The Last of Us Part II: so much more than just another zombie story

The standout moments in this cutting-edge action game come not just from the many thrilling set pieces - but from the quiet intensity of the conversations

Now 25 years on from the outbreak, Seattle is completely overgrown. Abandoned cars are still lined up on the highway, rusted and rooted down by vegetation bursting through the tarmac. Skyscrapers still pierce the sky, their metal skeletons exposed by the bombs that were dropped in early, vain attempts to contain the fungal sickness that was spreading through the population. In any one of these buildings, there could still be the infected: aggressive runners, who still retain at least the appearance of humanity, or the skin-crawling clickers, hosts who have long since lost their sight and selves to the fungus - or worse.

As usual in post-apocalyptic fiction, there are also other people out to do you harm. In The Last of Us Part II, you are Ellie, a 19-year-old survivor who happens to be the only known person with immunity to the contagion that's destroyed humanity - but immunity won't save her from bullets, or from being savaged to death, so whenever you get into a combat situation the tension is absurdly high. This isn't a game with shootouts and explosions and powerful weapons - instead it's desperate grappling with a knife, improvised molotov cocktails, hiding prone in long grass while people patrol with guard dogs.