THE LAST OF US PART 2
While the game’s narrative elements are divisive, something that can be stated as an unequivocal truth is the fact that from a gameplay perspective, The Last of Us Part 2 blows Part 1 out of the water. There’s many layers to that, but we’re focusing only on the horror stuff here- which has been cranked all the way up to 11 here. The decaying and overgrown environments are even more decayed and spooky, the use of lighting is incredible, the audio design is spectacular, all of which builds constant tension that you can cut with a knife. Then there’s the enemy design, which in some cases – like with Clickers – makes enemies that were already threatening even more threatening, in others – like with Stalkers – breathes terrifying new life into those that had a forgettable presence in the first game, and others still – like Shamblers – that introduce entirely new scares to an already terrifying experience. The fact that The Last of Us Part 2 constantly makes use of these enemies in excellently designed set piece moments – like that apartment with the Stalkers, or the descent in that horrifying hotel, or, of course, the hospital – makes it that much scarier.
