The Last of Us 2 Preview – What Glorious Apocalypse!

Seven years after that release of the original, the California-based studio is back with a sequel, starting a bit of a fire along the way. It would be really bad if all the hype wasn't satisfied with a game of top-notch quality. Divagations aside: I've spent over two hours in one of the chapters and I think Naughty Dog may give us the holiday of our lifetime (at least when it comes to games).

The original Last of Us, released in 2013, for many of us the moment when the Earth stood still for a moment. We'd always known games could tell complex stories, and do so in a beautiful, cinematic, and memorable way. However, Naughty Dog took it to the next level, complementing the otherwise simple, post-apo story and rather generic gameplay with elaborate machinery of feels and emotions. And so it begun.

The first installment for me was a milestone in the history of game dev. And not because of purely "video-game stuff" (even though it was quite impressive back in 2013). What defined the game were feels – the emotional charge contained in the game from Naughty Dog not only completely outclassed direct, video game competition – The Last of Us could also confidently challenge representatives of the broader convention, including classics like Cormac McCarthy's The Road. If what the studio revealed so far is true (also judging by the quality of the released fragment), it will be the same this time around.

And though I absolutely, and honestly, adore this game, it's hard for me to write even the simplest preview. And that's because the list of things I can't talk about it rather extensive. Let's not find excuses, though. Especially since secrets are in this case worth preserving, and I'll be happy to hold back on some wildly interesting info just to let you discover all the things yourself – from the color of the font to the last skill to unlock. I will not write about what location Ellie visited first and what followed; instead I will try to explain to you my extremely affectionate relationship to this game. I hope that you will contract the same condition as I, and if you already love The Last of Us, that you'll appreciate the ingredients that constitute the most suggestive and beautiful world of in video games even more. While also discussing a few key changes introduced in the sequel. Let's begin with some more obscure stuff, like the apparition of the protagonist.

You spin me like a record

Ellie's changed. Really. It's not just the age, the five years that have ed are clearly apparent. Above all, however, it is easy to recognize the world in which she has to survive. She's as fit as a fiddle, and her Olympic body spells exactly what kind of life she lives. Her clothes, on the other hand, are grunge older brother's wardrobe. Is that peculiar? I actually think this quite a remarkable phenomenon in games. Think Lara Croft – no matter what sort of mud, blood and fire she endures, she has to look like the embodiment of male fantasies. The entire franchise is d by Lara Croft's appeal of a sexy archaeologist. Of course, she's a legendary, strong female character, but her femininity was pretty much always reduced to scanty tops and tight pants.

Ellie's different. She's no princess, she overslept the Bal des débutantes. She's not meant to arouse incels. Naughty Dog is not trying to sell us mere flesh of a sexy heroine – they present her protagonist with depth and deep consideration of her circumstances, and the dirty, mean world she inhabits. Ellie has grown into a strong, downright ruthless woman who has neither the time nor the need for make-up. It takes more than a supermodel with a hatchet to face the bandits and psychopaths, all grown men. It takes more than Lara Croft.

Ellie was snatched from childhood and we slowly realizes who she's becoming. We don't know who Ellie is looking for in the demo (we know the name's Nora), but judging by trailers and announcements, she's surely not a child anymore. There's still hope kindling deep within her, but at this stage she's desperate and determined. Saw horror and human fear. And I saw evil. Anger. Fury and frenzy.

I'm impressed with Naughty Dog's sheer courage. When CD Projekt was still an obscure studio looking for publishers of the original Witcher, they heard from one company that it will publish the game, if the protagonist is a woman flashing her flesh in combat. It’s similar here: foregoing sexualization of a girl in her late teens is a decision rarer than dragons in this industry. Such "serious," or "naturalistic" approach to post-apo is apparent in a few other aspects of Naughty Dog's new game. Such as the scenery.

What a beautiful end of the world

Look at those views! Seattle (which is now going through some bad turmoil – we hope all ends well and soon), where the action of the demo took place, is a city of many elements, but water is undoubtedly dominant. And I'm not just talking about the bays – I'm talking about wild water that over the years claimed much of the city, turning streets into a dense network of subsidiaries.

This is why I think the world of The Last of Us one of the most evocative post-apocalypse settings to date – it's meticulous, intricate and deliberate, every detail has its own place, from ruins of homes, blocks, and gardens, to streets, depots and stores, to the parking lots slowly but surely overtaken by vegetation. All of that is truly beautiful, although the adjective seems rather awkward when describing the dilapidated, rotten world that offers only tetanus and death. My God – the interiors of these musty, derelict houses are so good I'd almost pay to have my room rearranged this way. Just looking at it makes you depressed. Just looking at it can give you mycosis.

Washington State's rain only completes the dismal picture. This world is feeding rust, mold and fungi, but you're still like "Whoa, this is beautiful." Because in of art and design, Naughty Dog are second to none. You surely could find some recurring props if you tried very hard (such as, say, books or chairs), but even if, none of those are conspicuous. It feels like each room, from a small basement laundry room, through staircases, office buildings, and hospitals was designed from ground-up. And this creates a fantastic impression on visiting actual houses, places that feel alive, in a weird, dead way. This is nice change after manufactured textures of a certain famous, post-apo series which got like 76 installments to this day.

Old gameplay

Likely no one was expecting a revolution in of gameplay. Ellie learned a few new tricks (including swimming, that couldn't have been easy), but the gameplay is as accessible as it was in part one. Ellie is more agile than Joel, and so her movement is brisker – she can crouch, crawl in high grass, and jump, but the character still feels distinctively heavy (not to say ponderous). Ellie's agility comes in handy when she's sneaking, and stealthy approach is indeed much more pronounced in the sequel.

You could complete almost the entire first part without firearms, only resorting to bricks, bottles, and, occasionally, Joel's fists (seriously, my ex completed the entire game literally punching her way through it, only drawing the gun to kill clickers or a bloater).

All in all, Ellie is definitely punching above her weight; she could definitely kick your ass if your main exercise is FIFA or Assassin's Creed, but direct, physical confrontation is no longer just a matter of pressing a single button. Her punches won't be knocking strong dudes off their feet, so the enemies are almost always able to counter. Melee combat is now about delivering a few fast strikes and quickly evading. It should be noted there are more opponents, too – if you trigger the alarm, they will swarm, you, not interested in waiting for you to pick them out one-by-one.

It's still possible to knock-down most bandits on the level, but it's much more irksome. It's much better to elude the chase, let the enemies cool down.

Stealth assassinations work basically the same way: Ellie has a few aces up her sleeve, though the totally OP throwing bombs are now used as proximity mines. It's also possible to catch the enemy and use them as live shield. You can improvise a silencer for the handgun and take down a bandit from underneath a truck, laying on your back. Revolution? Please. More like: necessary adaptation of the gameplay to modern standards.

Combat seemingly offers nothing new – it's the same system we from the original, with only minor improvements, and a tad more brutal, with limbs being chopped off, and blood pouring from bashed heads. And that's really enough, because The Last of Us is not really Kill Bill. It's a story about a girl, who will cling to anything to survive, including a razor blade. And she will survive, taking lives in an utterly barbaric way. There's no treaties and convention in this world; they were all sured by brutality.

Curiously, however, sneaking seemed to me much trickier than in the original. Enemies can spot you from really long distances, and the sound-based detection indication felt a bit awkward. Fortunately, the level design is top-notch, and we have plenty of room to set traps, flank enemies, sneak, and climb. Since Ellie can now climb a variety of obstacles, combat has become a bit more vertical. There are often crevices in the walls that we can sneak through to quickly switch positions. On top of that, we of course have counters, walls, cars and many other elements of the environment that provide cover.

Nevertheless, we've already seen all that, and if you've expected something more (and I'm not really sure what would that be – flying?) you might feel slightly disappointed. Because Last Of Us Part II is set to be a much larger and more extensive sequel. Nothing more, nothing less. The level design, though linear, has simply grown in all dimensions (consequently providing more routes and pathways). It's no open world, nothing to match Fallout in of the sheer size of the world – it's the same great formula we got seven years ago, whose main task is to detonate an emotional bomb so powerful it will send you to a shrink.

Ugliest game ever

The opponents, on the other hand, have undergone a sweeping redesign. In the demo, I confronted both humans and the infected. And they're not only different from each other – they're also different from their counterparts in the original.

I particularly liked the infected. The stalkers in the original were virtually indistinguishable from the runners. This time, you will certainly be able to tell the difference. And you'll soon want to unsee it. I've encountered stalkers in one of the offices, and the general impression was similar to first meeting the black ops in Half-Life, 22 years ago. For the stalkers actually hunt us, sneak and surround us, themselves remaining virtually untraceable with our sixth sense. I was very happy to learn that the feeling of relief after sneaking through a group of the mushroom people is even stronger than in the original. Clashes with them are extremely intense and if, like me, you abhor horror movies, you'll breathe a deep sigh of relief after a each victory. If you can stomach it, definitely play around with the photo mode and do close-ups on the infected (the newly introduced shamblers, in praticular). What's going on with their bodies is the stuff of nightmares.

Humans, on the other hand, are a completely different story. The two factions I came across in the demo were diametrically different. The WLF resembles a radical militia (which Ellie doesn't particularly aprove of) and are more or less a typical military faction. But the so-called Scars are a different level of madness. These freaks sport long, brown leather coats, communicate with whistles and betray inclinations tot truly outlandish forms of sadism, carrying heavy axes and lighting their way with torches. The first encounter with them was one of the strongest moments of the demo, and I won't spoil anything to you. It was intense and difficult, but without the over-exaggerating similar to Fallout Raiders (whom I adore, btw) or Mad Max' War Boys. Madness here is much more visceral, the religious zealots are enshrined in a bizarre mystery – we know neither who the Scars are, nor what's their motivation, and why they hate the WLF).

These two opposing factions and the constant threat from the infected intensifies the feeling of being the hunted, rather than the hunter. In the shared piece of code, Ellie travelled alone, without any . There was little time to rest, but those few moments allowed me to catch the much-needed breath.

Hope for post-apo?

I really don't want to spoil any more details. My only recommendation is: buy it, lose yourself in it, and take your time. Explore this world, which perished in the most beautiful way. The last of Us Part II is perhaps the most beautiful post-apocalypse you can experience – and everything seems to indicate it's at least as evocative and thrilling as part one.

In the demo, there was a moment when I had to kill a group of people inhabitin one of the flats. I didn't know why they'd attacked. They were yelling something, but it all happened so fast, like it always does. It's not until they're all dead that we learn from a letter they actually were WLF deserters seeking refuge and life in peace, away from anger and violence. I scared them, they thought I was WLF. They fired, and I fired back, killing them on the spot. Maybe it could have gone differently. But this is The Last of Us – and those who wish to survive have already learn you shoot first, ask questions later.

I know the original like the back of my hand. I can complete it on the highest difficulty armed with nothing but a brick, the ultimate weapon. I know the engine and Naughty Dog's level design so well that I have stopped using the sixth sense and sneaking – because I know exactly when and where enemies will appear in the game (which gives us subtle hints and sets out the pattern of danger and respite).

And this made for a real "WTF!?" moment for me, when the demo threw a big, big surprise. In a moment that, by all measures and rules of Naughty Dog's level design was supposed to be completely safe. That bodes well for the whole game, doesn't it?

If Naughty Dog's emotion engineering that worked so well in the original will be at least as powerful, we'll be in for one of the most exciting adventures at the fringes of video gaming. Indeed, this is the level which two, maybe three other studios in the whole world can attain. That's at least three reasons to call video games art. Now, let me cry, Naughty Dog. June 19 is still so far away…