They challenge the conservative narrative diktat that evil should be punished, monsters destroyed and order restored. In his famous essay An Introduction to the American Horror Film, critic Robin Cook wrote: “Central to the effect and fascination of horror films is their fulfilment of our nightmare wish to smash the norms that oppress us and which our moral condition teaches us to revere.” Horror texts are by their nature, sadistic and transgressive. It’s a statement of intent from Naughty Dog, a signal to the player that from now on, anything can happen. Though there are several romantic relationships at its core, the Last of Us sequel depicts a pitiless universe where characters are locked into brutal cycles of revenge and savagery – a fact confirmed in the first hour of play when Joel is beaten to death by Abby, a character we later control. It was never going to be a hope-filled adventure story. And while the trailers for The Last of Us Part 2 depicted Ellie at a barn dance sharing a kiss with her girlfriend, it should have been clear this isn’t Life Is Strange. This was a bleak, catastrophic conclusion, ripped straight from the zombie films of George Romero. He chose the latter, murdering everyone in the operating theatre in the process. After all, the original title ended on a horrific decision: in the midst of a deadly viral pandemic, troubled father figure Joel could either let a medical team dissect his surrogate daughter to discover a cure, or save her life and doom humanity. For those coming to The Last of Us sequel expecting a dark, character-led drama, these gruesome noises, encountered in the first moments of combat, are an attention-grabbing reminder that this is first and foremost a horror series. The strangulated gurgle of a slashed throat, the wet schlump of an axe hitting a skull, the gloopy splatter of a shotgun blast to the torso. It’s the sound effects that really get to you. This article contains story details from throughout the game.