There is some nuance to the story, but Gamers are too pea-brained to get it. It’s not that Joel is bad, it’s about actions having consequences no matter how justified those actions may seem from one side, those actions could be seen as unredeemable from the other side.

I also hate that they criticize the story for being “revenge bad”, it’s okay if you’re tired of that trope, but boiling it down to that just shows that you are too stubborn to pay attention to the story. After Ellie lost her fingers (the ones she plays the guitar with), it triggered her emotions and memories about Joel, she realized that she wasn’t mad at Abby, she was mad at herself for taking so long to forgive Joel and now she won’t get that chance again.

There are definitely valid criticisms for the game the game though, but I don’t get why people make it their personality to hate the game. I disliked Witcher 3 and Baldur’s gate 3 and guess what? I moved on.