The Last of Us Part 2 has generated some extreme reactions from players around the world. While a section of the audience enjoyed the twist of the game, many absolutely abhorred it and expressed their displeasure loudly. Before heading into this in detail, here’s a SPOILER WARNING. The events of the game will be discussed so if you are okay with that, keep reading. Here’s how The Last of Us 2 received immense hate for Abby.
The Last of Us 2: Why is Abby so hated?
Before the game’s release, major portions of it got leaked which was one of the biggest leaks in gaming history. Through it, fans came to know that Joel dies and, well, Abby kills him. The character of Abby was bound to make people hate her since she kills one of the most loved game characters ever.
People waited for years for the sequel to hit the market and they were crushed to know that the character they wanted to play as was brutally murdered with a golf club. He couldn’t (or didn’t) even fight back. What’s more – you even have to play as that character you have grown to despise. This is primarily what is making people angry. Plus, Joel dies pretty early on in the game but players say that the trailers made it look like he lives. This kind of ‘manipulation’ has disappointed a lot of fans.
In TLOU 2, Abby is shown to be the daughter of the doctor who was about to operate on Ellie. But Joel kills him and escapes with Ellie. Players have been complaining about this narrative and the fact that Joel didn’t deserve this kind of death (or any death at all). In the first game, he was shown to be an intelligent and cautious person, but in the sequel he is portrayed as someone who could easily be caught and overpowered.
The Actor Of Abby Receives Death Threats
This moral dilemma was exactly what Naughty Dog wanted players to experience but it turns out that it has affected some of them a lot. Unfortunately, the actor who plays Abby (Laura Bailey) has been receiving death threats and online vitriol. She posted about them on her Twitter account and honestly, they are intense and quite terrifying. It shows that Joel was such an adored character that players are unable to differentiate between a game and someone’s real-life feelings. No matter how strongly you might feel about characters in a fictional world, sending threats to the actors and creators will never be okay. In fact, she should be appreciated for portraying Abby so well that it made people sit up and take notice.
Apart from these reasons, people have also speculated that Abby is transgender. She was stereotyped due to the way her body looked and many people were mad at her looks too. Her muscular body became an unfortunate target for a lot of hateful words thrown online. Abby doesn’t look like the typical woman nor does she fit the bill of a conventionally attractive woman. If you think about it though, maybe she doesn’t feel like looking pretty or ‘feminine’ because she is stuck in a life-threatening apocalyptic world. Looking at things from her perspective can really change mindsets.
In conclusion, the fact that Abby didn’t fit the expected template of a female character as well as her actions in the game have created an outrage. The game’s stunning visuals, gameplay and accessibility features have been applauded though, which has given this game mixed reviews overall.