The Last of Us Review

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Ok so The Last of Us, a game by naughty dog and what a game it is. When this game was first announced back at the VGA awards in 2011 I was instantly buzzing to know more about it. After watching all the gameplay videos and trailers countless times, the game was finally released and wow is just the beginning of what there is to be said about this game. 

Let’s start off with the main thing at hand with this game and it is that it’s not a nice game, its hard and harsh and it doesn’t care about your feelings it will rip your face off and it doesn’t matter because that what this game and its world is all about. 

The relationship between Joel and Elle is the star of the show, with the game mechanics and environment while superb put aside the game wouldn’t feel as alive without these two. It starts with Joel just being in complete control of the twos relationship but turns into them actually needing each other on the journey. As I played through the game I could feel the two bonding but then Joel would put up a wall even stating at one point that they aren’t father and daughter. Elle is a 14 year old who acts like an adult but at times you can see her revert to being a child, at one point she collects some comics and starts reading them and taking a real interest immersing herself with the characters the way a child does, after that she finds a nude mag and starts laughing about it with Joel showing she has some sort of maturity even at that age. Elle was born into this world 6 years after the outbreak of the infected and knows little of the world before and this is one of the strong suits of her character, she is always asking questions of Joel about the world before, one particular parts she sees a picture of a models and asks why she is so skinny when Joel tells her she chooses to be like that for looks Elle is shocked. Although acting like a child at time and an adult at others the world has hardened and desensitised her to all the killing and violence in the world as she is just another survivor like everybody doing what needs to be done to stay alive. Joel on the other hand has always been hard, since the day the infection started spreading. Joel doesn’t show much emotion throughout the game apart from the commitment to the journey with Elle. If he is confronted about his daughter or anything that makes him show any emotion he instantly blows it off. This does change though as the game goes on and he bonds with Elle showing he would do anything to protect and he kind of becomes a father figure. This bond even had me as the player raging at the screen with events that would unfold later in the game.

While scavenging the world and crossing from area to area you will see some beautiful environments and that’s what this game is its just beautiful everywhere you look there is intense detail whether it’s in a characters face or a corner in a room. Everywhere is beautiful and has character, I searched most rooms and building while playing this game and not once did I feel like it was just another copy and pasted place just to fill the environment. Along with Joel and Elle’s story you can discovers artifacts which are collectables along your journey. Some of them are notes and these give more life to the world, in the notes it will be another survivor writing about his journey so far but then late in the game you will find more notes about their journey surviving and even possible their body. Personally I loved this element of the game and I found myself looking in every possible place for more artifacts to further find more about the world I was in. during the main story's you will meet other characters and they are written so well even as a supporting cast that you start to care about them, even if your only with them for a little while. By the end of the game I cared so much for Elle and Joel I was on edge for everything that happened, I had learnt to this point how unforgiving the world was and I wasn’t ready to see these characters (which I had infested 16 hours into) go anywhere.

The world around these characters has a real taken back by nature feel, everything has fallen apart and there is greenery everywhere which makes for some nice background when moving through the world.

The mechanics in this game control perfectly as you would expect from naughty dog. The fact that they made uncharted is another reason I’m amazed at how different this game is. This game is not a run and gun shooter, it a journey that tells a story not just of Elle and Joel but of a whole world and like the walking dead TV series you get the sense that if they did a second game then it would be with different main characters somewhere else in the world because it’s just that expansive and the possibilities are endless. There are two great threats in this world one is the infected and one is other groups of humans who are usually called hunters. In a world like this other people are going to be scavenging for supply’s  just as much as everyone else, so you are going to run into them and most of them aren’t nice, they will attack you and also try and grab Elle to kill the both of you and take your stuff. You must work together with Elle to fend off these groups of hunters. The hunter’s work very well together adjusting their way of approaching a situation according to your actions. They will split up and find you and if they know you position they will try and flank you.  The hunters aren’t the only threat in the game there is also the infected who come in a variety of types which are runners that are fast and agile, Clickers who are extremely strong but can only see you by using sound and then there are bloaters which are so infected their whole body has been taken over by the fungus. Again like the hunters they have intelligence to adjust to your situation by moving closer if you make noise. This is where the combat system shines, stealth is your friend and ammo is scarce so you must use stealth and melee weapons as much as possible which adds a new dynamic to the game. There is an amazing crafting system which you use supplies such as tape and alcohol that you find on your travels to craft nail bombs, med packs and even Molotov cocktails. Also you can collect parts to improve your weapons at work benches but you don’t have a huge amount of parts so you must choose wisely which weapons you will upgrade.

This game isn’t about a story where there is an ending and then it’s all said and done, this game is a journey and something you need to experience. There are times I was shocked and times I felt sad and sympathetic for the characters in this world. I feel the game has been written and scripted so well that it almost feels like a film and a world has been created that is waiting to have more expansion made upon it.

In conclusion all I can say is this game is a masterpiece and Is definably in the running for game of the year candidate and possible the greatest game on the PS3