The Last of Us Part II hit PlayStation 4 exclusively in 2020. Developer Naughty Dog brought us back into the world of cordyceps, Fireflies, Ellie, and Joel alongside new threats and characters like the WLF, Abby, Yara, Lev, and more. Game Informer gave the game a 10 out of 10 – read the review here – and I would have agreed with that score in 2020. I still agree with that score today, too.
If I wrote what I want to say about The Last of Us Part II's story, I'm sure you'd find it very familiar because it's largely how I felt around the game's original release. Instead, my wife, Gabriella LeBlanc, played through The Last of Us Part II Remastered's story for the first time ever, mostly unspoiled of the adventure, and it was awesome listening to her thoughts in real-time about the game. I wanted to share those thoughts, so I interviewed her. Below are 20 questions about The Last of Us Part II's story with answers from someone who beat it for the first time in 2024, unaware of the leaks that happened before the game's 2020 launch, the fates of certain characters, the ending, and more. Enjoy (and be nice to her in the comments)!
Playing The Last of Us Part II For The First Time In 2024
Game Informer's Wesley LeBlanc: What did you think The Last of Us Part II would be about going into it, unspoiled by the internet?
Gabriella LeBlanc: I honestly did not have much of an idea. I remember watching the trailer way back when the game was being released the first time, just passively because you were watching, and thinking, "Weird, what does this have to do with anything?" and that was with an already very basic idea of what the first game was even about. It seemed like some kind of culty witch-hunt vibe, which definitely sounds cool, but had no idea what it had to do with The Last of Us, so I didn't really know what to think.
What was the biggest surprise?
LeBlanc: The biggest surprise was not Joel's death overall, but the timing. Unfortunately, I did know that Joel was going to die because I'd seen it on Twitter or something at some point, probably a meme or something. So I knew it was going to happen. But I did not think it was going to happen so fast. When it did, I was thinking, "Okay, for real now, what is this game going to be about?"
How did Joel's death affect you? How do you feel about its place in the game's narrative?
LeBlanc: Mostly just disbelief because of the timing, as I mentioned. Since I've finished the game, I like that it happens so fast. It just provides such a shock factor that they would kill the main character, and so quickly, that it made me want to keep playing to see how this would play out for Ellie.
After Joel's death, what did you think the game's plot was going to be?
LeBlanc: At this point, I had a feeling that Ellie was going to go after his killer. She's way too ruthless to let it slide, and I knew that it would eat away at her knowing the person who did this could get away.
How do you feel about Ellie and Dina and their relationship in the first half of the game?
LeBlanc: When they were first interacting in the game, I thought it was maybe a little shallow, that Dina was kind of using Ellie as a rebound from her breakup with Jesse. However, as time went on, it was clear that things were more serious and they both provided something that the other person needed. I think Dina (and later the baby) gave Ellie someone to take care of, a purpose, much like Joel needed Ellie as his purpose. For Dina, Ellie served as a capable, protective person to love and share her life with. It's unfortunate that, in the end, they both lost those things.
Shamblers are new. What'd you think of those enemies?
LeBlanc: I pretty much saw them as the same thing as Bloaters, but they were able to attack you from afar by throwing acid (I think?) spores at you, which definitely added to the panic for me. I am, unfortunately, a very panic-driven player. By that, I mean something starts to attack me, and I start to panic, then suddenly forget what every single button on the controller does. This probably just shows how amateur I am at these types of games, but these enemies definitely added to the intensity of those moments because I was terrible at predicting how and where they were going to attack me. Were they going to run at me, or throw acid bombs at me? I couldn't predict it. Mind you, this is more of a criticism of my own skill, not the game.
Overall, I saw them as an exciting challenge. They were never so difficult to get past that it ruined the fun, but still scary and worry-inducing when I saw one!
Did you like the more open-ended area in Seattle?
LeBlanc: Yes, I actually did really enjoy this area of the game, and I say it this way because normally I am not a fan of open-world games in general. This is because I am easily overwhelmed, and my ADHD brain has a hard time figuring out what I should do next, what mission is more important, etc. But because this was at least a little bit contained and had a map to follow for guidance if you wanted it, my issues with open-world spaces didn't really apply here. I also love crossing anything off of a list, so being able to visit a certain building and then watch Ellie cross that place off on the map was very satisfying.
I also really liked this area because I am a super-searcher when it comes to collecting items, ammo, etc. I want to scour every last corner for anything that can help me. Again, I am a very amateur player, so I want all the help I can get! So having the open world area was fun and exciting because I knew that I was going to be super stocked up on what I needed, which makes me feel a lot more confident moving forward. It was also really interesting to go into all these little shops and peer into the pre-Cordyceps world of the game and find collectibles, notes, posters, and more detailing what this place was like before the fungus took over.
How do you feel about Ellie’s lean into violence and torture to get what she needs?
LeBlanc: I hated it...and I loved it. At first, I would be like, "Oh no, Ellie, what are you doing? Don't do this, this isn't you!" And then I’d flip to, "Oh my gosh, she's doing exactly what Joel would do if he were in her position. She learned all of this from Joel," and it only made me love watching it play out. Seeing so much of Joel's characteristics and actions reflect back onto Ellie only made me feel for Ellie more and how big this loss really was for her. So yeah, definitely hard to watch but also endearing in a weird way.
How did you feel about Ellie making it to the aquarium – specifically, killing Alice the dog, Mel, and Owen?
LeBlanc: I mean, watching it play out from Ellie's end, it was clear to me that she was doing what she felt like she had to do to get answers and find Abby. It was definitely rough watching it because it's not like she is doing this to save someone she loves – she's doing this to get revenge. I think it's easy to watch someone do these things knowing they have someone's life on the line that they love and are trying to save, but at this point, she's doing this to further her mission of vengeance, so it's hard to empathize with her actions. But, it's clear she is starting to feel a little bit of that when she realizes after the fact that Mel was pregnant. It was tough to watch.
What did you think of the mid-game cliffhanger?