10 Things That Make No Sense In The Last Of Us: Part II

Released on June 19th, 2020, The Last of Us Part II strives for realism in almost every aspect of its design. Despite this dedication to immersion, Naughty Dog’s most recent opus is still a video game at the end of the day and therefore contains several elements that don’t quite make sense.

These pertain to both gameplay and narrative elements of the story, though they ignore plot twists. None of the talking points make the game worse, however, and the developer and actors who brought this game to life deserve commendation for creating what is sure to be one of the year’s best games.

10 Oil

Oil in any one of its forms does not last forever. Engine oil for cars typically lasts around five years, while the oil Ellie would use for crafting Molotov cocktails would be good for only a fraction of this time. Given the more than 20-year gap between the outbreak, none of the oil Ellie finds in the world would be of any use. Additionally, none of the cars would be drivable.

9 Crafting

A big part of the game is crafting, something players do even while in the heat of battle. How does Ellie make something as intricate as an upgraded melee weapon or medical supplies while crouched behind cover? Later on the player even has to make shivs. Not only would these require a workbench to make, but they would also take several minutes to craft. At least she needs a workbench for upgrading weapons.

8 Why Does The Switchblade Never Break?

Ellie does not need to craft shivs because she has a switchblade. However, knives are not invulnerable tools. They too wear out eventually. After slitting so many throats and stabbing so much skin, her switchblade would also break after a time. However, it just keeps going. This also brings up another question: why does Abby keep crafting shivs when there must be a knife somewhere in the ruins of Seattle?

7 Why Doesn’t Nora Lie To Ellie?

Ellie finds out Abby’s location by torturing Nora after she breathed in spores. Because she breathed in the infection and was going to die anyway, why didn’t Nora just lie to Ellie? Ellie could not use Joel’s trick because Nora was the only person there, so she could have just told her a false location and used her last living moments to save her friends. However, one usually is not thinking straight when under the duress of torture.

6 Ellie Boss Fight

Abby fights Ellie in a similar manner to the David bout in the first game. Ellie is armed with guns while Abby just has her fists, so why would she engage in this weird hide-and-seek game? Wouldn’t it be better to put one’s back to the corner and scope out the surroundings? Abby would probably also first head to Dina to make sure she was safe.

5 Bullet Capacity

Low maximum bullet capacity makes sense for the survival gameplay, but it feels like Ellie should be able to hold more than a handful of bullets for each weapon in her backpack.

They are not particularly heavy, so she should be able to manage having more stuffed in her backpack. Also, why do only some enemies drop bullets? Are others walking around with empty firearms?

4 Why Punch Runners In The Face?

Melee combat is slightly modified in this PS4 exclusive, but the logical fallacy still stands in both entries. If infection is spread through bites, why do people punch Runners in the face? It is surprisingly easy to accidentally catch a tooth mark on one’s fist after throwing a jab at someone’s mug, so hitting the Infected in the face is a bad idea. If aiming for the groin is as effective as it is on humans, this seems like a better alternative.

3 Tommy Surviving A Gunshot Wound To The Head

People have been known to survive such a devastating injury. However, without modern medical equipment and the delay of treatment due to Ellie dealing with Abby first, the odds of Tommy’s survival are astronomically low. It is believable for Ellie and Dina to know emergency medical procedures from their time in Jackson, but a situation like this would be beyond their expertise.

2 Molotov cocktails

Whenever players take a Molotov cocktail from their inventory, the wick is immediately lit. If the incendiary weapon is not thrown, it is extinguished and once again put back in the inventory. How often can this rag be lit and extinguished before it is no longer useful? Cloth is a resource scrounged from the environment, so the characters do not have an infinite supply.

1 Dina And Ellie Have No Facial Scars

Abby lets Dina and Ellie live during the confrontation at the theater, but not before doing a serious number on both of them. Fast forward a few years to the farm and the two have no marks from their near-death encounter. Ellie takes several direct punches to the face, which would surely break her nose, and Dina’s forehead is smashed several times into the ground. However, their faces are as clear and unmarked as they were at the start of the journey.