After its initial reveal all the way back at PSX 2016, I’m sure many (most) of you have been eagerly waiting to get you hands on The Last of Us: Part II.
In this preview, I’ll be giving my thoughts on just the sliver of the game that Sony have allowed us to discuss. You’ll find zero spoilers and zero leaks here. Enjoy.
A Glimpse of Us: Part I
Naughty Dog has built up a sterling reputation for creating games that have both incredible fidelity, while also looking after the minute details.
But, it’s not simply Naughty Dog rehashing the same playbook for The Last of Us: Part II. Significant gameplay mechanics have been added that give new depth to combat as well as scavenging.
Ellie is much more agile than Joel and because of this you now can dodge attacks from both the infected and other groups. The dodge button does taking some getting used to. At first I struggled to time it when under attack from the infected.
The hand-to-hand combat options take a MASSIVE buff over the first title. Players also get a switch blade that has limitless strikes so you don’t necessarily need a bat or a crowbar although they are needed for those pesky clickers.
The fact that you don’t lose the switch blade certainly adds more of an action element to the game. For better or worse.
The animations for close combat are incredible. The look of pain on their face as you plunge you blade into their side is almost haunting. Almost.
If you have a large melee weapon like a bat or machete, you can usually take out an enemy with one to two blows. With the switch blade it could be as many as five slices and they’re far more likely to fight back.
Somehow, They Added More Depth
New depth has been added to the enemy AI. You’ll regularly hear WLF soldiers scream out the names of their friends you’ve gunned down in front of them. They even plan their attack strategy on the fly.
The Seraphites, however, are a far more disturbing group. They do communicate with each other when out hunting for you but not with words. They have different types of whistles that alert them. It’s a surprisingly disturbing effect.
By the simple addition of a jump button, Naughty Dog has completely changed how you can plot your path through the world.
While it adds more variety for you, it also adds another path for your enemies to attack you from. And in the dilapidated streets of downtown Seattle, there are many places for the WLF, Seraphites, as well as the infected to hide.
Speaking of hiding, Ellie’s ability to prone comes in very useful as you work your way through “Finding Nora”. The long grass that has overwhelmed the streets is the perfect spot to hide take out your enemies silently.
Another addition to the experience is that ability to break the glass. This adds new locations to explore as well as giving you opportunities to scavenge for supplies. It’s noisy and that comes with its own challenges but that just adds to the tension.
We’ll have our full review for you here on TechStomper.com soon so watch this space…