The Last of Us review - a landmark achievement
If there’s one aspect of gaming that’s really come into its own in recent years, it’s storytelling. Books, TV shows and films have been able to totally immerse us in their worlds by crafting gripping narratives and filling them with characters that we can relate to and care about, but games are traditionally more focused on things like mechanics and level design. Those that concentrate on narrative, like Telltale’s The Walking Dead, often do so at the expense of those elements.
But now Naughty Dog, one of the industry’s most celebrated developers, has crafted the perfect marriage between storytelling and gameplay with The Last of Us.
To put it in its simplest terms, The Last of Us is Naughty Dog’s take on the zombie apocalypse. But rest assured, this is far more than just Uncharted with undead monsters. Uncharted is a series fixated with replicating the intensity and explosiveness of a Hollywood blockbuster, whereas The Last of Us is a different beast in that it’s a story and a world all about survival. Rather than approach each encounter with glee and excitement, you find confrontation a reluctant necessity, with every spared bullet and healing kit greeted with a sigh of relief. The world of post-apocalyptic America is not one to trifle with. It feels real and every bit as dangerous as you’d imagine it would be if it was.
Fungus is the root cause of the state of the world, ravaged by an infection that destroys the brain functions of its host and turns them into a variety of gruesome predators depending on the length and severity of their ailment. Much like the aforementioned The Walking Dead, though, The Last of Us isn’t really focused on the origin of the virus or even how society fell, but how the survivors must learn to live with it. A harrowing prologue is the only explicit insight into how this version of America comes to be, with further knowledge gained from collectable artefacts left behind. What is apparent is that the world is a shadow of what it once was, with buildings teetering on edge, plants and fungus enveloping every structure in sight, and humanity broken up into factions. It’s an incredibly detailed setting, one that feels totally convincing and scarily feasible.
This journey is played out in the shoes of Joel, a 20-year veteran of the end of the world who we’re introduced to in the prologue, but who has changed an awful lot since. Your main accomplice during your quest across the states is Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, born and raised after life changed forever. She’s bullish, feisty and incredibly likeable, wonderfully written and brought to life by best-in-class motion capture and voice work by Ashley Johnson.
But as hopeful as Ellie can be, The Last of Us is brutal. Ammo is scarce, enemies are smart and aggressive, and mastering your equipment is a must. Health packs, Molotov cocktails, nail bombs and the like all must be crafted, and in real time at that. If you want to switch weapons, use a workbench to upgrade them, or craft equipment, you cannot use any sort of pause menu. It’s tense, and it extends to the combat itself. Guns feel savage, as does the bow and arrow. You’ve certainly got some options to play around with, and it’s refreshing to see a game that doesn’t restrict the amount of weapons you can carry. But even then, it’s a tough life.
Being as tough as it is, stealth is key to your survival. Sneaking up behind human enemies will often result in a brutal execution via hand or shiv, but a few of the infected enemy types require different tactics. Clickers are probably the most disgusting enemy you’ll face in terms of appearance, and they’ll kill you instantly if they get their hands on you. They are blind, but do have incredible hearing, which makes sneaking at a snails pace a necessity at times. The bloaters are similarly deadly and will require the most powerful equipment in your arsenal to take down, and like every other enemy you face, you’ll often find Joel’s listening ability incredibly useful when you encounter them. Holding down L2 allows Joel to sneak around and effectively see enemies through walls. It feels a little strange in an experience that is otherwise so grounded, but it is disabled on higher difficulties. Using distraction techniques like throwing bottles and bricks is also vital during stealthy situations, and it all helps make The Last of Us resemble more of a survival horror game than an action adventure.
Ellie comes in handy during combat scenarios, but she’s even more welcome company during the game’s quieter moments. Naughty Dog give you plenty of opportunities to soak up the atmosphere of the world and explore every nook and cranny of its intricately rendered environments, and it’s during these moments that Ellie will strike up conversation on all sorts of topics, from long lost comics to old music records. Both Joel the character and you the player come to care for Ellie over the course of the game.
Naughty Dog have succeeded in bringing the characters to life in the same way they succeeded with Uncharted. Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson are the stars as Joel and Ellie, and both do a wonderful job of bringing their characters to life, as do the entire cast. There are moments both within the game and during the cut scenes that will make your jaw drop, breath stop, and eyes well up. The characters feel so real, and the narrative takes them to some extremely dark places.
From a visual perspective, however, The Last of Us is a stone cold stunner. Characters boast the most convincing facial animation yet seen in a game, and the infected look suitably horrific. Animation is absolutely superb, the environments are meticulously detailed, and it’s quite incredible to see just how much Naughty Dog has managed to squeeze out of this ageing hardware. It’s the best looking game on the PlayStation 3, and is one of the best sounding too, with a haunting, breath-taking score from Oscar-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla.
Topping off one of the best single player experiences of this generation is a robust multiplayer suite, which makes use of several of the gameplay mechanics from the main game to deliver online competition quite unlike anything else. The real time crafting is present, and ammunition is scarce, which lends a sense of tension to every match. Both game types stress survival, with a set number of lives shared between each team of four ensuring a careful and methodical approach to combat. Your results contribute to your score in a wider metagame, as you look to aid your chosen faction’s survival hopes. As this progresses you’ll be given tasks to complete within matches, such as kill a set number of opponents or collect a set amount of salvage, and all this adds up to aid you and your group’s progression. Like the online play in Uncharted, it’s surprisingly well put together.
Ultimately, though, the multiplayer is secondary to what is an utterly incredible story-driven experience. The Last of Us stands tall as a shining example of perfectly synchronised storytelling, character work and gameplay, all presented in a stunningly well realised world. It’s harrowing and it’s tough, but it’s a landmark achievement in video game storytelling and you won’t soon forget it.
