After 4 complete Playthroughs, a Platinum Trophy and weeks of thinking about it, trying to digest everything I've witnessed after 7 years of anticipation, I'm finally ready to share my thoughts on #TheLastofUsPartII Warning: This thread will include major *SPOILERS*.

Before that let me get one thing straight, I know and understand that not a lot of people have time for this or even care about what I have to say but if you decide to stick around, please know that I appreciate you A LOT and thank you for sparing your precious time to read this.

With that being said, let's get the giant elephant out of the room first, Joel's death, a truly traumatic event which played with all our minds deeply. It was a very painful one indeed. I was COMPLETELY astounded by it.

But trust me I saw it coming, many of us did. The execution of it is what matters and ABSOLUTELY deserves praise. The way the game made it so believable and impactful that it leaves you thinking about it for weeks. I was so emotionally disturbed by it as if it was my own loss.

"But was it really necessary?" is not the right question at all. It was their story to tell and it was told in the most brilliant way possible. Some of you may disagree and not have liked where the plot went, but I'm sorry, it was NEVER up to you or me and I'm glad it isn't.

"All actions have consequences" this quote really comes into play here, what Joel did back in 2013 during the end of Part I was messed up but he did what he did to save Ellie. Exactly what a parent would do to save their child no matter the consequences that catch up later.

So now after 5 years since saving Ellie and dooming humanity forever, Joel pays for his actions. "Did he deserve it?" would be the right question and it pains me to say it but yes. In this world people do things that they're not proud of and what they think's right.

Joel was an AMAZING character. But terming his fate "Waste of a character" is totally not right and I strongly disagree. Every story, tale and life has its conclusions. Joel met his conclusion this way, in a way that's believable and represents the world he's a part of.

But Joel will always be the most impressive fictional father figure I've ever seen and I'm glad to have witnessed more of his character transformation with Ellie's involvement in his life through those heartwarming flashbacks. Man, they were BEAUTIFUL!

Now that's out of the way, lets talk about the story in its entirety. First of all, a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone @Naughty_Dog that not only gave life to this beautiful narrative but also did their utmost to preserve the best possible experience for us.

What you have accomplished here is beyond compare and I can't stress enough on how proud I am to have dodged those miserable leaks thus ensuring a truly fresh experience.

Now diving into its narrative, The Last Of Us Part II's plot is totally different from its predecessor, the themes it tries to explore here are much more complex and deep. From the beginning till the end credits, there's a lot of things going on and they're never spoonfed to you.

Starting with Abby, you have no idea who that character is when the game puts you in her shoes right at the beginning. Her true motives aren't revealed and yet as a player I understood that she was onto something big, something she's prepared to risk anything for.

That small of a description about her was enough to keep me going through, to see what's really driving her so desperate, although I was expecting more of Ellie and Joel.
And that's when the game reveals the reason for it's existence and reminds you how hostile this world is.

The Last Of Us Part II is an incredibly complex tale that has you experience two sides of a coin, one I found to be thrilling and an extremely rare way of storytelling that kept me hooked all the way through. It was very saddening to watch both sides go through the same pain.

Ellie and Abby are merely the same. They're both equally fleshed out characters that are fighting for the same cause. Both of their actions are justified.

Up till a certain point where Ellie starts to go on a killing spree, killing anything and everything that comes in her way, while Abby's out there looking for redemption, looking for something to fight for. That's when things get complicated.

As Abby starts experiencing nightmare after nightmare even after bringing Joel to justice, she's finally directed towards the light, towards Yara and Lev. Two siblings that that are on the run from their own religious cult. I found these two characters very interesting.

And with the limited time left I'm glad Naughty Dog began fleshing out more of these two. It's pretty unbelievable to me that most games take a complete narrative to have you invested with the characters but Naughty Dog took just 10 hours for the task.

By the end of Seattle Day 2 from Abby's perspective, I wanted nothing less for these characters. Unfortunately that's not how things turn out. As Lev runs off to the Seraphites' island, Abby and Yara go after him and that's when things here get complicated.

While the almost redeemed Abby, after having went through a lot in the Seraphites' Island, losing Yara and almost losing Lev finally returns to the aquarium only to discover her friends dead, has now lost everything except Lev.

And that's when Abby's thirst for vengeance and justice begins, the cycle of violence continues. But I'm glad it wasn't for too long, as Abby during the confrontation decides to forgive Ellie and drop everything for the only reason that kept her human all this time, for Lev.

Fighting Ellie through Abby's perspective was hard, painful with every scream of pain, anger and rage I was just not ready. All I could think of was the fact that if the circumstances were different Abby and Ellie would've been such good friends. But it is what it is.

Now let's dive into its final acts, the revelation of Joel and Ellie's relationship in the end was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. I couldn't help but cry of joy when I saw them both together, Ellie willing to forgive Joel was one of the most heartwarming moments in this game.

And Ellie having the flash of Joel right when drowning Abby was hard to witness but in the end, she decides to just let go and put an end to this violence cycle as the game conveys it's final message: The Act Of Forgiveness...