The Last Of Us Part 2 Review: 10 Ups And 2 Downs

9. Incredibly Deep, Nuanced Characters And Morality

Thoughtful insights into protagonists we thought we knew so well, small moments of hope the gleam through the darkness and palpable chemistry between the leads makes for entire sequences that directly contrast with the otherwise harsh and uncompromising narrative. As a result, it's these little character moments that make The Last of Us 2 such an emotional experience.

The game is about hate, yes, but that overarching theme makes the moments of levity, of love and humanity resonate that much more. The Last of Us Part 2 is all about nuance; nobody is entirely good or evil, nobody is entirely full of love or hate, and often, you can't have one without the other.

The writers have already explained how there's no heroes or villains in The Last of Us Part 2, and while many titles have made the claim before, it's never been truer than here. The factions and specific characters - even background NPCs - are so fully detailed, their goals and motivations so clear, that it isn't a case of you being the good guy killing the bad guys.

You can see love and hate, reason and arrogance in everyone - even when one of the sides is stringing up its enemies and pulling out their intestines.