The Last of Part 2 is probably my most anticipated video game release of all time. The first game was just mind blowing from its beautiful graphics (2013 standards) to the simple but masterfully done gameplay and great characters. However one thing stands out from Naughty Dogs’s masterful release and that is the story, not only is it the best video game story of all time…It’s one of the greatest stories of all time in any media so Naughty Dog had a tough challenge to topple this feat that as the original games story is perfection.
The original story boasts brutality,emotion and heartbreak, as well as fully fleshed out and realised characters so where could Naughty Dog go to keep this impressive story afloat?
Well for those who have played The Last of Us Part 2 knows that the story we are given is a revenge story and as far as stories go this is one of the best continuations in recent memory and doesn’t tarnish the legacy of first and is a ‘Almost’ perfect follow up in terms of story.
However despite The Last Of Us Part 2 being a all round better game there is one scene in the game that hit me hard and to me just seemed to derails the story ever so slightly that the story as a whole just under achieves when compared to the original, However this does not mean it ruins the whole story it’s just i feel that this scene could have been a little better, so that is what i am going to do i am going to rewrite the scene so it fits more inline and feels a little more full circle than just mindless violence.
*Spoilers are aplenty from now on so if you haven’t played either games then steer clear until you do so.*
So if you have made it this far then, you have probably experienced the same heartbreak as me and played through at least the first few hours of the second game… I am of course talking about the brutal demise of Joel, (the first games antagonist or protagonist depend on how you look at the character’s morals) at the hands of Abby a new character introduced in the sequel as the daughter of the surgeon you have to kill in order the save Ellie at the end of the first game. Now from a story standpoint killing Joel was needed in order for the player to instantly connect with Ellie. For example if Ellie’s girlfriend Dina was killed and this is why Ellie wanted revenge we wouldn’t have connected with her as much as Dina is a new character that didn’t have the first game to flesh out their relationship. So here i’m not rewriting the game to keep Joel alive because it is not needed, I’m rewriting Joel’s death so it does not feel so ham fisted and have Joel’s arc feel more complete and doesn’t have Joel introduce himself and give information to a group of strangers he has just met that ultimately leads to his demise, which feel so out of character given the hostile world his has lived in for more than 2 decades. So here we go
So the scene plays out as normal at first Abby is on the run from some infected and is saved by Joel and Tommy when they are out on their patrol. At this point Abby should know who Joel is from first seeing him after presumably seeing them arrive at the Hospital back in the first game. They retreat back to The Overlook where Abby’s group are taking shelter.
As they walk into the room Owen goes up to Abby and confronts her just like he does in the game. However the dialogue here is different.
Owen: Abby! Where the hell have you been? We all just assumed the worst, we all thought you were…
Abby: interrupting Owen “Its him Owen…it’s Joel”
Owen: What? You sure?…Which one is it?
Abby: The one with the Dark hair…He is obviously a little older but it’s definitely him. I see his face in my dreams… It’s the man who killed my dad.
Owen: Okay……uh shit you sure you want to do this?
Abby: I’m sure
Abby walks over to Joel and says “So anything we can do to repay you for saving my ass?
Joel: Nope just happy to be doing good, we’ll just be on our way.
Abby: Oh right doing good…is that what you call it?
Joel: Excuse me?
Abby: I’m just saying…you think saving my life was a good thing? Saving lives in general is a good thing right? But let me ask you this, if you have to kill someone else…a non infected…another human being,to save someone else…is that doing good?, how do you decide who deserves to live and who deserves to die, who is innocent and guilty…and if you choose to kill one of them to save the other…does that still make it good, answer me that…Joel.
Joel: I don’t recall introducing ourselves
Abby: You didn’t have to…i know who you are.
Abby: Owen!
Owen hits Joel in the leg forcing him to fall to the floor Tommy reacts but is quickly knocked unconscious by a few blows to the head.
Then from here the scene plays out as it does in the game he is savagely beaten with a golf club. And it cuts to black and now we are playing as Ellie.
She eventually arrives at The Overlook and is bitten on the hand by a still alive infected that the group burned at the gate she shoots it and enters the building. Here she finds Abby beating Joel with the gold club however this time his head remains untouched and all his limbs are limp and broken with bone protruding from them.
Ellie screams and is quickly pinned down by Abby’s friends just as normal but here again we have change of dialogue
Ellie: Joel! Please no…
Abby: Shut her up
Manny gags Ellie so she can’t speak but she continues to scream and squirm.
Joel: You hurt her…and I swear to god…
Abby: Oh yeah you’ll what…
Abby continues to hit Joel with the club
Some of Abby’s friends come in and say ” there are lights about a mile out…looks like a patrol”.
Owen: Ah Shit we need to go now before the whole town is on top of us…Abby Finish it
Abby drops the golf club and pulls out a pistol
Ellie: Please no, don’t do this…im begging you please don’t (All mumbled)
Joel: Ellie Shhhh it’s okay baby girl…its okay
Ellie: No…Joel (All mumbled)
Joel looks at Abby and says “what i did back in Boston she didn’t know…she had nothing to do with it…so please let her go.
Abby looks at Ellie and says No…she’ll only come after us. (this parallels the last words Marlene heard before Joel kills her in the first game)
Abby turns and Shoots Joel in the head killing him instantly (just like Marlene)
Ellie begins to violently cry and squirm as Abby approaches with a gun as Abby aims the gun at Ellie and Manny says “oh shit she’s infected” noticing the bite on her hand
Abby:What?
Manny: She’s got a bite on her hand…looks fresh.”
Abby lowers the pistol Abby remembers that Joel smuggled a girl who was immune through flashbacks of Marlene and her father talking about a cure…Abby then crouches and says to Ellie “So you’re the one who is immune? She chuckles “well looks like the old man died for nothing. Good job living with that”. Abby then leaves with the gang leaving Ellie tied up. The rest of the game then plays out as normal.
Now obviously people are entitled to their own opinion and might think the original death scene was fine and then others would have rather had Joel live. However i feel that my death scene is much more impactful as it parallels the firsts ending besides the roles have switched this time Joel is at the end of the barrel.
The Last Of Us part 2 has a almost perfect story i just feel Joel’s death severely lacked the emotion i expected for the game..now don’t get me wrong it still teared up but it didn’t hurt me as much as say sarah’s death in the first game.However i will go more into the story when my review goes live in the next few days.
Hope you enjoyed reading this rewrite as much as i enjoyed writing it.
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