The Last of Us Part II was a big success for Naughty Dog, and while the critically acclaimed video game sequel was championed by a lot of fans, just as many came away disappointed.
Major spoilers for the game follow from this point.
One of the most divisive aspects was the introduction of a new character named Abby, who we come to learn is the daughter of the doctor Joel killed while rescuing Ellie at the end of the first game. After discovering the whereabouts of the man who murdered her father, Abby brutally beats Joel to death with a golf club as Ellie looks on in despair.
So, Abby is the villain of the piece... right? From Ellie's point of view, yes, but about halfway through the story we switch perspectives and replay the earlier events of the game as Abby, making her an arguably more sympathetic deuteragonist.
This was a bold move, but being forced to play as the person who ruthlessly murdered a beloved character did not sit well with everyone.
During an interview with Game Informer, Abby voice actress Laura Bailey addressed the her character's reception, revealing that while she expected some backlash, she was surprised by the level of hate.
“I knew that there would be backlash for sure,” said Bailey. “I knew that I was going to get some hate. I didn’t anticipate the extent. It was the perfect storm. I think the leaks had a lot to do with it. If your first experience with that had been in the game, and then you kept moving forward, you would have had the growth and understanding. But the leaks came out a couple months in advance; you had months of people forming barriers and forming walls before they were able to understand Abby’s side of it, and therefore a lot of people never were able to.”
What did you guys make of Abby and The Last of Us Part II overall? Drop us a comment down below.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.