I punish myself sometimes. I always try to play the game as realistic as possible. I like to be inside the character and feel and act as if I was him or her. That is happening on a first playthrough.
On a second playthrough, I usually explore it the way I never did. Every place, room, cave, crevice, building.
The last of Us is semi linear. It doesn't offer a completely and fully open world, sadly. It has semi hidden areas, places you don't really get to unless you poke around. But it makes sense as you play through the game.

