Downgrades are nothing new in the video games industry, and while the same happened to The Last of Us Part II, the final build is still quite remarkable in a lot of ways.
ElAnalistaDEeBits put together a comparison video that highlights the differences between the final release and the impressive E3 2018 demo. The main differences are lighting and animations, but there are a lot of details that likely had to be removed so that the game could run smoothly on the aging PlayStation 4 hardware.
The Last of Us Part II is among the best PlayStation 4 games ever released, with only the open-world sequences negatively impact a tight narrative experience that people will be talking about for a very long time.
The first steps into Seattle on horseback introduce Ellie to an overgrown, open-world section of the city that gives player agency to explore around at their own discretion, complete with optional areas that can be missed completely and objectives that can be tackled at the player's discretion. It was moments like this that took away from the gut-punching narrative to let the player think about their actions in a solemn, reverent fashion. At times, The Last of Us Part II can feel bloated with the developers perhaps putting too much into their survival horror narrative and that could perhaps be my sole critical opinion of the adventure as a whole.
There isn't a single other game available on PlayStation 4 that can capture the bleakness of what Naughty Dog has created with this experience, save for the first The Last of Us. It's a harrowing narrative that can club you in the face with the message that this world just isn't fair for anyone. From a critical opinion, The Last of Us Part II is one of the finest pieces of cinematic gaming ever created, but Naughty Dog's final sendoff to this console generation might leave you crying in the shower.
The Last of Us Part II is now available on PlayStation 4 worldwide.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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