Naughty Dog, the Sony-owned studio behind games such as Crash Bandicoot and Uncharted has created yet another masterpiece. This time with a game that tells the dark, harrowing story of a man and a young girl crossing the post-apocalyptic United States. This is not a masterpiece, however, that should merely be compared to other ‘good’ games, but instead one that should be considered as a turning point in gaming history, along the likes of Pac-Man and Super Mario 64. However, those games are exceptional, in part, due to the jump in technology they represent (2D gaming, and then 3D gaming, respectively). The Last of Us is a game that, as well as having incredible graphical fidelity, represents a level of both storytelling and player immersion (together with superb gameplay) that has never been reached before. This game is that good, that significantly better than the vast majority of games on the market. The Last of Us is not only cemented in place as PlayStation 3’s single best experience, but is further evidence that Naughty Dog is the best developer in gaming.
The Last of Us is a marvel of presentation. It is a game that puts you in a dishevelled and destroyed United States, and never lets you forget that you are surrounded by pain, misery and loss. You take control of the main character, Joel, two decades after a vicious fungus, Cordyceps, has demolished society. Naturally, it is a grim situation.
This is juxtaposed with beautiful backdrops of uncultivated wilderness, alongside towns and cityscapes that have been rapidly reclaimed by nature. The environments certainly have an unusual feeling to them. Twenty years after the collapse of society, buildings have fallen into disrepair, pavements and roads have become overgrown with moss, long grass and other vegetation. Some subway systems have flooded because water-pumps have failed, and the borders of woods have extended, engulfing past settlements in the process. These and other such situations feature in the game, and they represent the huge environmental variety that is present.
The Last of Us isn’t so much about what happened to humanity (although there are hints in the surroundings), as it’s about the tale of two people and their journey. Joel’s interactions with a girl, Ellie, propel the story forward. While Joel forever has blood on his hands, a product of survival in such a broken world, she is more naive. Although, Ellie is not innocent – she also kills to survive. She simply doesn’t know any better, as a result of being born into this desolation. Unlike Joel and other survivors that litter the game, other people that used to have a job in today’s world, she has no idea of what it was like to live in society before its collapse. This leads to some very clever contextual conversations that show just how much the world has changed, as well as how pampered the society we live in today may seem to someone (such as Ellie) who has not grown up witnessing it. One of the many poignant examples of this involves walking past an ice cream van. In the world of The Last of Us, this seems like an insignificant object when seen alongside crumbling buildings and the like. Most games would treat such an object as merely part of the scenery, or when in a combat situation, a possible point of cover for the player. However, in this game, there is a prompt for a conversation to take place. When triggered, Ellie asks what it is, Joel responds, and then Ellie replies, saying how she thinks the concept is "weird." This is just a basic representation of what can be seen throughout the game, but is undoubtedly an effective feature. There are many times I can recall thinking about these conversations long after they had finished. More specifically I was considering how there are so many aspects of life in modern-day society that we take for granted, yet are frivolous. Such thought provoking moments are rarely seen in videogames, and they have never been present in the same quantity as in The Last of Us. These conversations also endear you to Joel and Ellie’s evolving relationship, and are some of the game’s most enjoyable discussions.
The Last of Us is perhaps this generation’s best looking game, both in-game and when viewing cutscenes. In addition, it features some of the best voice acting ever heard in gaming. This is supported by an excellently written story, but also the superb, engaging gameplay.
As you (playing as Joel) travel across the United States with Ellie, you will come across different groups of survivors, all of which are a threat to your survival - in this game, everyone is both a possible threat, and an opportunity for gaining supplies. Ammunition and weapons are scarce and in order to survive, the environment must be scoured for any useful supplies. For example, if a scissor blade and some tape is found, you can craft a shiv. However, you are forced to make choices when using these supplies, as items are created by using components needed to make other items. These restrictions on how combat can be approached emphasises the desperation felt by Joel and Ellie when fighting for survival, and effectively translate these emotions to the player – Joel is always one mistake away from death. The crafting process involves the incredibly well designed user-interface - at the push of a button, you can open up a menu that shows the total supplies collected and what can be crafted at a glance. Such a streamlined interface makes the process of crafting, which tends to be a daunting prospect in other games, simple, quick and accessible in The Last of Us. Another excellent feature is that the game never pauses when making these items, meaning that it will need to be done in as safe of a situation as possible. This creates an amazing sense of urgency that can only be avoided when you are certain no enemies are near.
People are not the only enemies in this game – the Cordyceps fungus that infects people does not just kill them. They are in fact turned into wild creatures known as the infected. These foes are even bigger threats than other humans, and their tactics are both fierce and reckless. This is a stark contrast to the smart and reactive human enemies, and means that each fight needs to be approached differently. Having two diverse and complex groups of foes in one game keeps combat inventive, and gives it a continually unpredictable feel.
To reiterate, The Last of Us is a masterpiece. The travels of Joel and Ellie provides gamers with a fascinating and immersive story, and is as equally memorable and brilliant as it is brutal and heartfelt. It is fitting that Naughty Dog, the developer who gave us PlayStation 3’s first great game, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, is the studio that gave the console a worthy send off before its successor, the PlayStation 4, arrived last November.
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