10 Most Depressing Things About The Last Of Us Part 2
6. Being in Seattle
No shade to Seattle – it’s probably a lovely place. In our universe, that is.
The first game is characterised by a journey across America, seeing Ellie and Joel travel through sweeping landscapes from Boston, to Jackson, to Salt Lake City. They visit different little towns on their journey, finding new challenges in each one. This gives a road trip feel to the game, and a more positive sense of movement.
Although there are three different main locations in Part II (Jackson, Seattle, Santa Barbara) there is no gameplay where you travel to those other places, and for the majority of the time, you’re stuck in Seattle.
Rather than moving towards different locations, you are forced to run around the same city – physically and metaphorically never moving forward. You even play as two different people going to the same places.
As if this wasn’t grim enough, you then have the Washington State weather. The Seattle seen in Part II is either cloudy or tipping down with rain. At one point there is even a torrential storm that nearly drowns Ellie.
It’s no secret that weather affects people’s mood: not getting enough sunlight can even factor into depression. So, making the weather gloomier than an Edgar Allen Poe poem does nothing to lighten the already low moods of the players.
Sorry, Seattle – it’s not your fault.