The Last of Us Part 2's ending is a broken tale of nihilistic indulgence

The Last of Us Part 2 is a divisive game, especially when it comes to the ending. But why doesn't the ending work? What makes the final confrontation into such a failure?

[Game-ur]

because everything that preceded it didn't work.

[mandf]

Anybody that doesn't think guy is a troll go read his.comment history. Every single tlou2 article you in being negative. If you dont like it move on.

[capjacksparrow]

Amen.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

Thats not how open forums work, if YOU don't like what he is saying YOU move on. Not every comment board you scroll through is going to be an echo chamber of positivity for the subjet at hand. People are allowed to have negative opinions on a matter and they are allowed to express it as much as they want to.

[Gamerking82]

Exactly . If you don’t like or don’t intend to even play the game jog on . It is a masterpiece and nothing you butthurt losers do will ever change that . Just save your pathetic tears for when it gets crowned game of the year 2020 .

[Dragonscale]

How about if you dont like somebody elses opinion YOU move on. The game is overrated trash, end of.

[Gatsu]

Can you just move on already? We get that you don't like the game.

[King_Noctis]

Why do we call this the comment section?

[Ristul]

Don't tell others what to do, if you don't like it, why don't YOU move on. This is the comments section, people with different opinions will make comments.

[SyntheticForm]

I wish he'd do a better job actually supporting his opinion, but he still has every right to come here, every single time, to speak his mind.

Believe me, I hear you, but he's not actually being a jerk to anyone. He's redundant, sure, but again, he has every right to come in here and repeat himself if he's so inclined.

[dnAWE]

The same dozen or so commentators talking shit on every article about TLOU2... i'ts almost like they're trolling for the dislikes and the lulz...

[stuna1]

You have no idea how true your comment really is. Some are narcissistic like that.

[Bathyj]

I love how they talk like their opinion is a stone cold fact.

In this day & age with by the numbers games and cookie cutter sequels stagnating gaming and we're all screaming for something new and someone makes a truly brave decision to stepped outside that box and we lose our freaking minds because we can't handle those decisions. Good luck expecting developers to take risks in the future if this is how we behave.

You deserve your Call of duties and your assassin's creeds

[stuna1]

The blowback this game is receiving will undoubtedly mean that fewer developers will be willing to step out of their comfort zones. People don't really realize what's riding on this game philosophically, socially and in gaming as a medium to tell stories in a variety of ways.

[mrsolidsteel20]

I couldn’t agree more.

[rainslacker]

I doubt that this games criticisms are going to keep other devs from maybe stepping out of their comfort zone. The sales are all the investors care about, and if they see that games that do step outside the box can be successful, they will support them, and say anyone who doesn't like it can go F themselves.

But investors like sure things, and sure things nowadays are generally not games like these.....even though they are in some ways. But it's hard for many publishers to get the kind of hype behind their SP narrative driven games like Sony does, or more established IP's can generate. It does happen, but it's not as common as people think.

It's the consumers own general buying habits which will keep us with the cookie cutter games, while gamers are just a mockery of themselves, living in our own little bubble of a world.

[TheKingKratos]

Many times i call them out or even want to discuss a game with them [which they didn't even play and hate and just can't shut up about it]

They just don't reply back ... like every time
Which is Strange because they keep show up in every article telling ppl their opinion like a F**ing Fact

[Game-ur]

what's new or outside the box exactly? nothing. it's just reflexive defense repeating Druckerman's words in praise of himself.

[Bathyj]

Speaking of repeating. You're a broken record mate. You got no credibility. Why would you spend so much time on something you hate. It's pathetic.

[Game-ur]

@Bathyj

actually It's defenders of this game that don't have credibility. they never back up their opinion. I asked what's new or outside the box? show me your credibility.

[Gamerking82]

Yeah all will probs be the same a overweight American basement nerd that has nothing better in life too do .

[plmkoh]

Reality is always stranger than fiction. They are all probably sock-puppet accounts of the guy who wrote and uploaded these stories.

It's like Gamingbolt, they dance on both sides of the coin just to get the clicks. And these guys are seeing good results of triggering people.

[DrDeath]

It worked. Just was sad

[Sunny12345]

If you think the ending is a failure then you are a retard. What other option was there? Kill abby... pretty sure that would have garnered much more hate... moreover all that remorse ellie had would have been for naught. Given the circumstances it was the best possible ending. If they did edit the middle then ending could have been different.

[Game-ur]

they could have ended it the 1st time at the farm. what exactly happened to make Ellie change her mind at the last moment on the beach? nothing. it was just a random plot switch. the story was full of such things.

[Sunny12345]

It was the final solace flashback, in that moment she had her redemption. I think they left it to the perception of the individual gamer. But I think ellie had enough regrets killings many innocents and she just wanted to end the revenge cycle.

[Redemption-64]

They could have ended on the farm and you, plus others would still be bashing the game regardless.

[Gamerking82]

Did u even play the game @Gamer because all you seem too do is spout no dance about it . Abby was a good character and I would of done the exact same if it were me .

[JEECE]

@Game-ur

She realized she was literally doing to Abby what Abby did to Joel. While a kid that cared a ton about Abby is sitting there injured and helpless.

This isn't difficult to understand.

[Game-ur]

@JEECE

you are telling me what other people did to Abby and Lev changed Ellie more than what Ellie did herself at the aquarium? seriously ?

[JEECE]

Other people? It's almost like you're trying to misunderstand. At the very end, Ellie was killing Abby a few feet away from Lev, just like Abby had killed Joel a few feet away from Ellie. I mean, if your criticism had been that it was too parallel or too "on the nose," I could understand that. But pretending you don't understand and that it's a "random plot switch"? Come on.

[Game-ur]

@JEECE
Abby was already broken at that point. she was Chuck Norris for the whole game until that convenient moment.

[JEECE]

I don't understand how Abby being "broken" at that point changes anything; indeed, that's actually what makes it parallel, because Joel was in a position where he couldn't resist Abby when she killed him. As to it being "convenient" that another group (The Rattlers) had put her in a position where she couldn't effectively fight Ellie, that's pretty true to the world of The Last of Us. It's established throughout both games that most survival groups are more like that, and that a town like Jackson is the exception. And it's also established earlier in the game that Abby isn't invincible against large numbers; the Scars beat her and would have killed her, if not for Lev saving her. So it's not crazy that the Rattlers were able to overwhelm her, especially since they got the jump on her in their own territory.

[Game-ur]

@JEECE
Joel was OK until Abby got to him. so no parallel.
there is no other explanation other than the cheap gimmick of "plot induced stupidity", game is full of this.
and still nobody could explain what was more monumental for Ellie at that moment than what she had at the farm. nothing. it was just the writer forcing a change that is out of place. there is no real character growth or decent. and all the defenders can do is rationalize or change the subject.

[JEECE]

I don't understand why you are focusing so much on how Abby was put in a weakened state (well, I do, it's because you are arguing in bad faith because you are determined to hate this game). The only reason Joel was in a position where Abby could kill him was because they were running from a horde and trying to get out of a snowstorm. The only reason Abby was in a position where Ellie could kill her was because she had been imprisoned by the Rattlers. So even though it isn't particularly important to the comparison between the scene of Joel's death and the last scene, actually both Joel and Abby were only in the situations they were in because of outside factors. But again, it's actually not important; you are focusing on what hurt Abby before Ellie got there, rather than how drowning Abby impacted Ellie. For how it hits Ellie when she's holding Abby under water, it really doesn't matter that someone else had hurt Abby first.

[VariantAEC]

@Sunny12345
Why didn't Ellie have that flashback sooner?

Because plot of course!

This is pathetic storytelling and we all know it. Why is this fine. Naughty Dog is better than that.

Additionally wasn't the whole point of getting away from Uncharted to make the violence the characters partook in make sense? And yet at every critical story point the writers made the violence senseless and thinly veiled attempts to hold the story together.

It's almost unbelievable that the same creative director wrote up the story of these two games. They're so different and the new one is wrong.

Characters completely transformed from part 1 to part 2 without actually changing appearance (other than aging and getting tattoos that is).
Why not tell this story without any of the first games characters? That would've been truly stunning and brave. Same universe but use new characters who maybe are stupid, inept individuals lacking even the weakest of critical thinkers

[VariantAEC]

@Sunny12345
Don't want to edit my original post...
Why didn't Naughty Dog do something really stunning and brave by creating brand new stupid inept individuals lacking critical thinking skills that they could cram into The Last of Us' universe so this story could make some sense?

[Imalwaysright]

"redemption" as if she didn't go on a murdering spree for a chance to kill Abby so how does sparing Abby redeem her for her actions? Ending a revenge cycle... when Ellie's murdering spree could easily be the start of dozens of revenge cycles wich completely renders the moral point of Ellie sparing Abby and end the revenge cycle completely and utterly pointless. What's retarded is that ending.

[Sunny12345]

@iamNOTalwaysright After each major "murder" ellie committed there was remorse which was clearly shown. After Nora you could see it, after the pregnant lady she was distraught. Regarding the murder spree you should understand most situation you could avoid battle. It was kill ot be killed, I will call it self defense. In the end battle, abby was already beaten and broken beyond repair, she has given up if not for the sake of lev. And ellie realised that she has the option of killing her or letting go. Again its about your perception..... Imo there couldn't have been a better ending. Ending on the farm with remorse flashbacks would have been bad. Ending after abby is forgiven and ellie has a solace flashback was the only option. Ellie can't play guitar anymore what more do you want?

[Game-ur]

@Sunny12345
I will play along for a second. by your reasoning if Abby wasn't broken already then Ellie wouldn't have changed. that renders the ending even more meaningless.

[DigitalHope]

The ending was actually brilliant.

It wasn’t about redemption as Ellie is yet to truly redeem herself. It wasn’t about forgiving Abby either.

If you look in Ellie’s journal the first time at the house she’s unable to draw Joel properly as the eyes are always scratched out.

Letting Abby go was more about forgiveness, forgiving Joel but also forgiving herself. As much as Abby physically tortured Joel, Ellie had emotionally tortured him. I feel Ellie had a lot of guilt by not forgiving Joel while she had the chance so a lot of her journey was about making peace with that fact. She probably also didn’t want to ruin her memories of Joel because killing Abby would have forever tainted to good memories and she’s never truly be able to move on.

This is cemented that in that final moment at the house that if you go into Ellie’s journal one last time she has perfectly drawn Joel with his eyes playing guitar on his porch.

I love how “supposed” fans of the first game choose not to look at journal entries or read artifacts which add to the overall depth of the game and story, because if they did they might have a better understanding of some of the events in the game.

[Imalwaysright]

Feeling remorse doesn't redeem a person, it just emphasizes the fact that she was aware of what she was doing and still, she kept going forward, she kept killing more people, putting the people she loved at risk and even after being safe on the farm she went again with the porpuse of killing Abby so don't give me that crap about self defense. She was on a revenge quest and sparing one life doesn't redeem Ellie from everything she has done up until that point and that is what is nonsensical about the "meaning" you want to take from the dumbass ending. Any meaning that ND tried to give to that ending is POINTLESS!

I find it nonsensical because Abby is the person that tortured and killed Joel, the person that killed Jessie, the person that almost killed Dina, The person that shot Tommy in the face with the intent to kill him, the person that maimed her, the person Ellie traveled across the country to get to leaving a huge body count behind her and in the final moment, when Ellie has her she just says "nah, it's ok you can go".... What!?

[Sunny12345]

So perfect ending would have been abby killed in end when she was already tortured and hung up to die? You see the negative in abby, how about she saving lev and his sister. Turning against her own tribes for reasons of mortality and redemption. If remorse doesn't redeem a person what does? We played half game with abby and half with ellie. No other ending would have been feasible. Even if ND have us a choice in the end whether to kill abby or let her go. Many would have chosen the latter, coz its the humane thing to do. Unless you are a psychopath.

[JEECE]

It's not about redemption. It's established throughout the game that Ellie basically has PTSD or something similar with respect to Joel's death. This is particularly true if you read her journal, although they do enough to establish it without that. At the last minute, when she is drowning Abby, she realizes that is doing the very thing that destroyed her; ironically, she can't kill Abby as revenge for killing Joel, because the way she was doing it was going to haunt her forever because it would be forever linked to the way Joel had been killed.

So it's not that she's redeemed or that she learns some generic lesson about revenge being bad or something; it's actually that she can't kill Abby because of what it is going to do to her.

[Imalwaysright]

Who it talking about perfection? This game was set up from the beggining to not have a perfect or satisfying emotional ending. I'm talking about an ending that would at the very least make an ounce of sense.

[Gatsu]

I thought the ending was very well done.

[PrinterMan]

It's not. IMO. I was very satisfied with the ending.

[Magatsuhi]

https://youtu.be/nGHecaZEQ9...

Here's a good breakdown of its woke agenda.

[anast]

I felt sympathy for Joel, Tommy, Ellie, Dina, Jessie Lev, Yara, Alice, the kids at the Saraphite camp and Abby. Actually, the story had me switching through a lot of emotions. When I had to fight Ellie, I felt hate for Ellie and I felt sad for Abby at the end.

Ellie broke the cycle of violence, so her not killing Abby wasn't for "nothing." Ellie not only had to let Joel go, like the rest of us, but she also had let go of a brutal way of life that Joel taught her.

[GenMasterB]

Based on the time they're living in, no one can truly give up a brutal life.. It's all around. I understand what you're saying, but it's not possible unless you become sheltered..

[anast]

I agree, life is always a mix of destruction and creation, but it's to a relative extent. Joel wasn't a good guy even in pst-apoc terms and Ellie was scorched Earth, not every one behaves this way during brutal times, so she had to let go of a level of brutality that exceeded necessity even in such harsh times. It's not an all or nothing proposition.

[Platinum_k]

Abbys story and character was quite the opposite. It showed ethical moral values and principles. Abbys character was def more mature and admirable than Ellies.

[jaymacx]

I think with Abby you see tremendous growth. Yes she was angry about what happened to her dad and the fireflies. As the story went on you see her grow as a person and care for others deeply. She let Ellie go twice. It was Ellie that was headed on a downward self destructing path. I was glad that Ellie finally did what was right. Both sides had suffered so much loss.

[conanlifts]

It was the ending that needed to happen. They turned a likeable character into a villain. Had the ending been different then the characters personality would have been hated.

[Gamerking82]

Oh the haters are in full today . You poor little muppet nobody’s . You just keep slamming the game of the year , thinking it’s going to change anything . Haha pathetic losers . I feel sorry for the man and women that made you haha .

[King_Noctis]

Your comment is childish and uncalled for, don’t you think?

[DrDeath]

How comment isnt any less childish than the trolls and woke talking folk

[Gamerking82]

Nope

[Bahamut-Shin]

how are you any better? blindly calling everyone who dislike the game "muppet"?
somehow you liking this game makes you better person?

[PLAYWATCH76]

I finished it and loved it.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Click-bait trash. Revenge, violence, the human condition and learning how to forgive has nothing to do with failure. Only narrow minds can't see that.

[dnAWE]

I enjoyed the ending. It was cruel, bleak and nihilistic.
However I can't shake this feeling that ND could have gone much more brutal with it and really shown us the consequences of hate, revenge and the cycle of violence.

And yes, this is a "what i would've done" comment. SPOILER ALERT!

During the farm sequence when she has the first vision attack while you're herding the sheep into the barn we reveal that everything on the farm is just a fantasy, a taste of what she could have had had she not let hate and revenge consume her. We cut back to the Theatre as Ellie watches Abby slit Dina's throat.

Abby goes to kill Ellie next but is stopped when Tommy shows up and puts a gun to Lev's head, allowing Ellie and Tommy to escape.

From here we end up at the same climax on the beach in Santa Barbara, except Lev is dead when he is cut down from the pole. Abby still carries Lev's lifeless body to the boat, they fight, Ellie's fingers are bit off, and Ellie begins drowning Abby.

Ellie ultimately spares Abby because she finally realises she'll never escape the cycle of violence inside her if she doesn't stop with the person who has caused her the most pain and anger.

Besides, Abby has lost everything; her past, present and her future, and by all extent is dead. Letting her live is almost worse.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Most epic ending fight I've seen since MGS4