So …
Some basics out of the way first. Graphically on base PS4 it was stunning. From beginning to end really tough to find any rough edges. So much care and effort put in to this game. Very recent patch added a few options including a film grain filter adjustment. I brought that down to 3 for the last couple of sections and for me that looked cleaner and nicer. Personal preference though.
Audio wise the music and effects work is great, voice acting really exceptional. I had an issue with voice audio being barely audible at the beginning and spent a while messing with options. Eventually found switching PS4 system settings to DTS rather than PCM sorted it. I still think the game has an issue with voice dialog when not facing the person talking to you. It just gets very quiet.
Action and gunplay wise I thought it started tough but as you got used to your weapons, your options grew and you modified your kit I began to love it. Some of the later sections became very strategic depending on how you wanted to play them. I tended more towards stealth.
Areas were large and expansive to give options but not so much that you lost your way. There was minimal hand holding with the right settings and I felt like I was exploring rather than following directions or map markers. I could see lots of areas playing well in the expected MP release.
I tended to err on the side of lots of exploration. Trying to clear areas and looting everything I could find once enemies were dealt with. It’s very gamey but I like the little asides characters day when it’s safe. I also never really felt too distracted from the main story when exploring because the game did a good job of linking in side stories with notes and objects.
I always liked to make sure I had as full a pack of gear and resources as possible before moving on to the next section. It’s a small point but I enjoyed the fact that resources were always where you might expect them. Alcohol in bars, tape in offices etc. It’s all part of a bigger picture of attention to detail.
So the story …
Revenge is clearly the central theme here and what they do with it is daring, fascinating and for some quite divisive. It’s also cleverly and subtly woven into the story and how it plays out. Masterful in many respects in how it plays with your instincts and your connection to the characters. It’s frequently uncomfortable in ways only this medium can be and that’s it’s greatest achievement.
It’s a long game, I put in 41 hours by the time I reached the conclusion, but I think I’m more of an exception. Average time seems to be more around 30 hours. For a strongly story driven game of this type (and quality!) that’s long. It’s what’s needed to tell the story though, and that’s what drives it. It’s important that you spend time with the different characters to fully understand the motives and their side of the story.
Ellie’s revenge story is the basis for the majority of the game. The justification being the brutal murder of Joel fairly early in the game. This part I think was widely leaked and spoiled before release, but given the shown clips and flagging as the start of the story played out I doubt it came as a big surprise to many. It motivates you through the first half of the game and you understand the actions that you play out. There are already subtle hints at to what is coming though, and your mind is being prepared for how it plays out. Enemies call out to each other by name, are upset by deaths of their friends, I even had one wolf early on cower and beg me to spare them in the middle of a larger battle after I had hit them a few times.
The flip around the mid point I’m guessing was also probably a bone of contention with some. A risky move. Playing through a big chunk of the game as Abby the person who so brutally killed Joel. It’s so incredibly well played out though. No massive obvious in your face exposition but slowly, carefully and subtly you begin to understand Abby’s perspective and just what Ellie has done for the first half of the game. Early on you walk into one of the wolf bases you see the preparation for the assault on the Scars and the body count from current battles. Then you realise that Ellie was responsible for a number of these bodies. You experience the Wolves as people, people you’ve already killed and felt some justification in killing. Guilt starts to kick in and out only gets worse as you progress and get to know the other side of the story. Even the Scars you begin to have sympathy for. This culminates in the return to the aquarium as Abby and the discovery of what you’ve done. I didn’t even notice that Mel was pregnant when Ellie killed her, now I feel like a monster for what I did.
The concluding chapter brings things to a head and ends in a way that befits the story. It’s not a happy game to play, it’s uncomfortable and challenging, and because of that it’s significant and brilliant. The complexities of the story make it a better game than the first for me. What they manage and how they do it is exceptional. A befitting end to a generation.