There aren’t many that would sayThe Last of Uswas an easy game, as it often presented players with some difficult situations. The constant struggle of balancing the use of ammunition against the many threats the player faced was tough, and in many cases, the odds weren’t in the player’s favor. That said,The Last of Us 2is clearly much more difficult than its predecessor for a number of reasons. Though there are somequality of life changesthat have been made since the first game, they don’t outweigh the increased difficulty brought about by some of the newer features.
The Last of Us 2doesn’t lose any of the previously mentioned challenges. Resources are still scarce, especially on higher difficulties, and ammo seems even less available than in the first game. Beyond this, enemies are smarter and more well trained it seems, and the game takes an unforgiving approach to combat situations. This is not a surprise, asThe Last of Usas a franchise is often bleak and unforgiving, but it really makes it clear how much the first game was helping players out whether intentional or not. These are just a few of the many new features which make the game that much more challenging.
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The Last of Us 2 - Dogs
Before the game came out, there was concern over aGameStop listing which promoted killing dogs inThe Last of Us 2. Naughty Dog swiftly distanced itself from this, letting fans know that it did not have any part in writing that and claiming that fans will never have to kill dogs in the game. While this did turn out to be technically true, it is only so for masters of stealth and espionage. Dogs are one of the greatest new threats added into the game, and unfortunately killing them outright is often the best way to deal with them.
While sneaking about, dogs will pick up Ellie’s scent and lead their owners to her. This negates the ability for players to camp out in one spot and take their time clearing an area, as the dog will undoubtedly find them. Though they can be avoided by throwing bottles or brick and continuing to move until the dog gives up, these aren’t always viable options. Without a doubt, thepresence of dogs in an encounter immediately makes it ten times harder, and they usually come in packs.
The Last of Us 2 - Seraphites
The Seraphitesare one of the other factions in Seattle and they pose their own threats. The main quirk here is that these enemies communicate with each other through the use of a signal language based on whistling. Often the player can predict what an enemy is planning and adjust their own plans accordingly because foes like the WLF will communicate with their allies vocally, but this same principle does not apply when all the player can hear are distinct whistles.
Like the dogs before, this removes one of the fundamental aspects of games like this. Players need this knowledge to go on the amazing, flawless killing sprees that they did in the previous games, but that knowledge is stripped away from them. Instead, they are stuck in a forest, surrounded by killers who can communicate non verbally with each other and expected to survive. This added layer of challenge is by no means a bad thing, but players that struggled in the previous game may need to approach this one at a lower difficulty or expect tosee a lot of death cutscenes.
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The Last of Us 2 - Stalkers
Stalkers technically aren’t new toThe Last of Us 2, as they did appear in the first game. That said, they were much less prominent and not nearly as difficult to take down. Wheninfected with the Cordyceps virus, a person turns into a Runner in less than a day. About a year after that they usually have finished the transition into the iconic Clicker stage, but not as many are familiar with the inbetween stage known as Stalkers. These infected are still clinging on to what’s left of their intelligence, and are able to use it to their advantage when hunting prey.
In the first game, Stalkers were only encountered twice, and most didn’t notice them as they were not much different from the regular Runners. However,The Last of Us 2pits players against Stalkers several times, and these enemies act as a sort of mini boss all on their own. Rather than hacking and slashing their way to victory like normal, players will need tomaster the dodging mechanicsin order to take these agile and cagey foes down, and should one get away before dying, it is sure to reappear at the most inconvenient of times.
Improved AI
In general, theAI inThe Last of Us 2has greatly improved since the previous game. This has some benefits, as AI partners will perform much more admirably, but also a major drawback which is much tougher enemies. Enemies in this game tend to hit much more frequently, communicate with each other and methodically search for the player, and employ some tactics which are difficult to handle. For example, if an enemy is standing out in the open keeping the player pinned, there likely won’t be enough time to stand, aim, and fire before getting hit. Staying put won’t work either though, as there’s likely another enemy circling around to flank.
All of these things combine to create incredibly challenging scenarios that can put even the most veteran of players on the defensive.Whether or not fans enjoy these changesor find them frustrating is up to each person’s own personal opinion and preferences, but players shouldn’t go into this expecting the experience to be like the first one. There are several other changes which have been made as well that tend to hike up the difficulty a bit, but these are the most obvious ones.
