A fungal pathogen called the Cordyceps has turned humans into aggressive creatures, or the Infected, who have ravaged the United States. The world is divided into quarantine zones, cities are filled with marooned buildings, overgrown weeds carpet the roads, and humanity is back to its hunter-gatherer roots. Sounds like a foreseeable future? Well, this is the post-pandemic world of game developer Naughty Dog and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment's latest release — The Last of Us Part II — which has created quite a buzz, thanks to the eerie similarities with our current predicament.

"The game comes seven years after part one. I finished playing the first part the night before the second one released. I had got an idea of the second part thanks to the spoilers, but still wanted to follow Joel and Ellie's story," says Santacruz-based Kartik Bhardwaj, a 24-year-old media professional and an avid gamer. Bhardwaj, who took 30 hours to finish the stealth game, gives us the lowdown on the adventures of the protagonist Ellie.