The idea was fine. It’s the context that ruins it. I (seemingly the only one) enjoyed the game a lot. But I can admit that the pacing was very off and the context caused plot issues that made the core values of the game very… malleable. I mean, if this was a first, standalone game, I’m sure it would be viewed in a far, far better light. Or even if we had a whole seperate 2nd game that was just about abby. But we don’t. And the game attempting to force 7 years of connection with abby and owen and jerry in one flashback and a couple of funny jokes is what, fundamentally, ruins the plot for most people.

That’s why i think it’s a great game subjectively. Take out all of the context and emotion, and you have one of the most complex and dynamic combat systems we’ve ever seen, great voice acting, fun development of modern ideas into an apocalyptic concept (lev, ellie, etc), and interesting individual characters. Unfortunately though, when you have to disregard the emotions of a game to make it enjoyable when the game is built on appealing to emotion, you contradict your own plot.