I still recommend playing the game. Even if you ignore the story, it’s a superior game to the first in terms of better mechanics, better level design, better combat, pretty much better everything from a gameplay standpoint. In my opinion, if it weren’t for Joel being killed, the game would’ve had universal acclaim from those that loved the first game. The fact that there’s a trans side character also pissed off the conservative demographic, too.

In terms of the story, I think it has tremendous character growth by the end of the game. Ellie finally begins dealing with the mountain of baggage she’s had since even before meeting Joel, along with slowly confronting and coming to terms with the complex and conflicted relationship she had with him. Sure, she’s hunting Abby down to kill her for vengeance, but what occurs along the way is a whole rollercoaster of character development and existential crises. Abby also has a similar arc, albeit for different reasons.

Sorry for the long rant, I just think TLOU2 got a way worse wrap than it deserved by much of the gaming community.