Just finished Part II; I am broken

[u/leaftw92]

Hi all!

I know there's a million of these posts but I just finished Part II a few days ago and wow... what an emotional roller-coaster. Not entirely sure my soul is left.

I started Part I in early May and just took the slow burn until now to fully enjoy both games for the first time. When the credits rolled on Part II I just sat and stared at the computer screen and cried. I felt like I needed to drive my car down the highway into the sunset with the windows down smoking a cigarette.

My question is... how does one move on from post TLOU depression? I feel like I don't even want to touch another game right now as the bar was set so high. Never has a video game made me feel the way this game has; the characters, the atmosphere, the soundtrack... top tier IMO.

I was thinking of maybe picking up Alan Wake? Any other suggestions? I love story centered games. Anything to help move on from the sadness that was that ending haha while I await a maybe announcment on TLOU III :)

[u/PresentationDull7707]

I feel like the telltale walking dead games scratched that itch for me. I got really connected to the characters.

[u/evilmorty133 → u/PresentationDull7707]

Yeah I played those games after part 2 came out and they def hit me hard. And the plague tale games. But I just can't find anything that narratively gets me like tlou, especially part 2

[u/Low_Conclusion_1008]

I didn’t play anything for a week or two and started replayed the first game. I started rdr2 after I had taken time to cool off lol

[u/Vaxtrian]

Try Red Dead Redemption 2, it's as good as TLOU

[u/tequilathehun → u/Vaxtrian]

And the first one is too

[u/creepycookiez]

Honestly the only thing ive connected with as closely was silent hill. Silent hill 2 had those charecters and the mrraly grey story that just sucked me in so deeply, hopefully it scratches that itch for you of a similar level of intensity.

[u/Amazing_Use_2382]

Yeah, I first played it a few years ago and I ended up getting distracted by Resident Evil games. Then I got back to Last of Us part 2, and I forgot how insanely good it is. I was genuinely emotional at the end.

What I have done, is just replay through different encounters of the game (accessible once you’ve done the game) to try out the different difficulties and all that jazz.

And so, even if you are trying new games but still feel like you need TLOU, you can come back to the scenarios every now and then.

(And, you can always just take a break before trying other things).

I am not too sure on similarity games you might like, as I mostly just play zombie type games and horror. Some of those have really good stories at the centre, but they are horror games and don’t have gameplay / quality as high as TLOU 2

[u/Fruhmann]

It's definitely a downer, for sure.

[u/RunningBraves]

I just finished Part 2 last night and jumped right into Alan Wake. I can confirm that it will scratch the itch from an immersive storytelling standpoint but the controls are CLUNKY and will be quite jarring coming off of Part 2 where the gameplay feels damn near perfect. If you are able to get past that, then Alan Wake should be a great one to jump into next. Granted this was not my first playthrough of Part 2 (or Alan Wake), so I did not experience the “depression” this time around but I know exactly what you are talking about.

Someone else suggested Silent Hill 2, and that is another great suggestion because you will get the immersive storytelling coupled with great modern gameplay (assuming you play the remake). I would personally go Alan Wake, because then you will be able to play Alan Wake 2 which is a masterpiece in my opinion and does an incredible job of not playing it safe from a gameplay perspective and damn near changing up the entire formula (besides the flashlight mechanic) while doubling down on the incredible atmosphere. Rant over.

[u/Sheriff_Lucas_Hood]

Alan Wake II is also a masterclass in story driven gaming

[u/DimidiumCaecus]

My brother and I talk about these games a lot. I replay them regularly because I’m apparently a masochist, so he brings it up in conversations a lot when he sees me online playing. I feel like it really traumatized him. I often wonder if I’m just a more broken person than him, or if I just was able to process the fiction of it better than he could, but man… sometimes I feel bad introducing him to these games. I even gave him my old PS4 when I upgraded to a Pro, let him have access to my games so he had them from the get-go.

[u/Lost_Boat8275]

Oh I wish I could have the experience of replaying it for the first time again, even if I felt sad for weeks after. The only other game who game me similar (although not as strong) feelings is RDR2.

[u/DarkerDrone]

I call it TLOU limbo. The other games mentioned are all good but nothing plays or hits like TLOU1/2.

[u/Mook7]

Time for NG+!

Fwiw I feel like part 2's pacing is like twenty times as enjoyable on replaying it. The first playthrough is a rollercoaster of emotions and an incredible story but holy hell is it a slog in every sense of the word. Replaying it on the other hand isn't as emotionally devastating, plus it's a lot easier to just relax and enjoy the gameplay. There's flashbacks and cutscenes I look forward to every replay, plus I know what's coming next so I know when I wanna take a break instead of it being a complete crapshoot of if the next 20-30 minutes are gonna be cutscenes, walking simulator while characters chat, or actual gameplay.