One of the core themes of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Last of Us Part 2 is the folly of relentlessly pursuing something with such violent tunnel vision that nothing else matters. And yet, the nature of its ferociously told story often falls into this trap itself. This is not a story about the wider impact of the cordyceps-fuelled apocalypse, but very specifically a tale of Ellie and Abby. As a result, the worldbuilding sometimes suffers, and while 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:No Return is in many w🧜ays the apeꦬx of this, it also gives other characters the spotlight.

168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Last of Us exists in a world that forever changed in the year 2013, and Part 2 is set in the year 2039. As a result, there are adults around who have experienced the likes of Pearl Jam, Jurassic Park (pluꦛs its sequel), and A-Ha. These fragments of pop culture survive into the modern world, even as ﷽the structure of that society has shifted. However, the idea of Pride seems to have been completely forgotten, to the point where two queer young women like Ellie and Dina have no knowledge of the flag or even the purpose of the gay bookstore they find in Seattle.

That's because TLOU has always taken the view that the wider world doesn't matter, only what its heroes are going through. It's important for Ellie and Dina to have this moment of queer joy and to show them as lovers, so that Dina's choice to remove her mask for Ellie, their fight at the end of Day 1, and Ellie's gradual sink into silent stoicism is contrasted by the happiness we saw earlier. Likewise, the only religion of note is the new religion of the scars - though Dina is aware of her Jewish heritage when they enter the synagogue, religion on the whole seems to have been abandoned, brought back not to enrich the world but in service of a character's story.

Seattle Day One Is Rich With Symbolism

This leads neatly into No Return. The roguelike mode has already garnered some criticism due to the clash of being a literal endless cycle of violence in a game all about the pain caused by endless cycles of violence. It's true that it's far less narratively compelling than 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:God of War Ragnarok's Valhalla, which ties together Kratos' story, and instead just lets the raw gameplay strut its stuff. But I don't find separating the two to be all that difficult - no more so than when the cast of a movie does a skit for SNL. The story is one part, and tightly focussed on the characters at its core, and No Return is another. It's difficult to be sad about the loss of Factions 2 and curse No Return in the same breath.

It's because No Return relinquishes its focus on its central duo that the other characters have a chance to shine. It may not bring with it narrative worldbuilding, but it does allow a greater appreciation for each character. For example, in the base game Mel feels like a bit of a drip, a pregnant friend to mirror Dina but like little more than a useless anchor around Abby's progress. In No Return however, not only does her experience as a medic make her a unique character who makes more effective use of med kits, but seeing her fight the horrors of the world alone shows that everyone who is still alive in The Last of Us is there because they survived.

This improved appreciation for the cast may be aided by the fact Owen, my least ꧑favourite character, is absent.

Manny and Jesse may be the two who benefit most from the new game mode, however. Both felt underutilised in the main story - Jesse arrives in Seattle but his job is mainly being a manhole cover for the plot, staying to look after Dina when Ellie goes off on her own. He's then killed as he bursts into the room with Abby before any showdown can occur. Manny, meanwhile, helps Abby to escape from the WLF hideout into Seattle, and is killed by Tommy rather than Ellie herself. However, the two are the most interesting characters to play as in No Return.

Jesse is a master crafter (something that barely comes up in the game itself), and thus has access to more recipes in No Return, allowing for unique approaches to the mode rather than running and gunning with relying on stealth as all the other characters must adhere to. Manny, meanwhile, comes with a bulk of extra health, but is unable to craft med kits at all. It means he can survive attacks more readily, but can't rely on this relatively easy craftable to recover afterwards.

While Ellie and Abby just play like Ellie and Abby, while Dina mimics Ellie and Lev's bow use is expected, Jesse and Manny offer something new. No Return on the whole offers something new, though clearly the wrong sort of new for a lot of fans. I understand that it's a break from how The Last of Us usually does things, but with both games offering an extremely narrow focus, widening the lens a little feels like a positive move all around.