Within the game’s opening hours, Joel is murdered. It was meant to mirror the cycle of hurt the game confronts us with again and again. But halfway through the game, Naughty Dog flips the perspective entirely. Abby, physically imposing and emotionally guarded, challenged conventional notions of what a video game protagonist could be — especially a female one. Ellie and Dina’s love story shined as one of the few bright spots in a game about the dark side of human nature.