How The Last of Us Part II’s Chronological Mode Hurts (and Helps) the Game

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The Last of Us Part II is carefully designed to evoke specific emotions from players. The game frequently shifts between different time periods and perspectives, and this technique is central to its storytelling. While the game was initially presented in a non-linear fashion, a recently added ‘Chronological’ mode allows players to experience the story in order. This new mode doesn’t ruin the original narrative or fix all its issues – it even creates a few new ones – but it’s a fascinating example of how the way a story is presented can impact how it’s received.

Playing the game in chronological order offers a simpler way to experience the story, but it does come with some pacing issues. The game warns you upfront that the flow might feel off, and that’s true. While the overall story benefits from seeing Ellie and Abby’s journeys unfold together without a break in the middle, the beginning feels slow. All the flashback scenes happen early on, one after another. In the original game, these slower moments came *after* intense action sequences, providing a change of pace. Here, you get several hours of story setup with very little action before Ellie and Abby’s main stories begin.

The Last of Us Part II‘s Chronological Mode Messes With the Pacing

This painstaking method highlights why the game wasn’t initially designed this way. Simply moving from one walking section to another feels tedious as *The Last of Us Part II* slowly unveils the backstories of its two main characters. While the straightforward path reveals important parts of their development, the core game proves that these critical flashbacks are more effective when placed strategically to emphasize their impact on what happens later.

For instance, the first time we see Ellie play Pearl Jam’s “Future Days,” she finishes the song with her chin resting sadly on the guitar. The scene then cuts to a flashback of her struggling with the same song three years earlier, just as Joel arrives to take her to the museum. The guitar physically connects these two moments, but more importantly, the flashback shows us why Ellie is on this difficult journey and who she’s doing it for – the happy memory of Joel gives her the strength to keep searching for Abby.

The flashback also sets up a stark contrast with the next one, which is much more stressful and reveals how difficult Joel and Ellie’s relationship had become. Understanding this tension, and how they were only starting to rebuild their connection, adds complexity to the story. The fact that their healing process was brutally interrupted is a more compelling focus than simply Ellie seeking revenge for someone she easily loved. Presenting all these revealing flashbacks at the start in Chronological mode actually weakens the impact of this discovery, as it removes the rewarding feeling of gradually understanding the full picture.

The Last of Us Part II‘s Chronological Mode Makes Some Details Easier to Digest


Sometimes, letting the game handle some of the mental work actually makes the story easier to follow. Unlike some games where big shifts happen at set times, the changes in perspective in *The Last of Us Part II* happen frequently throughout each day. This immediacy helps you clearly see how closely Ellie and Abby’s paths come to crossing, and how Ellie’s actions are hinted at during Abby’s sections through casual conversations. These details are usually noticeable, but the game makes them stand out because the shifts aren’t spaced too far apart – often only 45 minutes to an hour. While the game’s structure isn’t as complex as the movie *Memento*, a rearranged timeline wouldn’t be as groundbreaking, it does highlight many of the smaller connections and lines of dialogue that might otherwise be missed.

The way the game switches between Ellie and Abby sometimes feels awkward, revealing that it wasn’t originally designed for playing chronologically. Their sections aren’t always equal in length, meaning you might play as Abby for almost a full day before suddenly switching back to Ellie as she’s just starting her day. This isn’t a major problem, but it shows how a game built for this mode would have balanced the lengths of each section to create smoother transitions and more impactful moments. The theater scene is the most noticeable example – you experience the cutscene from Ellie’s perspective, then immediately replay almost the same scene as Abby. This repetition weakens the impact and would have been better if the two perspectives were blended together more seamlessly instead of played one after the other.

Playing through *The Last of Us Part II* in this new, chronological order really highlights how the developers intended you to experience the story originally. The game even warns you against a first playthrough like this! Honestly, it felt a little rough at times, especially early on. It kind of spills all the beans about Joel and Ellie’s relationship right away, which took away some of the mystery from the first game. But, it *did* make connections between the two halves of the story clearer, and keeping both plots moving at the same time felt more natural than how the original game suddenly split things up. This chronological mode is interesting because of both its strengths and weaknesses, and I think it’s cool that they’re experimenting with different ways to play. However, it also shows how these alternate modes can mess with what made the original game so powerful and throw off the delicate balance of the story.

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2025-09-16 19:13