It is really difficult to talk about this game without introducing major spoilers. The game and its story are deftly interwoven so that even discussing certain game mechanics can give away hints to the emotionally charged story. However, if someone is going to play it, I highly recommend that they do so without foreknowledge of what is going to happen.
As much as I loved the game, having come on the heels of just completing The Ghost of Tsushima, I’m not certain that The Last of Us: Part 2 should have supplanted The Ghost of Tsushima for the Game of the Year awards that it has received. While its story and production levels outpace The Ghost of Tsushima, the game itself does not add much new to the gameplay of its eight-year-old predecessor. There were, of course, some iterative improvements and there is something to be said for a game that is so astonishingly beautiful and well-paced. Still, in my mind, The Ghost of Tsushima innovates gameplay and provides some unique experiences that deserve recognition, all while developing an entirely new IP.
However, this does not mean that The Last of Us: Part 2 is undeserving of high praise. Most of the controversy surrounding it were from bigoted people and organizations (most who had not even played the game) who were upset at the game’s use of LGBTQ characters in major roles. For me, art should be a reflection of society, and I feel that the game’s larger story of the destructiveness of hatred and revenge is quite a timely one for our world.
I plan on playing both of the games at some point in the future, using a walkthrough so I can find more of the hidden story gems which I missed this time (despite what I thought was a careful and slow playthrough).