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Violent delights.

There's an argument to be had as to whether The Last of Us truly needed a sequel. That ending, although divisive, felt refreshing in its ambiguity and though it left the door open for another instalment, Naughty Dog could easily have closed it and moved onto something else entirely. Following the game's rampant success and with it now being labelled an all-time PlayStation classic, The Last of Us Part II was practically inevitable. Just like the original game, it's utterly essential.

We won't be going into any major story spoilers here. What we will say is that Naughty Dog clearly crafted this sequel with a real a sense of duty to the setting and characters they had so lovingly created, not simply out of pressure from Sony wanting to bank yet another commercial hit.

Mushrooms sprouting from faces and turning folks into zombie-like horrors is terrifying, yet this plays second fiddle to an even deadlier disease coursing through the veins of this sequel: vengeance. The way The Last of Us Part II explores this theme is surprisingly layered. If you thought Naughty Dog was about to drop the smart writing of its more recent work for a one-note bloodthirsty rampage, think again.

Although many will come to The Last of Us Part II for the story, the gameplay is equally as brilliant and refined. You know a game has a superb combat system when you will consider willingly rolling back to the beginning of its most challenging encounters over and over just to see how rewarding it would be to try a different approach. Admittedly, that can sometimes be because your first attempts went awry and cost too many of your painstakingly scavenged resources.

There's a freedom to how you approach most combat scenarios, quietly taking down enemies one by one, peppering them with bullets, and swinging whatever makeshift melee weapon you have to hand. Of course you can mix and match between these styles and the stealth system gives you the option to disengage, fall back, and rethink your strategy if things get a bit too hairy. You can even sneak past entire patrols if you prefer to channel your inner Solid Snake.

Whatever your approach, the gameplay delivers a satisfying smack with each crunchy headshot, shiv to the neck, or brutal finishing blow with whatever makeshift weapon you have in hand. The Last of Us Part II pulls no punches in its depiction of violence. We're not just talking the occasionally bloody lip here - Naughty Dog has gone all out with heads bursting, limbs flying, and other gory details in a way that will surprise even the most desensitised of gamers.

The Last of Us Part II has the trappings of an incredibly cinematic action game though this is still unmistakable as a survival horror. Resources are incredibly scarce and you'll need to fall back on crafting makeshift gear in order to pull yourself out of perilous situations. Then there are the Infected who are just as eerie and lethal as they were in the previous game. Sometimes you'll be facing them head on, but for the most part they serve as a kind of stealth-based puzzle, as you monitor their patrol patterns, judge their movements through jerky, twitching animations, and use items to manipulate their behaviour to either sneak past or take them out quietly.

Of course, these sections are strung together amidst lengthy cutscenes, plenty of exploration, and some of Naughty Dog's wildest set pieces to date. It's exactly the same treatment we saw them give Uncharted 4 and once again the results are phenomenal.

The world itself is just as rich, dripping with tiny details that are made all the more impressive when you consider the sheer scale and density of Part II's environments. Those gamers who fancy themselves virtual photographers are going to have sore thumbs from tapping away at that share button.

1. Gripping story that will leave you shaken
2. Rich, cinematic combat gameplay
3. Phenomenally detailed world and characters
4. Unbeatable character performances
5. Meaty 20-hour campaign with plenty of replay value

1. As huge fans of the original game's Factions multiplayer, it's a shame not to see it return for the sequel

The Last of Us Part II is a remorseless epic delivering in its masterful storytelling, nail-biting gameplay and unrivalled production values. Naughty Dog have truly surpassed themselves yet again, crafting a heartfelt sequel that will leave you gasping as they continue to raise the bar for the video game industry. It's yet another must-buy for PlayStation 4 owners, supercharging Sony's unstoppable stable of exclusives.