The Last of Us is a tale about pain. About love. About suffering. About friendship. About betrayal. About family. About death. It is one of the most well crafted, powerful, and emotional stories I have ever experienced in any medium. The Last of Us thoroughly delves into the human condition and doesn't let up. Right from the get-go, the story and masterfully written characters fully engulf you in a way that has never before been seen in a game and rarely in a movie. The amount of realistic writing and depth put into both the story and the characters is phenomenal. Throughout the roughly fifteen hour story you will find yourself caring about the characters and debating the meaning and differences between right and wrong.
The Last of Us follows Joel, a man with a broken spirit and no purpose, who survived the outbreak of a fungus based virus that mutates humans so that they are no longer in control of themselves twenty years ago. (It must be understood that these "infected" are very different from a "zombie". The infected are still alive; they are still people even if they don't act like it and fungus grows on their bodies. They don't go after other people because they're "hungry for flesh" but because it is in their nature.) If one of the infected manages to "bite" you, the infection will take control of your body within two days and there is no cure. That's where Ellie, a thirteen year old girl, comes in. Ellie is humanity's hope for the future. She was infected days earlier but it hadn't had any effect on her. Joel is tasked with guiding her to a lab where doctors can create a cure.
As cliché as all this might sound, there really isn't anything else like it. What sets the Last of Us apart from the hundreds of other post-apocalyptic stories is that it doesn't focus on the entire world or the science or the reasoning. Its main focus is on two characters and how they change and grow throughout the journey. The post-apocalyptic setting is just a backdrop for the story being told. All the characters seen are portrayed as if they were real people. Their motivations and reasons feel so true that you can't help but sympathize for them. In the third act, the story becomes progressively dark and it really gives you a sense that these people you're rooting for may not be "good" or what they seem. This isn't a good guy versus the bad guys shoot 'em up story. The characters are flawed in countless ways. I've never seen better character portrayals and developments and certainly they have never felt more real.
Arguably the most important part of a game is the gameplay itself. The Last of Us doesn't fail here either, bringing some of the most intense and realistic experiences in gaming. The mechanics are extremely tight and the physics put most games to shame. Combat feels very intense with a mixture of stealth and action. One of the most impressive things about the game is that there is no need to combat at all. You can sneak past enemies without them knowing and avoid combat situations. Enemy AI is very advanced and use actual strategies to flank you and get you cornered or in the open without cover. Very often I found my enemies outsmarting me and I quickly had to adapt to their positioning. The infected were extremely unpredictable and there were numerous times where had to sit and think my way through. Friendly AI is also impressive. Ellie will actually help you in certain circumstances and will alert you to enemy whereabouts. However, when it comes to combat scenarios, she doesn't actually kill anyone, which becomes a major plot point and character development later in the game. Level designs are brilliant and give a sense of the world being more open, despite its linearity. The world is decayed and broken, overcome by nature and yet it is strangely beautiful. The environments are extremely varied as well. The game takes place in many different areas and in a handful of different weather conditions.
I could go on and on about what makes this game more than just a game and more of an experience but time doesn't allow for that. Over all, developers Naughtydog (Uncharted franchise) have made a game unlike any other. From story to characters and visuals to gameplay, it is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Writer Neil Druckmann (Uncharted 2) and director Bruce Straley have out done themselves by a large margin and brought a range of emotions I never thought I would experience with a video game. I won't spoil it, but the ending is one of the most emotional and and heartbreaking yet hopeful and thought provocative I've ever experienced. It stayed with me for literally months after I completed it and still to this day it finds its way back to my head and I sit and think about how I felt and what happened. I can assure you, the ending is not what you think and it will make you feel SOMETHING, whether it be sadness, happiness, confusion, anger, or shock.
With a game as impressive as the Last of Us, it should be realized that gaming is not the same as it used to be. The Last of Us proves that games can tell stories as effective as any other medium, and sometimes even better. With over 230 Game of the Year awards and a 96% on metacritic.com and over 50 perfect scores from critics around the internet and publications, the Last of Us is not only a technical achievement, but it very well could change the way people make games and how others come to view them.
The Last of Us follows Joel, a man with a broken spirit and no purpose, who survived the outbreak of a fungus based virus that mutates humans so that they are no longer in control of themselves twenty years ago. (It must be understood that these "infected" are very different from a "zombie". The infected are still alive; they are still people even if they don't act like it and fungus grows on their bodies. They don't go after other people because they're "hungry for flesh" but because it is in their nature.) If one of the infected manages to "bite" you, the infection will take control of your body within two days and there is no cure. That's where Ellie, a thirteen year old girl, comes in. Ellie is humanity's hope for the future. She was infected days earlier but it hadn't had any effect on her. Joel is tasked with guiding her to a lab where doctors can create a cure.
As cliché as all this might sound, there really isn't anything else like it. What sets the Last of Us apart from the hundreds of other post-apocalyptic stories is that it doesn't focus on the entire world or the science or the reasoning. Its main focus is on two characters and how they change and grow throughout the journey. The post-apocalyptic setting is just a backdrop for the story being told. All the characters seen are portrayed as if they were real people. Their motivations and reasons feel so true that you can't help but sympathize for them. In the third act, the story becomes progressively dark and it really gives you a sense that these people you're rooting for may not be "good" or what they seem. This isn't a good guy versus the bad guys shoot 'em up story. The characters are flawed in countless ways. I've never seen better character portrayals and developments and certainly they have never felt more real.
Arguably the most important part of a game is the gameplay itself. The Last of Us doesn't fail here either, bringing some of the most intense and realistic experiences in gaming. The mechanics are extremely tight and the physics put most games to shame. Combat feels very intense with a mixture of stealth and action. One of the most impressive things about the game is that there is no need to combat at all. You can sneak past enemies without them knowing and avoid combat situations. Enemy AI is very advanced and use actual strategies to flank you and get you cornered or in the open without cover. Very often I found my enemies outsmarting me and I quickly had to adapt to their positioning. The infected were extremely unpredictable and there were numerous times where had to sit and think my way through. Friendly AI is also impressive. Ellie will actually help you in certain circumstances and will alert you to enemy whereabouts. However, when it comes to combat scenarios, she doesn't actually kill anyone, which becomes a major plot point and character development later in the game. Level designs are brilliant and give a sense of the world being more open, despite its linearity. The world is decayed and broken, overcome by nature and yet it is strangely beautiful. The environments are extremely varied as well. The game takes place in many different areas and in a handful of different weather conditions.
I could go on and on about what makes this game more than just a game and more of an experience but time doesn't allow for that. Over all, developers Naughtydog (Uncharted franchise) have made a game unlike any other. From story to characters and visuals to gameplay, it is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Writer Neil Druckmann (Uncharted 2) and director Bruce Straley have out done themselves by a large margin and brought a range of emotions I never thought I would experience with a video game. I won't spoil it, but the ending is one of the most emotional and and heartbreaking yet hopeful and thought provocative I've ever experienced. It stayed with me for literally months after I completed it and still to this day it finds its way back to my head and I sit and think about how I felt and what happened. I can assure you, the ending is not what you think and it will make you feel SOMETHING, whether it be sadness, happiness, confusion, anger, or shock.
With a game as impressive as the Last of Us, it should be realized that gaming is not the same as it used to be. The Last of Us proves that games can tell stories as effective as any other medium, and sometimes even better. With over 230 Game of the Year awards and a 96% on metacritic.com and over 50 perfect scores from critics around the internet and publications, the Last of Us is not only a technical achievement, but it very well could change the way people make games and how others come to view them.