The Last of Us Part 2 is Horribly Misunderstood | Narrative Review and Breakdown

[@missynoone9248]

Part II resonates with me in a way that Part I never did. I enjoyed Part I of course, else I never would have bought Part II, but on the whole while I like the first game it is just something that I played once or twice and then forgot about. I thought about Part II nearly every day for well over a month after I put my remote down, and it has become one of my favorite games as well as something I've replayed far too many times in spite of how taxing it is. I know it's not for everyone but it is for me, right up to the narrative structure that so many people hate. I love that we are so intensely in Ellie's POV at first, to the exclusion of all else. I love that we get our info in dribs and drabs. And I love that we are forced to sit in Abby's seat and stew for the full three days instead of getting our immediate revenge on. Now if only people could have their opinions without getting hate rained down on them.

[@huykieu7775]

I hope you can read this because I love your video and the game also. I would like to point out my opinion about why lots of fans dislike or hate the story of TLOU2. I dont think they misunderstood it ( some but not all ). Let's compare TLOU2 to AOT season 4 part 1, They have a similar theme which is cycle of hatred. However, the reason why AOT did it so well because the way Isayama constructs the orders of the narrative. Right at the beginning, The story was flipped from Eldia's perspective to Marley's. 5 episodes were used to show the life the characters from Marley side, you don't have to like every characters but you understand most of them, especially Reiner which is the corner stone to hook the audience. Remember he was the villain from previous seasons but now you and I feel bad for him. After successfully bring the audience to "other side of the ocean" then he flip it back to Eren's story, the overall narrative became whole and the audience felt everything was moving in a logical and satisfying way. On the other hand, TLOU2 missed a huge opportunity to hook the audience from Abby's perspective. A lot of fans cannot get on Abby's side because they felt betrayed, illogical and unearned. Abby was introduced uninteresting and one-note so the act of killing Joel made the the audiences felt sick and very upset to the point of disappointed of the creator's decision. When the game flip to Abby's story the audiences were already turned off. Even thou the whole story was well told and well executed, the way they choose to tell the story made this from a masterpiece to a flawed masterpiece. I love the game, I adore it. But when the game make me to play as Abby, I were just rushing through it so I could get back to the stand off moment. If they had just bring the Abby's story to the front like AOT did I think the fanbase would not be divided like this.

[@JustAcritic]

I love how engaged you are with this topic. You make very solid points and are very credible. For me I was convinced by Abby and liked her so the switch back worked. However I agree with you that not enough people were switched over like I was hence making it difficult. Also its unfair to compare to AOT 😂 that shows writing is *french kiss😂. I'm kidding, the comparison makes sense since AoT s4p1 does what LOUS2 was trying, but does it pretty much perfectly whereas the game does fumble sometimes. Thank you for coming to my channel and putting in so much effort and keeping engaged. Thank you!❤

[@huykieu7775]

@@JustAcritic Thank you for the response mate :) keep up the good work.

[@baldingsan457]

The purpose of AoT 4 is different, even though they share the themes. Besides, it’s not interactive. That’s why the structure is different. When they’ll adapt it into the HBO series you’ll see how the structure will be different/ not as radical.

[@huykieu7775]

@@baldingsan457 I think gaming just enhances your experience, how the story being constructed can be done differently or improved. About the HBO series I personally want them to pick other's stories not Ellie and Joel cuz it already there ?!

[@baldingsan457]

@@huykieu7775 the series is going to adapt the first game, and I guess the second too. The Last of Us is about Joel and Ellie, otherwise they wouldn’t make it.

[@Ian-ky5hf]

Everyone assumes murdering Ellie would even result in a cure. That is a really big leap.

[@sungjin008]

Here's Onex7805's most sympathetic Reddit comment. It may be unrelated to the video, but I hope you can read it. And the KZbin influencers must be accountable too. I feel the launch of this game finally exposed the "Trust 'honest' KZbinrs over those 'professional' journalists!" myth. Up to very recently, the majority of those that had been criticizing CDPR's practices and studio problems were outlets and actual journalists while KZbinrs were busy to downplay them to pander to the gaming community and fans were eating that up, making up some conspiracy theories about "BRAVE CDPR IS FIGHTING THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA", nonsense pushed by the anti-SJW crowd likes of Upper Echelon Gamers (Who now posted "I'm done defending Cyberpunk" lmao) People like Angry Joe have been hyping the shit out of this game as if it is going to be the second coming of Christ without an ounce of skepticism, got invited to the CDPR headquarters, defended their deeds as if he is their PR guy, has been downplaying all the news regarding crunches and shit management by saying "The employees take their jobs very seriously. It's very tough over there okay. It's not a walk in the park, but that's what comes with being a prestigious company. It's tough, but they're doing things right." Any other company, he would be virtue signaling about how employees are abused as he did with Bioware and Naughty Dog because they made the games the community didn't like. When Cyberpunk got released, he had streams talking about "Come on guys, this is their first massive openworld game, they will fix the bugs" and made a news video on game controversies and tried his hardest to shift the blame from CDPR to Microsoft by claiming the Halo Infinite delay forced CDPR to release this game. This is the same guy who fills his reviews with the 10 minutes skits of Angry Joe fighting the "corporate commander" strawman, branded himself as the "champion of consumers" spiel. This is the guy who posted an Angry Rant on The Last of Us Part II just based on the plot leaks of the game that wasn't out. (And a significant portion of the leaks turned out to be inaccurate) He only now published an Angry Rant on Cyberpunk almost a week later because everybody is now shitting on it and jumped in on the bandwagon since that is where his bread and butter are and his instincts to catch up with trends are better than the majority of reactionary gaming KZbinrs. If there were no backlash, I can assure you he'll still be singing praises nonstop. Skill Up published a review that praises how the city feels real and immersive. CohhCarnage was shitting all over Watch Dogs Legion about every tiny detail of the engine, and now with Cyberpunk, it's all about the story. YongYea finishes the game and reviews it before release, "The game has some bugs, but it is exactly what I wanted it to be" then it ends with praises, despite the game missing so many of its promised features Yong wanted. With this said, a lot of these KZbinrs are now lambasting the game, but again, it is because that is where their bread and butter are. Any gaming Youtubsr who gushed about the game prior to or right afterthe release then turned against it now is just a crowd follower who looks at subs like these and follows what they think the popular opinion is. Outlets like IGN and Gamespot get shit all the time for being biased (for good reasons), but so many KZbinrs that regurgitate what the community says to drum up controversy or hype get a free pass when they are not much different from phony sensationalist yellow journalists they claim to fight against. Contrary to the popular belief, professional media personalities don't get paid by clicks, while KZbinrs do and have an actual incentive to follow the bias of their viewers. Their audience doesn't hold the influencers accountable for anything. They are basically just watching long advertisement videos with ads on top of them. The majority of these big-name KZbinrs are grifters who built careers around telling their audience what they what to hear rather than what they need to hear, despite they have been marketing themselves as 'honest' and 'real'. Chris Davis pointed this out in his critique video, and I am so glad he did. Studios are not rewarded for investing in the product itself and only for the marketing and public relations. It is frustrating how people complain that major review sites are way too biased and lack integrity but they always seem to ignore KZbinrs who are even far worse. They still can't get their heads out of the naive impressions of old KZbin days when the gaming KZbinrs were pure and innocent, which was a decade ago. Imagine Cyberpunk 2077 was an EA, Bethesda, or Ubisoft product. If any other studio promised a world as deep as Red Dead Redemption 2, with better cops than GTA V, presented their game as if it is a life sim, if any other studio promoted a game as an RPG and ended up removing that description from their site? It will not be "Oh but it will get patched so still buy it" at the release. Angry Joe would be calling the game an Epic Fail and rallying his fans to demand a fix or refund, Skill Up would issue a PSA not to buy this game, and YongYea would be talking about disgusting business practices and false advertising while saying that despite the game being good in some areas that shouldn’t excuse all the ways they dropped the ball. But hey, it’s CDPR. They’re gamers just like us and wholesome Keanu 100. They had to keep the narrative that CDPR was supposed to be the end of year savior because gamers have this creepy parasocial relationship with them since The Witcher 2. These KZbinrs had to feed into what their audience wants. People need their community consensus validated and if a major reviewer disagrees with their consensus suddenly they’re biased and don’t deserve the job they have. The problem is these guys are literally influencers. Their followers are literally influenced by their opinions of the game and parroting whatever things they said, despite don't play the game first-hand and not considering they're using the best machines to run the game. Either, at best, they have invested so much and waited so much for the game so they subconsciously refuse to admit it, or at worst, they are leeches who are in it for the paycheck. They need to cater to the people (community) who make clicks. My answer: Watch Videogame Discourse: More Broken Than Cyberpunk (The Jimquisition), I HATE REVIEW SCORES. It's good video.

[@renaigh]

Thank Every God in the Collective imagination of Humanity, for James Stephanie Sterling

[@JustAcritic]

For some odd reason, my chapters are not appearing on the progress bar. You can find them in the description.

[@miamoThe]

You have to write it like this "00:00:00 - text" for the chapters to show up.

[@moisetibasima1354]

I'm glad you mentioned how much showing rather than telling is used. It seems so underappreciated with how much people always say show don't tell. I never needed exposition on character motivation or mindset I was always shown it. Abby didn't need to tell me she's guilty I can see it on her face and from her nightmares. I can tell she's changed from her actions. I can tell how much Ellie is hurting and how it's effecting her. It shows the storytellers trust us to figure things out on our on with everything they've given us. Which refutes the claim the storytellers are insulting the audience. Great video hope your channel gets more subs.

[@GhostCell47]

A wise man once said: "Just because something is explained does not make it good."

[@krasmasov6852]

But when it's explained well in an interesting and compelling way, it is good, and that's what we got with this game.

[@GhostCell47]

@@krasmasov6852 It looks good on paper but the execution falls completely flat. Even though it's explained it doesn't make the story or the game great.

[@crazyinsane500]

@@GhostCell47 Does it even look good on paper? "My heroic OC who's totally original and cool and everyone loves her kills the characters I don't like and everyone learns she's right and that they should hate that character too and learns nothing at all in the end." Is pretty widely mocked as being terrible fanfiction.

[@kristopherthomas7166]

This analysis of The Last Of Us Part II is genius, only bested by the sheer genius of the subject matter itself. I only have one thing to add, and it’s more of a question really. Is JJ actually Jess’s son? He looks Black to me, and not half Jewish and half Asian. Jesse and Dina broke up. Why? At the Dance where Dina kisses Ellie, we see Dina dancing with a Black man. Could that be JJ’s actual father and the reason Jesse and Dina broke up? Could Dina have been not only Bisexual but also polyamorous? Is Jess’s character such that he loves Dina enough to let her go and couldn’t reconcile their lifestyles? It’s just something I noticed but I’ve never heard any one being it up. I’ve also never seen analysis on this game as thoroughly and insightful as yours is. Thank you for making this video. I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed the game, which obviously wasn’t the point as pointed out by you. I’m in awe of Neil Druckmann for what he’s done with these two video games and I’m beyond impressed by your analysis of them.

[@JustAcritic]

Oh wow, your words have made my day. Thank you!!! As for your question, I'm not sure, but it is something worth looking into and an interesting insight into that detail of the game. Thank you for watching the vid, for the nice comment, and subbing. ❤👊

[@varanthe8th609]

@@richenrd yeah, he looks just like Jesse imo

[@AJ_hwd954]

Your are giving the writing staff for this game Wayyyyy too much credit, lol.

[@canmart6102]

I respectfully disagreed with some of your points but I respect how much effort you put into this video, exited to see more from you, it’s a shame the algorithm isn’t fair to creators like you

[@JustAcritic]

Love to hear that you gave the vid a chance. Thank you for being so respectful 😊 very rare in gaming these days.

[@JohnTramonto]

Not only it's perfectly understandable that Joel and Tommy are acting like this, precisely for the reasons you say, but also because Jackson's people are actively engaged in rescuing survivors. This can be read from some messages in the game. Great analysis.

[@liswane]

I wonder what they'll do for the HBO series, since they showed Jackson as a place that's hostile to strangers.

[@JohnTramonto]

@@liswane We'll find out

[@liswane]

I'm a little ashamed to say I was part of the "the game is not fun" group, but you managed to change my mind. I always liked the story in general but thought that the game went on for too long and felt pointless, but I agree that it's a way for the players to feel as beaten down as Ellie ends up feeling. However, I still think it's a little too redundant with its main idea, and it could've been shorter without the unnecessary addition of the seraphites. In a game that's trying to make you empathize with the enemy, it just seems contradictory to then go and make a hateful, faceless, religious group that only matters because of Lev's connection to Abby. They could've still kept them to make Lev's journey work, but it should've been left to like one or two encounters like the first game did with the bandits in Pittsburgh. To that point, I also don't like that they tried to make you care for too many characters that you only get a surface level connection with, so their deaths don't feel as poignant as the story needs them to be. Every one of Abby's friends, except for Owen, Mel and Manny, barely had any characterization that separated them from the npc in Jackson. It's even more egregious with Jesse, who we barely spend time getting to know before he's shot. Like, it hit me sooo much more when Sam and Henry died in the first game. Although you spend a similar amount of time with Jesse, I can't say I know anything about him other than he's Dina's baby daddy and (so we're told) Ellie's best friend, even though most of their interactions are just banter and they don't seem to be all that close during the game. Even after Joel's death, he doesn't go to Ellie, but if he was as close to Ellie as the game tells you, why wasn't he there like Dina, knowing Ellie would want to avenge Joel? Then we're supposed to believe he would venture out of Jackson all by himself just because he now is worried about Ellie? It mostly feels like he arrives there at that point in the game because the story needs him to, and then dies because it's extra trauma for Ellie and the story doesn't need him anymore. He just had so much potential to enrich the story and it all fell flat. And I'm not even gonna talk about Tommy, who does a 180º behind the scenes because someone needs to guilt trip Ellie. *sigh* But overall, I do appreciate the game much more now, understanding that it wasn't supposed to be a fun journey to save the world this time, but rather a grueling path for redemption.

[@rebelblade7159]

Great analysis. Abby's redemption arc also reminds me a lot of Metro Last Light where the plot also serves as Artyom's redemption arc after he massacred the Dark Ones using the nukes in D6 in the first game. I find a parallel between Lev in TLOU2 and the Dark One child in Last Light as both serve to facilitate the redemption of the characters they get involved with. As Metro Series focuses on Karma, performing good actions in front of the Dark One child convinces him to forgive Artyom and come to his help in the ending when the Red Line attacks D6.

[@charlesgorby4002]

You just got a new like and a subscriber thanks to your wonderful articulation of the complex themes of TLoU2 ; refreshing to find someone else that actually pays attention to the aesthetic aspects while gaming . Good show !

[@JustAcritic]

Thank you!!!

[@maoaadriao]

I really agree with you about the ludonarrative dissonance, she only feels different about Nora and Mel because how much it resembles her own life and friends, i think she just realizes the hypocrisy of her actions, that is also why i disagree with people that say her rage at some point is overboard or dumb or they dont understand why she would leave Dina and JJ, she knows this might ruin her life even more but she cant stop because she thinks killing Abby will fix what is broken inside her but all she needed was to mourn Joel in a healthy way but since no one ever taught her how to process her emotions in a healthy way, she does what she was taught by Joel in how to deal with your emotions, which is to bottle them up and use violence to fix your issues. Honestly the way i see Ellie's journey is just one big ass therapy session, sadly so many just view these characters actions with such a surface level analysis, that it's sad to see, one thing that's funny about the reviews of the game when it comes to youtubers, the people that review tv or movies, they are much more positive on the game and it opened my eyes to some gaming youtubers, since games are less skilled in telling stories, in my opinion it reflects their audience, in that departement of tv and movies, they have 70 years of extra experience so it makes sense their audience is also more experienced, hopefully when the tv show comes out, the story of the second game gets truly re-analyzed with the help of those youtubers and their audience.

[@JustAcritic]

Thank you for watching!!! Happy to see we agree, a lot of effort went into this video. I think you also make some profound points about the industry. I too agree that gaming is relatively new and has only recently (decade or so) been telling rich narratives. This means the audience needs to grow with how we analyse these games and I believe we're in the middle of that process. It seems tv and film already have that since as you say they've been around for far longer. Again thank you for watching!

[@kanyeeastlolz]

Respectable. I the the overlying message is that “before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves”. I think this game more than anything is meant to subliminally convey the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sarafites vs WLF. Remember, the narrative is inspired by druckmann’s experiences of growing up in Israel.

[@cursinguser9702]

Excellent breakdown. People are realizing this game is an incredibly rare undertaking. The fact that we can even discuss this game from so many angles is such an awesome exercise in narrative structure. Thank you for crystallizing some of the more nuanced thoughts people will likely have while playing the game.

[@alexaugusta6991]

This game is brilliant, anyone who says otherwise is either below the age of 19 or lacks empathy.

[@chloemacdonald5083]

amazing video, you deserve so much more credit for this. well done !

[@JustAcritic]

Thank you so much Chloe!!❤👊

[@anormalguy511]

Majority of people didn't like this game because of Joel's death And rest just didn't like it because it being LGBTQ+ ( well this honestly was expected and it's sad) I personally liked it a lot

[@thatoneguyyoulove4512]

This is why I didnt like the game. But when I actually played it through I thought this game was fantastic easily top 3 favorite games

[@wombat989]

Leaving this comment for the algorithm, hope you get some more attention soon. You clearly spent a lot of time on this.

[@genericwhiteguy2910]

Great video! Sorry this is long, lol. It's funny.. I feel like I am the odd man out when it comes to which game I appreciate more. The first game's secondary characters fell short with me and the overall narrative was pretty unoriginal. The ending is praised as being one of the best endings in a video game and I agree, but for different reasons than what is usually considered. I mean, it presents a 'trolley problem' at the end, which is nothing really revolutionary. However, the last exchange between Ellie and Joel as they head toward Jackson is what truly makes the ending so special to me. Ellie is reserved and Joel is so candid with Ellie as he talks about Sarah without being prompted to do so. Their personalities have swapped in a way here, b/c Joel has a newfound purpose caring for Ellie while Ellie is left w/o a purpose due to his actions. It is a really interesting change in their dynamic that TLOU2 really doubles down on with the first game being 'cause' and the second game being 'effect.' The narrative structure was so interesting to me in the sequel As you mentioned, it was important for us to really be placed in Ellie's shoes, which is why we play her section hating Abby and her crew blindly. As players, we waited years to be back w/ our favorite duo, Joel and Ellie, and right in the beginning of the game Joel is ripped away from us abruptly and unexpectedly. There's no closure for us nor Ellie. The first game was able to capture a sense of grief, but the second game did it more effectively IMO. When Sarah died it was sad but we really didn't know her that well. It didn't feel personal. Joel's death felt personal. We identified w/ his character in the first game and he was suddenly taken from us. After his death, we visit his grave, and walk through his house and piece together what has been preoccupying him all these years. Artifacts like a space book, museum pamphlet, and coffee mug scattered in his house have meaning when context is added. We mourn him and that sense of grief never lets up all of Ellie's section. Shortly after Sarah dies we get an exposition dump in the opening credits and a jarring time jump. We didn't get time to grieve. This decision to show her death at the start of the game also simplified Joel's character to some extent. We knew what he was about from the jump and why he behaves the way he does. Tbh, it would have been interesting if it was revealed to the player that his daughter died alongside Ellie learning. Conversely, Ellie/Abby's motivations are slowly revealed as the second game progresses. The way the creative team held back the context in part two was done so brilliantly. Anyway, thanks again for a thoughtful analysis on this brilliant but wildly misunderstood game, mate!

[@JustAcritic]

I agree with so much with what you you have to say. I love your analysis of the first game, I also love the idea of learning about Joel's tragic past as ellie learns about it instead of at the begining. I'm so glad you just like me can see why the structure of the second game is fundamental for the narrative. I'm so happy my video was enjoyable informative and that I'm not alone in this view. Thank you for the comment I really appreciate it, truly!

[@cursinguser9702]

Well said! Flipping the character dynamic between Ellie & Joel at the end of the first story is often overlooked.

[@MACKS1313]

Great video. This is very similar to how I read the game, and I honestly thought it was SOOO GOOD.

[@AwesomeNuke]

Game wasn't misunderstood at all. The vast majority of players totally enjoyed it and prefer it to the first game. People criticizing and bashing it are a very vocal minority. Good video regardless!

[@quiche6936]

super well-edited and eloquent video!

[@alaskacpu]

Great Video, however we can agree to disagree. The game is beautiful, plays well and remarkably done, but the storyline is a complete mess. You can find any excuse to explain them away. With that said, I play it once every year all the way through and realize just how much ND ruined a beautiful story.

[@JDisclmd]

its objectibly not a bad story tho, u just dont like it

[@ddp5406]

Thank you

[@tonybyemedia]

Great video! I also like Part 2 and dislike the amount of hate it (and everyone who's attached to it) receives

[@tracybrady453]

Tony, you make great videos too.

[@tonybyemedia]

@@tracybrady453 thank you!

[@shootingstarmolly]

I'll definitely admit that I had already strong opinions about this game before it even came out. I didn't want a sequel from the very beginning, I liked how open-ended the first game was. How Joel was treading on thin ice because of his actions and his lies of what happened at the hospital. To me it seemed like Ellie suspected that Joel was lying to her but accepted his decision anyway. The uncertain future between them was intriguing to me. So yeah, I was disappointed when a sequel was confirmed. I still tried to give it a fair chance though and luckily I wasn't spoiled about anything like many others were unfortunately. From what I can remember I didn't hate it with a passion, but it disappointed me non the less. The story is mediocre and the whole narrative felt uninteresting to me. The characters motivations were understandable, but still lacking the drive for their reasoning. I find the overused vengeance stories to be old and boring, they did nothing new or interesting about it. Some tropes can be very interesting if they are executed well, but everything felt too boring and predictable to me. Verbal communication is not always needed to understand what's going on, but it helps when certain plot points are unclear. I understood the messages and hidden meanings of the game, still didn't think it was revolutionary or anything. The flashbacks felt like cop-outs during the game, I've always thought flashbacks are a cheap way to push a weak story forward. If you can establish those events already from the beginning then do it, no reason to do so otherwise. This is already long enough, but I feel like I should give it some positives. The environments are absolutely gorgeous and more realistic than the last game. The actors were great to, they put up a really good performance. I also like the music a lot, sets up the tone of the game great. Overall the score is 4/10 for me. It's not the worst game ever made, but it's not something I would personally recommend. If you love this game that is completely fine, everyone is allowed to enjoy whatever game they want. For me though it's just okay, it's a beautiful yet average sequel.

[@tracybrady453]

Loved the video. Subscribed even though I am frustrated that you notice that Ellie is thinner on the farm as a visual sign of her struggles with PTSD, but disregard the bracelet on her wrist when she returns to the farm as a visual sign that she is back with Dina. How can you notice one thing but not the other? Ellie only even considers forgiving Joel after he defended her homosexuality at the dance. How he may feel about that is something that really concerned her. She truly opens up to him again after he says he approves of Dina. Letting Dina make Ellie happy is literally among the last things Joel tells Ellie. To honor Joel, Ellie MUST try to reconcile with Dina. The game then explicitly puts the bracelet infront of the player to say, LOOK! DO YOU SEE? THE BRACELET! DINA AND ELLIE ARE BACK TOGETHER! People who nevertheless conclude that Ellie ends up alone are not any different from people who are angry that Abby lives. Both groups are missing the point.

[@Ian-ky5hf]

Holy shit a child co not const to being murdered! Ellie gas survivors guilt so of course she would sacrifice her self.

[@anormalguy511]

You should make one on the yakuza games I think you will like it's protagonist

[@Ian-ky5hf]

I don’t think they become this stupid and let tiger guard down so much. Especially given what Joel did.

[@Will-hz7zf]

Its not misunderstood, its just shit.

[@billykotsos4642]

Last of us 2, is soooo much better than part 1 !!!

[@Tommy-TwigFan]

I dont think so, but is still a good, very good game.

[@billykotsos4642]

Part 1 is broken. It is full of glitches and the AI is atrocious. No comparison can be made in terms of gameplay !

[@Tommy-TwigFan]

@@billykotsos4642 I mean, is a game for the PS3 my dude...

[@uhuhuh1966]

@@billykotsos4642 lol that doesn’t mean it’s broken, compare it to Cyberpunk, an actual broken game. Perspective

[@JohnTramonto]

I agree

[@buggyyuji851]

Good video I guess but didn’t change my opinion on that overrated trash game of all time in my opinion but good video I guess not sub

[@rebelblade7159]

Great analysis. Abby's redemption arc also reminds me a lot of Metro Last Light where the plot also serves as Artyom's redemption arc after he massacred the Dark Ones using the nukes in D6 in the first game. I find a parallel between Lev in TLOU2 and the Dark One child in Last Light as both serve to facilitate the redemption of the characters they get involved with. As Metro Series focuses on Karma, performing good actions in front of the Dark One child convinces him to forgive Artyom and come to his help in the ending when the Red Line attacks D6.