Blog Game · Is it woke?
Is The Last of Us Part II (2020) Woke? chudrank Score and Reception
- Type
- Video game
- Released
- 2020
- Genre
- Shooter, Adventure
- By
- Naughty Dog
Is The Last of Us Part II (2020) woke? Above is its live chudrank score; below, the facts, why it scores the way it does, and what critics said. Disagree? Every vote moves the score.
What it is
The Last of Us Part II is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Wikipedia, The Last of Us Part II, quoted verbatim · CC BY-SA 4.0
Why it scores leaning WOKE
The Last of Us Part II is seen as WOKE mainly because of who its main characters are, and because part of its audience objected so loudly.
Ellie travels with her girlfriend, Dina, and the cast includes Lev, a transgender character voiced and motion-captured by transgender actor Ian Alexander. (Wikipedia)
Champions praised its inclusion: Oli Welsh of Eurogamer called it "a game about women", and The Spinoff's Sam Brooks called it "a masterclass in how gaming can do inclusivity". (Wikipedia)
The game was review bombed on Metacritic; some reviewers complained of "social justice warrior" politics, with vitriolic responses to LGBT characters. (Wikipedia)
One user review read: "Instead of engaging in a game, the developers got involved in politics!" TheGamer said the politics seemed to refer to "LGBT characters and how these characters are treated throughout the game." (TheGamer)
Why it is not higher
Much of the anger was about the story rather than politics, some trans critics were unhappy too, and it was a huge mainstream hit.
Many negative reviews criticized the characterization and plot. (Wikipedia)
Some members of the transgender community objected to how Lev was written; Waverly of Paste felt "Lev's story isn't made for trans people". (Wikipedia)
It sold ten million copies by 2022 and won 326 Game of the Year awards. (Wikipedia)
So: its queer and trans characters and a loud backlash pull it well left, while story-based complaints and its mass appeal keep it short of the top. Disagree? Vote, and the score moves.
What critics said
The Last of Us Part II received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic. OpenCritic's consensus called it "another masterpiece from Naughty Dog" and "a brutal, poignant, beautiful, and thrilling experience", with 94% of critics recommending the game.
Wikipedia, The Last of Us Part II, quoted verbatim · CC BY-SA 4.0