Can acts of extreme violence ever be justified as revenge? Regardless of where the lengthy main campaign's story may land, The Last Of Us Part 2 Remastered's No Return roguelike answers the question with a firm "heck yeah". Ultimately, the gory loop may end up a bit off message in this mode, but it was always a difficult challenge to balance in the first place. But this mode has proved a real highlight of The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered's PC release.
Simply put, The Last of Us Part 2 has some of the best third-person action I've ever played, deftly combining incredibly slick and tactile stealth with bursts of high-intensity violence – from grabbing enemies who separate from the pack to drag them behind cover for a good stabbing, to getting spotted and desperately fleeing through gaps in fallen shelving before diving prone into long grass to hide and re-enter cover. It's great in the main campaign, even if it condemns the cycle of violence while encouraging it in the same breath, but embracing the cycle in No Return works wonderfully. Ah well, nevertheless.
