Homemade bagel with banana and chocolate from Bagel Bros – The Last of Us II

The first part of The Last of Us is considered by many players and critics to be one of the best games dedicated to the Playstation console – hence the sequel from the beginning had a difficult task to meet the huge expectations of the audience. Unfortunately, in this case both the review bombing and also quite wide-ranging hate speech hit the game, which affected not only the creators themselves, but even voice actors (especially the one behind voice of Abby). I won’t dwell here on the fact that such community movements should never take place, but it’s even more painful considering the fact that The Last of Us II hasn’t deserved it. I played through the whole game (over 30 hours total) and – despite the fact that in my opinion Part II doesn’t compete with the original story from the first game – it is still one of the best games released on PS4.

The Last of Us is worth playing at least for the gameplay itself, which immensely pulled me for over 30 hours. The detailed design of the various locations is adorned with beautiful graphics, which makes visiting every scrap of the Jackson area and Seattle a pure pleasure, and the photo mode is a must in many moments. The fight is varied and dynamic, and stealth sequences demanding + we must take into account each bullet and carefully manage the resources for crafting (I played at a high level of difficulty, so on a normal it can be less tough). In addition, great animations (especially facial expressions of the main characters) and a movie feeling introduced through atmospheric cutscenes create a very coherent and rich experience.

When it comes to the story, it has some strong, memorable moments – and although it isn’t boring and pushes us forward all the time, a little bit of cliche may be felt sometimes. In my opinion this is the least successful element of the sequel, which doesn’t mean that it’s bad. And here I’ll express an unpopular opinion – I liked Abby’s story more than Ellie’s. I won’t make a spoil here, but I mainly mean the creation of characters, including those accompanying the protagonists. In some moments it’s very shallow, and at some moments it’s simply difficult to sympathize with the behavior of individual characters, because for me there is a lack of more logic and properly built foundations for it. From the very beginning of the game I felt what the game developers want to achieve with some elements, but for me it just somehow didn’t resonate properly. On the other hand, as for the game I played on the day of the premiere (courtesy of Playstation Polska), I didn’t actually see any bugs – I only once fell off the map. In addition, considering the really refined graphics, the optimization is very good and even on a regular PS4 the game works very smoothly. My final rating is 8.5/10 and it is a strong recommendation to try this game – although the end didn’t leave me with a feeling of great amazement, overall, it’s one of the best games that I’ve recently played.

Returning to the topic of location details in the game – this is where Naughty Dog keeps its high level and it can be seen even in abandoned bars and restaurants, where EVERY menu is so detailed that you can read exactly what regulars ate at these places before the outbreak. Because of this multitude of culinary details, not only on the menu, but even in posters hung on the walls, advertising specific dishes, or appliances left in the kitchens – I spent a lot of time in the photo mode throughout the game. I made over 300 screenshots – and this is really a huge number even for a game-foodie freak like me. Designers did a great job and exploration in The Last of Us Part II thanks to it took on a completely different dimension.

Some of the restaurants appear several times while visiting Seattle – one of them is the Bagel Bros chain, specializing in bagel making. Due to the fact that the epidemic has taken over the world around autumn, there are advertisements of seasonal specialties for fall on the posters of the chain stores – specifically bagels with pumpkin and nuts, banana and chocolate. As soon as I saw this poster, I already knew that I had to prepare one of these combinations. And here you go – a fully homemade recipe for bagels with caramelized banana and chocolate-nut cream. A bit time-consuming combination, but the effect will compensate the preparing hardships. I promise!