecoolguy463 Рік тому +73

      @@juancanessa3614 i honestly think that many people and yourself expect conventional gameplay and punish those who push limits. Changing the goals makes you see different perspectives. Just the same way we should in life. The message is what’s important here.

    • @CDexie
      @CDexie Рік тому +56

      @@juancanessa3614 What are you talking about? It's *excellent* story telling. It actively used the medium of interactive media - video games - to build a bridge of connection between the player and the character. It doesn't matter if you want them to achieve their goals, actively working on them with said character necessarily builds understanding. I'm always reminded of the Song of Ice and Fire books, and how they pull the same trick, switching POVs to absolutely *reviled* characters (namely Jaimie, Cersei, Melisandre) to force you to sympathize with them. People often find it difficult to change their views on morality when confronted with a different perspective, especially in fiction where nothing is real, but that doesn't mean it's bad story telling.
      If Abby was the protagonist of the previous game, and we saw her story instead of Ellie's first, people who hate Abby would have hated Ellie instead. That's hypocritical and fickle, it's necessary to grasp the root of the problem. In a world that breeds monsters out of a monstrous environment, evil is simply a matter of perspective and what one should do is avoid doing any more monstrous things than necessary. Ellie shouldn't have killed Owen and Mel, she shouldn't have killed all of Abby's friends and comrades, Abby shouldn't have killed Jesse and shot Tommy, Abby shouldn't have killed Joel, Joel shouldn't have murdered an entire squad-worth of Fireflies, he shouldn't have killed Abby's dad, and so on and so on. You can go back infinitely (since we've been told that Joel did horrible thing in his past) but even go forwards. If Abby killed Dina, Ellie would've never stopped. If Ellie killed Lev, Abby would never have stopped, if Ellie killed Abby, Lev would never have stopped.
      Abby, with her moral compass in Lev, decided to break the cycle by not killing Dina. And Ellie played her own part by deciding not to kill Abby. The cycle of revenge is broken, they can deal with their trauma and move forward without laying waste to everyone, anymore. The story is about loss and trauma, and having to deal with these gaping holes inside of you. That's why, only then, can Ellie remember Joel happy, and reminisce on their final moments. She doesn't see him anymore with his head caved in.

    • @lachlann4335
      @lachlann4335 10 місяців тому +10

      ⁠​⁠@@juancanessa3614I used to think this too. But after playing it a few times, that’s the point. It’s supposed to make you feel that way. To feel the pain and frustration Ellie feels as you navigate through her part of the story. There is no satisfaction from the ending. That’s what naughty dog wanted.
      You get the point but can’t see the reason behind it. Like Abby killing Joel or Ellie letting Abby go. You don’t get any satisfaction from it but instead an empty feeling. Nobody wins in this game. You only learn two things: You can choose to be happy and love those around you instead of using violence to solve problems. And you can redeem yourself from the person you once were and be better the next time. At least, that’s what I got out of it.
      I was bitter about the ending too, believe me I hated this game. But after some thinking and playing it again it all makes sense. What you’re feeling is exactly what naughty dog wanted to succeed in.

    • @jonathanmendez310
      @jonathanmendez310 10 місяців тому +1

      It was more playing as Joel's killer, Joel dying etc. Though I'll never play the game I now understand the story and can appreciate it

  • @marisabel5500
    @marisabel5500 3 роки тому +399

    A thing many people miss with Joel's death is that it reflects the absolute reality of loss. Most people never get final words or a catharsis for someones death where they get to prepare to move on or expect it. No, in real life, death can come at any time in any form and you probably will never say those words you wanted to say to your loved one, one day they're there and the other they aren't regardless of how you feel about it, so why would the last of us world be more forgiving than real life? Ellie wasn't just angry with Abby, she was even more angry with herself, which she didn't understand until the end. She forgave herself. And that is powerful to me.

    • @BlueAltitudes
      @BlueAltitudes 3 роки тому +10

      I agree with what you've written here and I think it should be higher up. As someone who's experienced this with both immediate family and others in my life, more than a couple of times, this is one thing that I took away from the game and I feel like people miss this aspect. It's a hard truth but life can be just as cruel as any person can be.

    • @leviatkinson1081
      @leviatkinson1081 3 роки тому +20

      I really resonated with this. I lost one of my oldest, best friends to a rock climbing accident 2 months ago. We saw each other 3 days beforehand, and the main thing I remember thinking about from the week after is how much I wish I’d told him. We always think that we have all the time in the world to talk to our friends and family, and one day we just lose all of it. All the things we wish we’d said are unable to be said anymore, and we can become lost in the grief and the missed opportunities.

    • @marisabel5500
      @marisabel5500 3 роки тому +5

      @@leviatkinson1081 Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry for your loss

    • @alabastergreen7444
      @alabastergreen7444 2 роки тому +2

      Alot of people need to read your comment

    • @user-xx6vy9ri8p
      @user-xx6vy9ri8p 2 роки тому +1

      Oh, such a stupid point people will make for this game and “justify” Joel’s death is “it’s realistic not everyone in real life gets a super badass way to go out” that point is thrown out the window when you got pregnant woman going to frontline combat, being thrown up walls bumping her stomach against edges, dropping down 15 foot ledges, and literally carrying herself up a chain despite looking like the life has been seeped out of her and into Abby’s arms.

  • @Sp3xyBe4st
    @Sp3xyBe4st 2 роки тому +91

    This is an absolute masterpiece of a video essay. Truly stellar job.

  • @mtycoder
    @mtycoder Рік тому +5

    Thanks to your video eventually I decided to go to therapy and start healing , I cannot thank you enough. I'm still healing and is hard to let resentment away but know I believe that is posible

    • @ArTorrPresents
      @ArTorrPresents  Рік тому +3

      I'm speechless! I'm so glad to hear you're getting therapy and have started to heal. Proud of you, and I believe in you too 🙂

  • @youngwhitemale1366
    @youngwhitemale1366 3 роки тому +399

    “Just wolves killing sheep, and not only does that become Ellie’s horrifying lesson to bear, but also her curse to bestow on others”
    I actually got goosebumps when you said that

  • @pyatig
    @pyatig 3 роки тому +111

    As a 45 year old gamer who remembers Atari I salute you young man! I think both TLOU games are the best piece of media I’ve consumed in my life and to see a younger generation appreciate it like I do is refreshing. Great job!

  • @KatakunaAlex
    @KatakunaAlex Рік тому +8

    I played this all beginning to end and couldn't put it down when I first played it, but when I got to the very end and the credits rolled, I couldn't go back and play through it again. It was such a beautiful game but it was such a hard ending but I loved watching your video. It really helped me understand and process a game that I at first glance only saw as a story with so much loss and pain. Thank you for this :)

  • @enzl4493
    @enzl4493 Рік тому +43

    just finished the last of us 2 for the first time yesterday. It’s the best game i’ve ever played, one of the best pieces of writing i’ve seen in my life. honestly i’ll never forget the amount of emotions this game put me through with it’s story. It’s a beautiful game and nothing short of a masterpiece.

  • @actualbeau
    @actualbeau 3 роки тому +221

    The fight against Ellie reminded me of that fight against David in tlou, but way more terrifying

    • @crazybabuskaman3923
      @crazybabuskaman3923 2 роки тому +20

      I was genuinely terrified. I just finished this game today and I was nearly crying, or softly crying. I don't care what people say, this game is a masterclass in everything.

    • @andymania13
      @andymania13 2 роки тому +8

      I know! My first thought when I realized what was about to go down was “I know how brutal I was with Ellie, fuck I am gonna die so many times”.

    • @auggie3725
      @auggie3725 2 роки тому +5

      I died so many times during that level. Ellie was so fucking terrifying in that level.

  • @brodymcelwain1078
    @brodymcelwain1078 3 роки тому +398

    dude, it’s so incredible how much you draw upon from this game. In its own world it’s an epic revenge tale with refined gameplay and captivating environments. I can see how some people can play it and that’s it for them. But to me there’s so much to unpack that honestly I’ll be playing this off an on for a looooong time. Insane how in a mere two playthroughs you’ve put your thoughts together so clearly. Even applying the games themes to yourself personally and our world so eloquently. Be proud of this video, you’ve come a long way, you deserve the world my dude. *wipes tears,* *sniffles,* *awkward hi five*

    • @ArTorrPresents
      @ArTorrPresents  3 роки тому +14

      Thank you brother, this means a lot :,) Putting the script for this video together was a battle, and even now, I wonder if I've truly said everything I wanted to say. But that should hopefully speak to the power of the game's narrative to contain those hidden multitudes, and I really do hope the conversation doesn't stop where it is now for that reason. Stay tuned!

    • @brodymcelwain1078
      @brodymcelwain1078 3 роки тому +5

      @@ArTorrPresents Just finished my second playthrough last night and I’m a wreck lol, moments where I had trouble breathing during gameplay/cutscenes and just generally feeling weak. This video is a big welcoming hug in the aftermath of “I just finished a game” sickness, thank you for taking the time to make this.
      I think what hurts me the most is Ellie’s hesitation to kill Abby as she takes Lev down from the pillar. You compare Abby’s love for Lev to Joel’s love for Ellie. When Ellie instigates the final fight with Abby it’s like the ultimate reiteration of Joel’s mistake that Ellie doesn’t even think she can forgive. That arc is fucking painful man. But Ellie’s decision to let Abby live is the empathy that redeems her character - empathy stemming from the love Joel has for Ellie. Beautiful.

  • @gamingstoneham
    @gamingstoneham 5 днів тому +1

    This is one of the most well articulated breakdowns I have ever watched, I come back a few times a year just to listen to you speak and it never gets old.

  • @jokastis4798
    @jokastis4798 2 роки тому +4

    This was really excellent. Thank you for taking all of that time to produce this. Tenor and pacing of one of Joel’s songs wrapped all around this video.

  • @SidPhoenix2211
    @SidPhoenix2211 3 роки тому +799

    Holy shit dude. Holy shit. This was an incredible video. It is almost as if someone stole the thoughts I had about this game from my head and put them on UA-cam, and added their own insightful comments to it as well.
    This. This right here is precisely what I believe this game and this franchise to be. About love, about hope, about redemption and about being better and doing better.
    I cried watching this. Because, at many moments in this, I was right back there in my head when I was playing the game for the very first time. You've so beautifully and eloquently written about what these games are about.
    Good fucking job, my guy. Keep it up :)

    • @ArTorrPresents
      @ArTorrPresents  3 роки тому +46

      Thank you for the thoughtful & heartfelt response man. I take pride in being able to connect my experiences to others, especially if they feel as strongly about the game as I do :)

    • @gravitonepl
      @gravitonepl 3 роки тому +5

      Hehe, and yout comment in turn summarized exatcly what I felt reading it. Tears in hte eyes and all. It seems there are 'more of us'. ;)

    • @bherbrus
      @bherbrus 3 роки тому +4

      Blessed comment, thank you for making my night better :)

    • @alborzajeli768
      @alborzajeli768 3 роки тому +2

      yeah ditto, also had tears in my eyes at one point, just as I did playing the game...

  • @LeonardoGarcia-jc1nw
    @LeonardoGarcia-jc1nw 2 роки тому +907

    The fact that so many people couldn't relate with the emotional process that the game induces the player saddens me, because shows that people are not familiar with the emotional process of forgiveness, empathy and redemption.
    Thank you for exposing your reflections and help me understand some emotions that I had while playing. One thing, though, caught me off guard: your final reflecions about the series as a whole. Me, who finished the first game saying, "Joel, you bastard selfish delusional liar!", after listenning to you I am started to consider that "maybe, he had a point (in saving Ellie)..."

    • @frap9965
      @frap9965 2 роки тому +11

      Well said

    • @user-xx6vy9ri8p
      @user-xx6vy9ri8p 2 роки тому +7

      Oh yeah, just maybe he had a point in not trusting people who wanted to kill him and Ellie to MAYBE make a cure because apparently no one of them can do surgery...lol...

    • @VoxelLoop
      @VoxelLoop 2 роки тому +41

      To me, the ending of the first game left me extremely conflicted. I was happy that Ellie was still alive, but swamped with guilt because of the cost this came at. I kept flickering between being happy about the decision and feeling guilty.
      For the second game, I totally agree with you. It's a real shame that so many people miss the emotions the game is trying to give you. A lot of people start the second half as Abby and they hate her, but they continue to hate her the entire way through, as a result the ending doesn't make sense for them. For me, I really liked Abby, I actually think she's a lot more level-headed then Ellie, especially towards the end of the game.
      When the end of the second game arrived, I was already overwhelmed with emotions and didn't want either character to die really, I kept telling myself I wish we could just call it all off and go home, enough damage has already been done on both sides. Killing Abby wouldn't give Ellie anything, she's destroyed without killing her and would be destroyed after killing her.
      I guess I just struggle to understand why to me the game made perfect sense and I felt like it was a true masterpiece, but, to some others it's like they can't get over the need for revenge. I suppose that's the sad reality of humanity, as you put it, some people aren't familiar with the emotional process of forgiveness, empathy, and redemption.

    • @jackrobinson3833
      @jackrobinson3833 2 роки тому +14

      It’s not about the player. The game executes those topics poorly through bad writing. Just take Red Dead Redemption 2 for example, Arthur Morgan is arguably gamings most beloved protagonist with a redemption arc. He is so beloved because he is written well not because everyone who played him were “familiar.”

    • @ricardobautista-garcia8492
      @ricardobautista-garcia8492 2 роки тому +1

      This game is quite subjective.

  • @lintsample9225
    @lintsample9225 2 роки тому +3

    Hands down the best video essay i’ve watched. your efforts are very much appreciated man, thank you

  • @UrsinoPro
    @UrsinoPro 2 роки тому +9

    Amazing video. Great commentary. Great perspective. Really made me think a lot and dive back into one of the greatest games ever made. Thank you for taking the time to put this together. It was really impactful. Beautifully done

  • @mrs.hopwinkle6034
    @mrs.hopwinkle6034 3 роки тому +180

    Such a wonderful change of pace from the usual "Abby bad, Elllie good" essays out there. You perfectly put into words why I adore this game so much.

  • @willowpaquette1153
    @willowpaquette1153 3 роки тому +974

    I'm always nervous to interact with fan content about this game. Even though I am no longer with the studio, in the public, my role even as a small gear that went into making this game carries immense weight for some people. But after watching your video I had to step up say thank you. Thank you for understanding, and letting this difficult piece of art impact you to try and be the change you want to see in the world. If there's one thing I've learned from the reception of TLOU2 and the state of the world at large is that empathy and forgiveness is one of the hardest things for people to process and to enact. Your words were so eloquently put and I'm glad there are more nuanced looks at the story we were trying to tell that's not the exact anger and contempt that the game so dearly tries to show us how to be rid us of; to show us no matter how messed up things are that we can do better and we can be happier, all because we choose to be. Again, thank you.

    • @palbo4
      @palbo4 3 роки тому +90

      Damn, really cool seeing a comment here from someone involved in the making of this incredibly special game. What was your role if you don't mind me asking?

    • @ElectrikCompany
      @ElectrikCompany 3 роки тому +31

      Underrated comment!

    • @alborzajeli768
      @alborzajeli768 3 роки тому +40

      you're a legend for what you helped produce, kudos to you Willow, it's truly a masterpiece if there ever was one!

    • @anitabonghit7606
      @anitabonghit7606 3 роки тому +7

      Yea good on you but the game is bad not your fault unless you were lead project designer or storyboard designer or director

    • @anitabonghit7606
      @anitabonghit7606 3 роки тому +5

      Ill just assume you did the graphics gameplay or animations nd congratulate u

  • @Scarecr0wn
    @Scarecr0wn 8 місяців тому +7

    Firts video I´ve seen from you. Holy hell man, you absolutely nailed the editing.
    It is hard for me to put into words how important TLoU games are for me. It´s beyond gaming, it´s this strange relationship humans can develop with art. First time I finished Part 2, I was not able to touch any other game for 2 months. The inner void was insane. And I am oh so greatful for it.

  • @annamai5747
    @annamai5747 2 роки тому +91

    when I finished The last of us, I immediately sold It. It was because I couldnt really live with the impact that I got from that game and I was hauted by It for months. I avoided everything that had to do with the franchise and I never wanted to have empathy with Abby, now almost two years later I am here watching your video. Thank you for giving me a deeper insight into Abbys life and choices. No one could explain It better than you. Because of you I have forgiven the game and my anger has been silenced. Now maybe one day I will be able to play It again.

    • @selimyigit7534
      @selimyigit7534 10 місяців тому

      Good for you man. I too finished the game just now. I know I'm a lil late. And it has a huge impact on me. But when you can see clearly, the writing feels top notch.

  • @R4Y2k
    @R4Y2k 2 роки тому +150

    "This is no longer about choosing a side... it's only about the feeling the raw confusion of pain and how it posesses us to do dark, horrible thing to one another"
    Humanity in a nutshell.

  • @JDiiiablo
    @JDiiiablo 3 роки тому +138

    I'm one of the ones that think the game ended the way it should've. I think in that final moment, she remembered what Joel wanted for her. she remembered that Joel always told her that they're not killers, they're survivors. I think Ellie knew that killing aby would make her more than just someone surviving and I think she knew that's what Joel wanted for her so she didn't do it

    • @dilakssd1262
      @dilakssd1262 2 роки тому

      I don't get it it's simply her guilt that drives her thorugh in the entire game and when she let go of it she forgives abby and i think that's what the story was intended to be understood I accept your pov but it's my opinion

    • @JDiiiablo
      @JDiiiablo 2 роки тому +1

      @@dilakssd1262 it’s revenge that drivers her. Ellie wasn’t guilty of anything

    • @dilakssd1262
      @dilakssd1262 2 роки тому

      @@JDiiiablo no not really all those years she was fighting herself to forgive joel but Abby thereby took that chance from her now that she can't forgive joel forever it actually fuels here motive to avenge abby in the end despite killing dozens of people to get to abby she just lets her go just because she can't kill her that's what this guy said in his video.

    • @JDiiiablo
      @JDiiiablo 2 роки тому +2

      @@dilakssd1262 it was only a span of 5 years. At the end of the game there’s the scene where Ellie and Joel are talking after that incident at the festival where they sorta made up. Then the next day is when Joel dies. They were already on their path to healing. Ellie loses Joel and then uses the excuse of going to find tommy to go outside. Then remember that she tortures and kills nora trying to find Abby. Jesse ends up leaving her to go find tommy because she was too obsessed with revenge and killing Abby. This entire game is a revenge story from both sides

    • @bobjohnson9806
      @bobjohnson9806 2 роки тому +3

      @@dilakssd1262 she never forgave abby, she realized joel wouldnt want her to do it. she couldnt do it, because she is reminded she isnt a bad person.

  • @Brandr3ws
    @Brandr3ws 10 місяців тому +2

    When I'm feeling sad or low I watch this video.
    2 months ago I took a trip across the country to go to Seattle to visit the places Ellie & Abby visited in the Last of Us Part 2 - even got a private tour of the Paramount Theatre. This, for me, was also a journey towards forgiveness of someone who wronged me in my life.
    I thought long and hard about some of your insights as I walked those streets.
    Thanks for making this. It still resonates with me 2 years after I initially watched it.

  • @MrWhoFour
    @MrWhoFour 2 роки тому +11

    What a fantastic interpretation of this game, so well thought out and explained. Beautifully done.

  • @Zinnober
    @Zinnober 3 роки тому +119

    "We're allowed to be happy."
    That got me. Well done.

  • @srithwik6613
    @srithwik6613 3 роки тому +112

    This game left me in thought for the longest of times. To me this is one of the best endings possible to this series, a modern Shakespearean play. One that leaves us in thought

  • @syedzgaming
    @syedzgaming 2 роки тому +63

    This game is so heavy on symbolism, its beautiful. The ferris wheel which Eli seeks so frantically and which Aby loves coz of her memories, symbolizes the circle of vengeance Eli and Abby are stuck in.

  • @dalj4362
    @dalj4362 Рік тому +4

    This game was so much more than just a game. Very well put together video and run down of life and emotions in general. Bravo!

  • @lamarcio7370
    @lamarcio7370 3 роки тому +262

    Worlds cannot describe how perfectly you explained the beauty of this game, TLOU2 is a fucking masterpiece and i will die on that hill

    • @tyrantfox7801
      @tyrantfox7801 2 роки тому +13

      I got your back

    • @theonetruefusky7681
      @theonetruefusky7681 2 роки тому +10

      Tlou2 is a misunderstood masterpiece of art. People are slowly realizing it

    • @user-zx9wf4js6l
      @user-zx9wf4js6l 2 роки тому +1

      @@theonetruefusky7681 no bro but it some good in it

    • @derek2802
      @derek2802 2 роки тому

      TLOU2 is a fucking joke 😂🤡

    • @crazybabuskaman3923
      @crazybabuskaman3923 2 роки тому

      @@theonetruefusky7681 Tlou2 is by far the most misunderstood peice of media ever.

  • @TrybzVibez
    @TrybzVibez 3 роки тому +158

    When you were talking about the final fight and you said "Joel saves us" I literally started sobbing. This is one of the best video essays I've ever seen. Thank you.

  • @visro_5942
    @visro_5942 Рік тому +5

    i rarely comment on youtube videos but man, i just couldn't click away from your video without telling you how much it moved me! i genuinely loved this game so much from the very first day it came out and seeing so many people just hate on it because they were "blinded" by their anger towards abby really hurt me. i loved your commentary on this, i loved how you portrayed ellie as the "villain" that we still sympathize with to some extent and i'm so glad you payed so much attention to the human side of the wolfs and seraphites. just like the game, your video really brought me to tears and now i'm feeling that unscratchable itch again to replay the game just to hope for a different outcome for ellie and abby. absolutely amazing video wow!

  • @INTERPOLFAN17
    @INTERPOLFAN17 2 роки тому +4

    This was absolutely beautiful. Well done.

  • @sappy.3xe
    @sappy.3xe 3 роки тому +128

    In my interpretation, I think the second game is to show us the complexity of life and humanity. It strongly shows the us vs them mentality as well. Even though we’re shown how human each side (Abby’s group vs Ellie’s group) can be and how they have loved ones/friends of their own and their goal is to survive just like everybody else, we see how these groups still violently clash with one another. It’s easy to paint the other side as the bad guys and so you fight against them, perpetuating the cycle of revenge and violence.
    The game is also about the parallels of Abby and Ellie’s story and how they experience loss and revenge. They both have lost their father/father figure, lost their friends, and experienced so much just for revenge. They really aren’t that different from one another. In the end, it was all meaningless because they’ve tired themselves out and have already accepted their fate, no longer wanting to kill the other- hence: “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
    Lastly, I think the game is called The Last of Us because it is what’s left after all is said and done that makes us- well... _us_ really. The game serves as a grim reminder that our actions have consequences, but it also reminds us that every character has a story/life of their own. This ties back into the complexity of life and humanity- we all have our own stories and motivations that make us who we are and determines who we may become. It is because of Joel’s actions which caused Abby to go after him in the first place. And we see in the second game how the desire for revenge causes Abby and Ellie to go against one another until they’ve lost nearly everything. The second game was never meant to have a happy ending. It’s supposed to make you uncomfortable and leave you feeling numb/empty afterwards, in order to show the grim reality of the world we live in.

    • @andrewstephens5885
      @andrewstephens5885 3 роки тому

      so a miserable game for depressed people

    • @crazybabuskaman3923
      @crazybabuskaman3923 Рік тому

      @@andrewstephens5885 No a miserable game for everyone alive. Life is complex, it's both good and bad. So many ups and downs on the ride. In the end we just gotta live and try to make the world a better place, no matter the violence that has been shred.

    • @suisinghoraceho2403
      @suisinghoraceho2403 7 місяців тому

      It would really be a miserable game if Ellie ended up killing Abby. She would have completed her decent into hell. Instead, she pulled back the last minute because she remembered the love Joel gave her.
      Somehow, not killing Abby meant Ellie could now start to heal rather than losing purpose of life. It actually made me more hopeful.
      Naughty Dog could leave the choice of whether to kill Abby to players and have A/B endings. But they chose not to do it. Doing so would make it too gimmicky reducing the impact of the game.

  • @thisguy8106
    @thisguy8106 3 роки тому +540

    It kills me that people refused to allow themselves to admit that this story was incredible.
    Because it really is an amazing story.

    • @sunnysied713
      @sunnysied713 3 роки тому +45

      Far from amazing. It's mediocre. The LoU2's writing is full of plot conveniences and contrivances, bad (upside-down) characterizations, pretentious and muddled themes, pacing and tonal issues and sloppy execution. Yes, the story is pretty bad. Naughty Dog delivered a cheap, lazy revenge story that leaned heavily on subversion of expectations.

    • @thisguy8106
      @thisguy8106 3 роки тому +100

      @@sunnysied713 I respectfully disagree. The story resonated with me.. and I didn't find it pretentious, at all. I really enjoyed the story.

    • @thisguy8106
      @thisguy8106 3 роки тому +68

      @@sunnysied713 I also don't think it was a "cheap revenge story" either.
      It was actually a very realistic summarization of what happens to someone who has a very unhealthy "fixation on revenge".. at all costs.

    • @moonmoon2479
      @moonmoon2479 3 роки тому +22

      @@thisguy8106 that.....is exactly what a cheap revenge story is.

    • @thisguy8106
      @thisguy8106 3 роки тому +38

      @@moonmoon2479 it would be if it was a bad story.
      But it isn't. The phrase "cheap revenge story" is saying its a bad one. It isn't. It's a really good story for being a revenge story. So.. its not a "cheap" one.

  • @JDM525
    @JDM525 Рік тому +3

    This is such a fantastic, well thought and insightful video essay. I am blown away by the craft and work put into this. Really opened my eyes and enjoyed what I learned watching this. Thank you for making this video, I was gripped by everything you had to say and motivated me to learn more about this brilliant game.

  • @TheSirSpence
    @TheSirSpence 2 роки тому +5

    You nailed my turning point of Abby. It was totally the sky bridge.
    I really enjoyed this video.

  • @leonardomatos6204
    @leonardomatos6204 3 роки тому +150

    Man, I can't describe how this video changed my perspective on the story and especially the feeling that the characters were feeling in the game, it was just incredible, great work.

    • @CallingAllMadMen
      @CallingAllMadMen 3 роки тому +9

      Play it again! A second play through is a must to grasp everything! 🤗

    • @vidmasterK1
      @vidmasterK1 3 роки тому +9

      Wishing everyone who bashes the game for not being a straight up copy of the original with better graphics (and didn't even actually play through the whole game) had the mindset of this. To slow down and think about the story, go beyond the basic outrage of "muscular girl killed Joel in the first half hour of the game" and dive deeper into all the psychology and etc.

    • @DeadShot-cj5gf
      @DeadShot-cj5gf 3 роки тому

      @@vidmasterK1 game is still dog

  • @Arthur-nh8lm
    @Arthur-nh8lm 3 роки тому +261

    I've quoted it before, I'll quote it again : "Revenge is a fool's game." - Arthur Morgan

    • @WeedsterDuck
      @WeedsterDuck 3 роки тому +35

      Yes both rd2 and tlou2 are masterpieces

    • @matthewmicelli6674
      @matthewmicelli6674 3 роки тому +3

      Wow. Congrats for beating something so monotonous.

    • @mkunited77
      @mkunited77 3 роки тому +1

      @@WeedsterDuck not tlou2

    • @WeedsterDuck
      @WeedsterDuck 3 роки тому

      @@mkunited77 why?

    • @mkunited77
      @mkunited77 3 роки тому +2

      @@WeedsterDuck the story is a mess and the ending is the worst thing about the game

  • @wulfgarthepen
    @wulfgarthepen 2 роки тому +2

    This was pretty incredible, amazingly edited and what a genuine analysis of such a great game and a great story

  • @apieceofcoffee
    @apieceofcoffee Рік тому +2

    This is the perfect video on this game. You've articulated exactly what I've been trying to describe to the people around me who still don't understand the story. Wonderful video essay!

  • @canada1529
    @canada1529 3 роки тому +350

    After Abbie killed Joel, I felt a rage that I’ve never felt towards a video game character before. I wanted to make her suffer so badly. And I was just that fury for at least an hour after she killed him. Even after that, I still well and truly resented her.
    But somehow, by the time the final confrontation came around, I was in tears because I didn’t want Ellie to hurt her.
    Naughty Dog struck gold twice. That’s two-for-two for masterpieces, and I’m really looking forward to the third game.

    • @MessiahMma
      @MessiahMma 3 роки тому

      Their making a third one ?

    • @averyarp7901
      @averyarp7901 3 роки тому +17

      What story did you experience I screamed for abbie's ☠️☠️☠️ the whole time. Especially after that contrived bullshit where you have to play as her.

    • @firelordOzai3
      @firelordOzai3 3 роки тому +36

      I begged Ellie not to kill Abby, even as I pressed square. It was a great moment.

    • @Marie-vi8mw
      @Marie-vi8mw 3 роки тому +29

      i wasnt in tears when ellie was about to kill abby. I was more confused with my own thoughts. I didn't know whether or not i wanted to kill abby because i still hated her for joel but at the same time, she's a good person, we just saw her in a bad way at her worst. Ellie and abby are pretty much the same it just the we know ellie more so we like her more. Plus, we see Ellies point of view more so of course everyone is gonna love ellie way more than abby. But if the roles were reversed with ellie and abby, then we would hate ellie. This whole game is just hard to proccess to be honest. I finished it a few months ago and still don't know what to think about abby. But overall, this game is a complete master piece.

    • @genaiofficialmusic
      @genaiofficialmusic 3 роки тому +26

      @@averyarp7901 What a weird way to say that you didn’t watch this video lol

  • @ironsidesk3199
    @ironsidesk3199 3 роки тому +133

    The best game I have ever played. To be honest the only game which shows to true nature of a person.
    "No one is perfect" I think that's what they tried to show in this game. Everyone is a good person in someones story, and a bad person in someone else's. Must play it with an open mind. Revenge is a chain and in the end Ellie just broke it.

    • @MansMan42069
      @MansMan42069 3 роки тому

      ua-cam.com/video/n1f9m09IG6U/v-deo.html

    • @MansMan42069
      @MansMan42069 3 роки тому

      @Stammtischbruder Your logic doesn't follow. Sorry.

    • @thedorkside501
      @thedorkside501 3 роки тому

      Interesting what you said about TLOU2 showing the true nature of a person. I felt that way about part 1, and the simplifications of characters morality in part 2 is one of the main reasons I don't like it.

  • @martijnvanderwal3976
    @martijnvanderwal3976 Рік тому +1

    This video was amazing! Thanks so much for making it!

  • @BackyardTreePeople
    @BackyardTreePeople 9 місяців тому +4

    I keep coming back to this video because it's brilliant. You're perspective on this game is spot on the way I see the game. I appreciate the video.

  • @bucket399
    @bucket399 3 роки тому +223

    This game is not only a measure of the characters' ability to empathize with "the enemy", but also the player's. So many people just can't seem to accept Abby's reasons for killing Joel, and hold onto their bloodlust for her even after the credits roll.
    From being hyper-critical of the characters' actions and motivations and chalking it up to 'hack writing', to making UA-cam compilations of different ways to self-kill Abby (which always have bordeline sociopathic comment sections lol), to more vitriolic reactions like expressing bigotry and transphobia about the characters and writers, harassing the cast and crew, and even sending death threats to the creators several months after the game's release, there's an incredible irony in the way that some gamers out there who were hurt by Joel's death embody the same blind hatred that this story warns of.
    Whether you want to call their behavior juvenile, overly dramatic, or outright irrational, this is their honest reaction to the game and they do an excellent job of serving as a living, breathing example of its message about the way emotional pain can blind us and send us on a path of obsessive, destructive hate (for the most part - there are of course bad faith groups out there who deemed this game "too SJW" and have made it the target of their asinine 'culture war' ever since they dropped the first e3 demo with Ellie and Dina kissing)

    • @JimmyOlsson
      @JimmyOlsson 2 роки тому +12

      This is so spot on! Couldn't have said it better!

    • @gogirlforever12
      @gogirlforever12 2 роки тому +9

      This is beautiful, spot on

    • @WeAreN1nja
      @WeAreN1nja 2 роки тому +10

      This is a tragically underrated comment.

    • @mikoajmanko3564
      @mikoajmanko3564 2 роки тому +6

      Shit, what a comment. Thank you.

    • @jshv73
      @jshv73 2 роки тому +2

      Very well said couldn’t agree more

  • @comlink5379
    @comlink5379 3 роки тому +42

    Part II ended with what Ellie is most scared of, as she told Sam in Part I: Being alone...

  • @Elliott_Ray
    @Elliott_Ray 2 роки тому +1

    What an amazing review man! You hit all the points. This game was such an emotional rollercoaster

  • @evivrusXerudne
    @evivrusXerudne 2 роки тому +1

    I come back to this video quite a bit and it always leaves me feeling reinvigorated and refreshed. Thank you for that.

  • @MovieConvo
    @MovieConvo 3 роки тому +725

    Hands down the best video i've seen on UA-cam. THANK YOU so much for this video......THANK YOU bro

    • @MartinGV2007
      @MartinGV2007 3 роки тому +1

      😂

    • @elijahbehrens4064
      @elijahbehrens4064 3 роки тому +2

      if you like this you should watch "The Game That Broke Me - A SOMA video essay". it's really good but it's also a little under an hour and a half

    • @tiggs03
      @tiggs03 3 роки тому

      @@elijahbehrens4064 i think i’ll check that out, thanks man

    • @david.l8698
      @david.l8698 3 роки тому +3

      I'd say this video and "How to Divide a Fanbase" are the best TLOU2 analyses. They're unbiased and stating facts although one argues that it's not bad (this video) and the other highlights the flaws and how they could've been improved.

  • @MIDA-Multi-Tool
    @MIDA-Multi-Tool 3 роки тому +117

    I hope you're still reading these. Jesus Christ, dude, this almost made me cry like my first playthrough of the game did. I'm so glad this got recommended to me. I've been saying since June that this is going to be a game that serves as a benchmark for years to come, even if not many people realize it now. I just wish I had people to talk with about it. I haven't got any friends who have even played the first game and it sucks so much. I've done so much thinking and I've got so much to say without having anyone to say it to. This video serves as an outlet to some extent. It's nice to know that there are other people who were as deeply affected by this story as I was. You did an absolutely phenomenal job expressing things that have been weighing on me for months, which I haven't been able to completely articulate myself. Thank you so much for taking the time to put this together. I loved every single second of it.

  • @jamiedeegan7763
    @jamiedeegan7763 Рік тому

    This is best video essay I’ve ever seen. Insane writing and analysis. Subbed.

  • @aryanj9
    @aryanj9 Рік тому +1

    What an amazing video. One of the most beautiful pieces of content I’ve seen on UA-cam.

  • @PM-of3fn
    @PM-of3fn 3 роки тому +593

    Seriously! I never understood the hate this game got. It was so intense in so many ways. The ending had me just like, staring at the end credits and then the start screen for so long. I played it right as quarantine started. It was an amazing world to be able to enter during that time.
    Cool to hear your thoughts on it.

    • @GeyerII
      @GeyerII 3 роки тому +16

      I mean
      You can just watch one of the many videos and you will understand why I and many other people why the story is a poetic (pardon my language lol) A DUCKING PIECE OF TRASH
      That sounded funny in my mind
      Anyway go watch the videos if you want to understand why people don't like it

    • @PM-of3fn
      @PM-of3fn 3 роки тому +41

      @@GeyerII I'm good thx

    • @AImighty_Loaf
      @AImighty_Loaf 3 роки тому +18

      @@PM-of3fn So you don't want to understand why others dislike the game but want to stay trapped in why you think it's so good? Okay. I hate the game but watched the whole video to try and understand what's good about it. I understand where the narrator is coming from, but boy is the story ass.

    • @alexgrantham4747
      @alexgrantham4747 3 роки тому +8

      I literally sat there and watched the whole end credits for the first time in a videogame. I just wanted to know what went into it. They were loooooonnnggg.

    • @PM-of3fn
      @PM-of3fn 3 роки тому +10

      @@AImighty_Loaf good for you?!

  • @victoriarose9348
    @victoriarose9348 3 роки тому +26

    “For the younger generation, who probably grew up watching a play through of The Last Of Us on youtube”
    spot on. and proud of it!
    Thank you for this masterpiece of a video essay. Perfect analysis.

    • @mms7859
      @mms7859 3 роки тому +1

      I used to watch my dad play the first game 7 years Ago

    • @joakinglegend7664
      @joakinglegend7664 2 роки тому

      @@mms7859 thats sweet

  • @stitch1088
    @stitch1088 2 роки тому +1

    This is quite possibly the best video essay I've ever watched. Spot on. Every single thing. What a profound analysis of a beautiful game. Sad that many still don't understand it.

  • @FirstnameLastname-qc3xx
    @FirstnameLastname-qc3xx 4 місяці тому +1

    This video is so well done man.

  • @SingleServed
    @SingleServed 3 роки тому +139

    Congratulations to you! Great analysis. I’m am more so amazed to see this depth of analysis from someone as young as you. Makes me hopeful about our future. I’m a bitter 45 year old guy myself, in disbelief observing how our world is growing ever darker, reaching even reaching for extremism again. Nice to see really young people catching the message. These two games are the pieces of media that had the most impact on me in recent times. I really believe this is the future of storytelling and a way of teaching kids bombarded with brutality to gain perspective within the media they grow up in. The divisiveness around this game and how many people chose to block the messaging out, really proves to me how necessary more confronting stories like these still are.
    Playing an action game where at the end you don’t want to fight anymore is really something I never expected from video games. Solely for that this game was a masterpiece. That’s art in a video game.

    • @Khiff
      @Khiff 3 роки тому +9

      "Playing an action game where at the end you don’t want to fight anymore is really something I never expected from video games. " RIGHT?! That's exactly what struck me in the first place, and it's not because the gameplay is bad or boring, but because you actually feel for both characters, something never experienced in a videogame.
      Naughty Dog really did a great job, and I feel sorry for all the people that don't (want to) get the message: it's natural, I get it, cause they fall in the same old category "us (Ellie) vs them (Abby)". But still, wtf... if they can't really empathize for a videogame character that at the end of the day doesn't even exist, is there really any hope out there, in the real world, when it comes to forgiveness?

    • @alborzajeli768
      @alborzajeli768 3 роки тому +2

      @@Khiff not for those people, but certainly for those that did allow themselves to experience and understand the story, for them there is certainly hope. And even those that did not, perhaps in time they too will come around. But for now it's clear, one side is filled with love, hope and understanding, and the other with rage, disdain and anger (this is especially reflective in the ending, to which some saw light, love and hope, whilst others saw emptiness, sorrow and hatred). It shows not only in their reflections of the game, but the general tone of their comments and communication. One side is extremely hostile (pathologically, considering its over a game) whilst the other is amiable. It's a genuine reflection of human kind at this moment in history.

  • @dlynn4304
    @dlynn4304 3 роки тому +68

    Wow. After countless videos about the shortfalls of this game, I'd started to wonder whether my belief in the game was misplaced. I appreciate your take on hope and growth in the next generation. That's exactly what I felt people were missing about this lengthy, dark, and depressing game. I always felt hope in playing part 1 and part 2. I believe the team at Naughty Dog were willing to take us to some pretty dark places, places most players didn't want to go to, in order to help us feel that hope and humanity. Thanks for the video, man. Great job.

    • @mookiedt
      @mookiedt 2 роки тому +1

      Nah. People didn't miss out on anything. They just didn't like it because it wasn't decent.

    • @bobjohnson9806
      @bobjohnson9806 2 роки тому +1

      @@mookiedt you can disagree with the story choices, but saying that the story is bad is objectively wrong.

    • @Ravi9A
      @Ravi9A 2 роки тому

      @@bobjohnson9806 The story is objectively bad. You are free to like it.

  • @_Broken_Record_
    @_Broken_Record_ 2 роки тому

    Absolutely beautiful. You clearly express so much of what I feel about the last of us as well as helping me realize more. Thank you

  • @michaelledalkafouki406
    @michaelledalkafouki406 9 місяців тому +3

    This is probrally the best video ive seen. A great, great analysis. So much information and your pov is very intrasting to say the least. Great job man :)

  • @swayampattnaik4858
    @swayampattnaik4858 3 роки тому +45

    Sit back and take your time to digest the fact that a video game could mean so much and could convey such a mature, grappling yet beautiful story that many blockbuster modern day films and tv shows failed to.
    I swear if hbo changes the spirit of this story I would never be able to forgive them despite the fact that they produced Chernobyl mini-series

    • @timekeeper2538
      @timekeeper2538 3 роки тому +8

      The Director of the series *is* the Chernobyl director and Neil Druckmann is heavily involved as the main consultant, so if HBO fucks this up I'm gonna be surprised.

    • @andymania13
      @andymania13 2 роки тому +1

      Right? I mean, it’s a game, but it was one of the most emotionally involved experiences I have ever had in my life. I learned lessons. I grew as a person. It’s the best story I’ve ever played as a player. And at the end, I felt both at a loss for the right emotion, yet grateful for the journey I had been taken on.

  • @naththegamer845
    @naththegamer845 3 роки тому +30

    Not gonna lie... the leaks, the reviews, and everything else in between just made me hate this game... because jole. Then I played the game... which made me conflicted... then people like you who masterfully explain the last of us part 2 just make me happy... How can I just go from hating it to loving it... thank you

  • @milesofgamingandfriends4320
    @milesofgamingandfriends4320 2 роки тому +2

    This is the first thing that’s made me cry in so long. Thank you for making this.