The Last of Us Review

Joel and Ellie: Our Two Protagonists

Naughty Dog has always been one of my favorite developers.  I've been with them from the beginning whether it be a colorful romp through the world of Crash Bandicoot or living out the life of an action hero in Uncharted.  The Last of Us however is a sort of a departure for Naughty Dog. The above games could be described as fast paced, colorful, and full of wit.  The Last of Us however is a complete 180. It’s dark, gritty and very tense with little to no comedic relief.  After finishing the game I was left in my seat knowing that I may have played what may have been one of this years finest games.

The story takes place after an outbreak of the cordyceps fungus.  What results is a post apocalyptic version of what was once the United States.  While there are some humans left, the rest have been turned into mindless zombies.  While the zombies are an important part of story the main focus is on two characters Joel and Ellie. Joel is a hardened survivor who has seen a lot of horrors ever since the outbreak while Ellie is relatively young and has seen very little of the world.  Joel has made a career for himself in this world as a smuggler.  One day he is approached by a member of a resistance group known as the Fireflies.  Joel is tasked with escorting Ellie to a firefly lab on the other side of the country.  Joel begrudgingly accepts the job.  I feel one of the greatest parts of the story is seeing how Joel and Ellie interact with one another and seeing their relationship evolve over the course of the story. What I also love is the sense of ambiguity in the story as you question your actions.  I think what really shows this is when a non infected enemy is brought to their knees.  When you aim your gun at them they start begging for their lives.  While the enemy themselves have also done reprehensible actions in the game it’s moments like this where you wonder if you’re no better than them.  I also got that same feeling in the ending and I feel that it’s going to be debated on internet forums for quite a while.

It took me a while to get used to the controls.  If you go into the game expecting for something similar to Uncharted you are going to find the game very difficult to play. Joel moves much more realistically as opposed to Nathan Drake.  He can only really climb up a ledge if it’s around the same height as him otherwise you need to find a ladder. In addition ammo is very scarce so you really need to be careful with your shots.  Sometimes it may be easier to take the stealthy approach as opposed to going guns blazing.

Even though the game deals with some very dark themes the game can look very gorgeous in some places.  While some areas are dark and dank there are other areas that are legitimately beautiful areas where plant life is growing through urban areas.  It really hits home when you see some animals roaming free in the world.

Multiplayer is also really well done.  There are only two modes but the way it’s framed makes it interesting.  At the very start you’re given a choice of two factions: Scavengers or Fireflies. The idea behind this is that you’re the leader of a small survivor’s refuge.  Whenever you play a multiplayer game there are supplies littered throughout.  In addition to completing multiplayer goals you are also tasked to find enough supplies to help your refuge survive.  The actual multiplayer though is very simple. It’s two takes on the classic team deathmatch. One mode is a last man standing survival mode while the other has the team sharing a pool of respawns.  What I really like though is how they incorporated most of the elements from the single player mode such as the crafting system.  

What else can I say about The Last of Us.  It’s a spectacular game made by a spectacular developer.  If you haven’t already done so buy it on sight.  10/10