10 Hated Video Game Moments You're Totally Wrong About
7. Joel's Death - The Last of Us Part II
No single scene from recent gaming history has been as intensely and tiresomely litigated online as Joel's unexpected death just a few hours into The Last of Us Part II.
Many were left infuriated that Joel not only died, but died so early in the game, and furthermore was killed by a character largely unknown to the audience at that point in a decidedly un-heroic way.
More than five years after the game's release, many remain firmly embittered about it, to the extent that they believe this single creative decision ruined the entire game.
And while there are certainly more level-headed takes from folk who were disappointed with Joel's demise, his death was absolutely the right call for the narrative.
Much as fans have a certain connection to Joel, he's an undeniable anti-hero with a fair share of "red in his ledger," and so a violent death was far from a surprising outcome for him.
And so when we learn that Abby killed him because Joel killed her father at the end of the first game, it makes perfect sense - Joel's death serves as the lynchpin for the game's broader commentary on the futile cycles of violence generated by revenge.
To challenge players to think about who Joel is as a person, and then later encourage them to empathise with his killer by playing as her for many hours, is one of the boldest gambits ever pulled off in any AAA video game, even if it'll be whined about until the heat death of the universe.