Like a great movie or a satisfying book, The Last of Us will always be etched into the memories of gamers. And for making you think about your real-life relationship with someone who may be just as vulnerable as Ellie, arguably the star of the plot in the videogame, and a potential contender for videogame character of the year.
You play as Joel, a grown up man with plenty of personal issues who took on the responsibility to escort Ellie to a distant location. It is the journey that will introduce an avalanche of encounters that will definitely shock and consume the players.
We’ve probably come across past games that offer a great storyline ingrained with an equally satisfying gameplay, but not many titles can be regarded as one that combines the plot, journey and experience into an awesome package.
You may have played other stellar games before this, but The Last of Us brings together certain elements of great gameplay experience and blends them into a masterpiece.
This is not a mere ‘choose-the-desired-response-in-a dialog’ experience while you sit back and discover how deep the plot unravels. Nor is this about weaving together played missions in any sequence and have them connected into a story. And as close as this is to an escort adventure from another game involving a helpful girl who’s able to tearing through time, The Last of Us strikes many chords in our heartstrings for keeping its characters and interactivity very human and believable.
The game takes advantage of the generation between Joel and Ellie and develops the character and humanity bond at a comfortable but firm pace. Pay attention to the verbal exchanges between the both of them and you can’t help but feel for their opinion and reactions. This also goes to the other supporting cast. All those hard work investing in the motion capture during the development of this game is really paying off. The Last of Us truly came alive and I shudder to think if such turn of events would come true in reality one day.
In an era where zombies tend to be a hit in pop culture, the developer raised a notch by introducing a different perspective of the undead. Employing the behavioural properties of an existing living thing, the game propels a natural twist by turning the effects of the subject on humans. These allowed the developers to add a layer of gameplay element based on the organic strengths and weaknesses.
To combat these, the player is given more than one option. Apart from firearms and the use of melee weapons, the game keeps the tension going by keeping its resources scarce, which can be overcome if the player invests in crafting scavenged items. I like how you can craft items at will while in the thick of an emergency or encounter. The game doesn’t come to a standstill while you’re crafting, thus keeping the atmosphere tensed and realistic.
Surprisingly for a debut IP, the game also comes with multiplayer which allows players to employ their understanding of the game’s vast confrontational arena and use them to work with and dominate against other players.
The Last of Us is going to be fondly remembered for raising the bar in its genre and on the standards of production in the industry.
Based on how past games are usually remade into current console systems, I have a feeling that The Last of Us will make its appropriate remastered-for-PS4 edition. If that is going to happen, I hope there is a way for the player to take on the role of Ellie. Or perhaps make The Last of Us fully playable over coop. Or simply make the game more beautiful than it is already is, as if it isn’t breathtaking enough currently.
9.8/10
Note to all Guys and Gentlemen: if your eyes were watery at least once during any part of the game, it’s perfectly normal and I would extend a bro-fist to you in person. To all daddy gamers playing this game, if you especially have a teenage daughter, I know how it feels to go through this game and I wish I could wish you Happy Father’s Day every time you play this game in the month of June.