Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II is being review bombed on Metacritic. The game has been subject to a number of user reviews awarding extremely low scores over the past day or so. At the time of writing, there are almost three times as many negative user scores as positive ones for the game, with The Last of Us Part II overall receiving just 3.4 out of 10 from users. We're endeavoring to avoid any spoilers whatsoever for The Last of Us Part II here, so you don't need to worry about having plot details revealed in this story, although there may be very minor spoilers about certain characters.
Why are people review bombing The Last of Us Part II?
The low scores seem to be coming from two fronts. On one front, there are players who are unhappy with what they perceive to be "SJW", or "social justice warrior", themes within the game. Metacritic users make reference to an "SJW agenda", with one user in particular saying that "PANDERING has negatively infected gaming culture and The Last of Us Part II is the quintessential example of it". The protagonist of the game, Ellie, is gay, and there's also a prominent trans character in the story.
On the second front, the review bombs appear to be coming from people who are unhappy with a decision made by the writers. Something significant happens within the first couple of hours of the game, and many users in the Metacritic review section are expressing their unhappiness with that decision. For the most part, it appears to be the above decision and the perceived "SJW" elements of the game that players don't like.
Are there any other reasons The Last of Us Part II is being review bombed?
There does seem to be a third category of review bomb. Some people are simply unhappy with the way The Last of Us Part II's story has been written. Those people say the characters are poorly constructed, the narrative arcs don't pan out, or the story is unsatisfying. While there are some who are basing their decision on the first couple of hours, there are certainly negative reviews as low as 1 or 0 out of 10 that focus on a perceived lack of quality in the story overall. That doesn't chime with professional critics' opinions about the game so far, but it's worth noting that a significant amount of user reviewers on Metacritic are taking this angle.
The Last of Us Part II is available right now on PlayStation 4.
