The Last of Us (2013)
"In a hostile, post-pandemic world, Joel and Ellie, brought together by desperate circumstances, must rely on each other to survive a brutal journey across what remains of the United States."
- IMDB
I discovered this game a year after it released. I was looking into "best games" and this came up so without question or research I gave it a shot. And with that in mind, I will now give a thesis as to why this remains my favorite game of all time after 8 years.
Sarah
So obviously that opening scene gave me confusion as Sarah did not look like the girl on the cover. I should've read the signs, but I was to interested in the moment so I remained ignorant as to what exactly was about to happen...
We're immediately introduced to Sarah & her father Joel. They have a very lovely father-daughter bond that is so clear in that opening scene. Sarah wakes up to a distress call in what sems to be a quiet night. As she wonders to Joel's room, the news and the explosions seen from the window begin to indicate that some serious crap is going down. We control gentle Sarah as she wanders around gently introducing the chaos that is the end of the world.
As I said before, I had no idea what the hell this game was about. When we see that first zombie, I was unbelievably hyped. This was my 2014 self still in a Zombie phase and for me this was all I needed to believe that this was "the best game of all time." Though as Sarah is shook by witnessing this death, it's clear this isn't an action hype tale about killing zombies. Even when Sarah drops the line "we shoulda helped them," it's starting to be quite clear that there is a more dramatic, emotional, and horrific approach to this zombie story.
Then Sarah breaks her leg in the collision. Our control switches to Joel for the first time and then we quite literally carry "our" daughter to her death. After witnessing a couple explosions and running through a crowd of panicked people, nothing can ever prepare for what happens next. I've played the game a few times, watched several let's plays, and have watched cutscene compilations over the last 8 years. The shock & devastation still shakes me to my core and I always shed tears for this moment. I will always remember how my hype about the zombies was replaced with shock for this death. The main theme plays as voice over explains how the world began changing. But recovering from this moment is always a struggle as Joel's summer begins.
The Game Begins
Welcome to Boston!
This segment is so interesting because it's cool to see how civilization has adapted in 20 years. Not all humanity has been lost as select cities have been able to upkeep some structure and safety through the Military. It's implied that Citizens do have work, kids still go to school, and there are other rules to follow. It's also interesting to see the culture in the backstreets as a black market is definitely a big part of life around here (can we talk about the cooked rats for sale in that one alleyway?), & our main characters seem to be in the thick of it.
As we run around Boston, we're jumping into most of the game mechanics the game has to offer. We have a choice going guns a-blazing or to be full stealth. I for one like to go stealth with maximum effort. If you enjoy the shooting combat of Uncharted, this is a different, honestly an evolved, take on that. While we joke about how violent Nathan Drake is, the massacres committed by Joel seem more cold hearted than Nathan. At least all of Nathan's victims were portrayed to be villains. Though that's not always the case with Joel as we see throughout the game... It's just a different world.
This was a curious intro to Ellie. She immediately became interesting because what could've possibly made her important enough to be a high profile smuggling job for the Queen Firefly? She was also left alone with Joel which gave us the "your watch is broken" line. Between her comment on Sarah's gift & the fact that Ellie is on the cover of the game, it's clear that there's more between these two to come.
Escaping Boston
This is one of my favorite parts of the game to play. We really are in the thick of it now as we explore the leaning skyscrapers and battle against clickers for the first time. There's a room in the skyscraper and the whole subway sequence that made me fully committed to stealth tactics. I remember playing those scenes for the first time and spending too much time in them either because I kept dying and/or because I waited in dark corners planning my kills and escape.
This is also when Ellie drops the bomb about her immunity. It's actually an interesting concept, as someone was bound to be immune at some point, right? We also see Joel's disbelief, which is a key factor of his character that I'll get into later.
Also - "Can't deny that view." Such a great little scene.
Tess
It's implied from their very first scene that there is some serious chemistry between Tess & Joel. It's clear that they've been around each other a long time. There a couple moments when Joel feels very protective over her, though she can definitely handle herself. In fact she seems to be the top dog around these parts as so many guys show her the utmost respect. I'm so curious as to what their history was. Not just with each other but their whole Boston arc. I mean, torturing and killing Robert just seemed so routine for the pair given how they reacted. What was day to day life for them here?
Tess's final scene is one of the best scenes of the game; top 3 at least. Troy Baker and Annie Wersching performed at 110% and the emotion in their voices was so real. I've watched the scene so many times, including that one time they performed it on stage. This scene is one of the many examples I keep in my pocket to convince people that Voice Acting is under rated and deserves more attention and praise in the entertainment industry.
And with that, Tess goes out with a literal bang, dragging a couple guys with her. She was a BAMF. One of the best characters from both games. It's sad her time was cut so short. But her death was a turning point. Not that Joel had much of a choice, but Tess's death pushed him, as well as Ellie, to move forward with the mission. Thus the tale truly began.
Bill
Bill's town is one of my favorite areas in the entire game. I love exploring the abandoned stores, finding notes, and searching for supplies and optional character interactions. (Shout out to Ellie's adoration to gnomes given that Ashley Johnson would later become famous for roleplaying a Gnome Cleric in Critical Role).
The Hanging Gun Battle was intense; definitely took me a couple tries playing through. Then Bill saves us and we're introduced to his character. The meeting scene is one of favorites in the game. The sass level is astronomical. By the time I made it to the Graveyard I definitely forced myself to become a master of stealth and did my best to sneak to the school best I could. I was terrified. Then died a bunch at the School as swarms of infected waited for us inside & out.
And what a world they live in for them to have a casual conversation as Bill decapitates an Infected. Not to mention Ellie commenting "I've seen worse" over the pile of burning bodies. The norms that kids have growing up are obviously going to be different, but her comment and implication to this is just a heavy little piece of world building.
"That was Plan A, B, C, all the way to f****ng Z!"
Bill is one of the most interesting side characters of the game. I want to know more about him. He made a comment to Joel, "You of all people should understand," implying that he knows about Sarah. He was also talking to himself, which implied that he's been isolated for a long while.
Discovering his partner dead was a big scene. I think we're all in agreement that Bill was gay. Between Bill & Ellie's flashbacks in Left Behind, I loved the idea that being gay did not matter. As in "we're in the apocalypse and everyone is infected and we can die tomorrow so who the hell cares who we love, it can't possibly be an issue." (Then Part Two made it an "agenda" and took that away but whatever)
"Bye bye, dude!" The segment officially ends with the classic Car Ride scene. Ellie is just iconic in this scene. Such a nice moment between our favorite pair.
Hunters
Then BAM! "He ain't even hurt." The City is the best part game. On a scale from 1 to 10 for action, the game went from 8 to 100 as a hectic confrontation crashes the car they almost died for and they're thrust into an intense and violent battle. And the fun is only just beginning.
The library segment seems to be difficult for everyone. Stealth is definitely the way to go, but one mess up and you've got a gang of people shooting at you. Then we get through to the Hotel which is one of my favorite areas in the game. You start in the flooded lobby which is super dope. There's a cute optional dialogue you can get of Ellie pretending to be a customer. You eventually make your way to this party ballroom that has themed decorations representing the abandonment of happier times, but not before you fall into the basement...
This is one of the scariest part of the game. You're not only by yourself, but you're running around in this flooded basement where clickers and a bloater are just waiting to kill you. I hope you know you have to get a keycard, because the last thing you wanna do is try to gun for the exit to avoid the bloater & find you have no where to go... Trust me... I loved playing the Financial District my first real playthrough. I remember I mastered the concept of strategy and was able to take out most of the guys through stealth before resorting to guns blazing. As soon as you start having fun in the game, that stupid truck shows up and you gotta deal with it the rest of this segment. The sound is so annoying and ruins the enjoyment for me every time, like shut up, stop being coward, and come fight me like a man.
"Endure and Survive."
Joel makes a comment somewhere, "You get people desperate enough, they'll do just about anything." That's basically the entire theme of this city as we encounter the Hunters. These Hunters ambush and attack innocent people entering the cities and strip them of their useful supplies. It's very inhumane, of course, but this is just another tactic for survival. It's just an interesting concept to think of how far a person would go to make sure they survive regardless of consequences, especially in an apocalyptic world. Joel says iconically that he's "been on both sides." I love this line as it's just 5 simple words that provide pages of exposition to his character. It's also another example of the morally grayness of Joel as he has been the cause of such brutality as well as being on the receiving end of it. But, like he said, desperate people would do just about anything. That's what the end of the world looks like. And this continues to be a major theme the rest of the story.
Ellie saving Joel's life was such an important moment for their relationship. He was angry at her for killing that one guy, but it was unfair for him to yell at her as that could've been the first time she ever had to shoot a human point blank. But then Joel comes to his senses and exhibits a new level of trust by having her assist with the sniper rifle.
Sewers
We finally escape the city. Not saying that as in I didn't like it, but the Sewers are literally my favorite place in the entire game. It all starts and ends with Ish. If you don't know, the first Ish note is found on the beach around the boat and is the first of many telling the tale of how Ish survived and created a community in the Sewers. This is where the ingenuity of world design is at it's peak. There isn't too much in game dialogue discussing the entire story. You have to find notes and gather clues from the details of every room to compile the entire story. It's incredible and blows me away.
You walk around and observe where these people slept, where they collected water, where they played soccer, where they drew paintings in the nursery classroom - the Sewers are a haunting image of an abandoned civilization. Given the clickers, it's obvious how it ended. In the room where you find the Cornered note, you see the covered up bodies of children and writing on the floor - "They didn't suffer." It wasn't just an invasion, but a brutal devastation. Putting together the context makes for a heart breaking tale of this Sewers Community. This world building makes the world feel so alive and rich. And yes, Ish does make it out as he left a note in a house in the next neighborhood. The sequel would've gotten so many bonus points is Ish made a cameo but alas.
Brothers
We meet Henry & Sam in the City and help them escape. We only know them as 2 close brothers, but I believe it was Henry's VA who said on Retro Replay that Sam was a product of rape, and he hated him for that, then the mom died and he had to take care of him and it went form there (don't quote me). But such a dark origin story fits right in as they team up with Joel and Ellie all the way to the radio tower.
If I'd have to choose a scene more sad than Sarah's death it would definitely be the death of the Brothers. You spend a bit of time with these guys and form a little friendship through the journey. A trust and liking is built, and as Ellie said, they became a team. This was of course short lived. After a philosophical conversation about Clickers and the Afterlife, it's revealed Sam is infected. Henry ends up taking him out the following morning and the scene it's devastating. Henry says "It's all your fault" and I do believe he's talking about himself. With that guilt he takes his own life and we move on to the Fall season. I always have to take a break after watching that scene due to shock and sadness, though I've seen the scene many times, it still hits.
Tommy
We find Tommy trying to do what Ish almost succeeded at - creating civilization. While these brothers are happy to reunite, their relationship is still strained a bit. I was never actually able to pinpoint the entire subtext of their history. It seems they stuck together all the way until Boston where we found Joel. But we're unsure how long they were at Boston, or how long Tommy went his separate way. For me, I go back to Joel's "I've been on both sides" line when discussing Hunters and I wonder if that's what Tommy meant by "I got nothing but nightmares from those years." There's no way to be sure right now.
While there were a few combat segments, nothing gameplay wise was super fun here. Honestly the story here is what stands out the most, which I'll break off and deep dive on that now.
Ellie
There's a scene where Ellie & Joel emotionally confront each other after Ellie runs off to the ranch house in anger at Joel passing her on to Tommy. Joel obviously is both starting to see Ellie as a daughter figure while also fearing of doing that exact thing. It falls into one powerful line - "I trust Tommy more than I trust myself." It could reference how it was Tommy that killed the soldier that shot at him and Sarah. Or maybe Joel always saw that Tommy had the moral high ground? Or is just more capable though they're both equally deadly? I don't know, but that line also hints that Joel cares about Ellie too much for him to make a mistake and loose another daughter.
"Everyone I have cared for has either died or left me... Everyone except for you!"
Ellie may not have a "paternal figure" label when looking at Joel just yet in this moment. But it's clear that she has built a relationship with him by the beginning of Fall. It seems like he's the only person who has been in her life as long as he has. As someone who is afraid of being alone, this makes Joel more important than he realizes. Ellie's view of Joel plays off the "shared trauma" concept (which is definitely a thing that's not just for Nancy & Jonathan). Any two people who basically go through hell and back have that survivors bond that's unbreakable. We usually see this sort of thing used in romantic relationships, like in the Hunger Games with Katniss & Peeta. But Last of Us uses this on Joel who lost his only child and was given a 2nd chance. And on Ellie, who is a child of the apocalypse and finds comfort and safety in a companion who initially saw her as "just cargo."
Adding on to that, Joel gives that heartbreaking line "You have no idea what loss is." He says that because she's not a parent & the loss of one's child hits different. But like I said, she's a child of the apocalypse. Especially given the Left Behind DLC, Ellie was bound to see more death at 14 than a regular kid her age would see in a pre-apocalypse world. She was forced to confront death and grow up at such an early age and Joel definitely didn't consider that.
That's what I absolutely love about Ellie. She's faced such darkness, but still has such a powerful personality and charisma. There's a fire in her that has not extinguished no matter what she's been through. She still has the spunk and the sass and that makes her such a loveable character. I admire her strength and her openness to love and trust in a world where it's really hard to do so; whether it be because of fear of death or fear of deceit. She's brave, loyal, and caring. One of my favorite fictional characters for sure.
College
I'm sure I've said this already but this is one of my favorite parts of the game.
Firstly, Flamethrower. There are only one maybe two areas where I would use it. If you're out on molotovs but are full of flamethrower gas, this is the best to use on bloaters. But also, having a flamethrower in our inventory is just satisfying, even if we don't use it too much.
That leads me into the next topic. The horror aspect of this story comes back as Joel splits from Ellie and finds himself dropping into a hall way that's dark, filled thick with spores, and absolutely littered with infected. Stealth is the way to go here. Going guns a-blazing would just be impossible; there's too many. But it's terrifying trying to sneak past the other side. You can completely miss the bloater near the exit, however that just makes busting open the door that more terrifying.
I love exploring this part as well. There are a lot of notes left behind from both Fireflies and students who were there when the apocalypse started. Just nice story details that I continue to appreciate. And of course the urban decay design is at it's finest here.
At this point Joel & Ellie are way more comfortable talking to each other compared to the beginning of the game. This makes for some really fun dialogue as Ellie has her first college experience. This light hearted banter takes a dark turn as Joel is hit with a fatal injury due to a gruesome impalement. Roles change as Ellie is forced into a position where she is the one taking care of her companion. She's relentless as she guides Joel away to safety and takes down anyone getting in her way. Joel, for once, is useless. We see Ellie holding her own and it's both epic and nerve wrecking as you have no idea what's going to happen and you're stumbling around as Joel with no control of the situation.
Even with Ellie's fierce determination, she still delivers the line "You gotta tell me what to do" as Joel falls unconscious, possibly dead (if you don't know what happens). The heartbreak in her voice as she fears another loss of someone she has grown to care for and depend on is so sad. I love the scene later when Ellie gives him the medicine and lays next to him. It's such a sweet moment. She loves him. That whole winter segment - ugh, they love each other. But let me not get ahead of myself.
This is where I'll highly recommend you play the Left Behind DLC if you haven't already. You follow Ellie as she tries to find a first aid kit to help Joel while also providing flashback scenarios to the events leading up to how she got infected. I won't talk about it in depth but I'll reference it a lot when talking about the main games.
Winter
And with that, we transition to yet another season. We take control of Ellie for the first time and it's a blast despite the circumstances. Be sure to check her inventory as I've seen so many miss out on that opportunity. You see Sam's toy and a note from Ellie's mom as well as a few other little trinkets that are just fun little details to the game and character.
And now we meet David, played by the amazing Nolan North. David is a very interesting character. Of course he's a bad guy, but his ideals does bring up some interesting philosophy. His clan is a bunch of cannibals. Cannibalism in the apocalypse is a great topic of discussion in any scenario. If we were left with no other option, how many of us would actually resort to cannibalism? Desperate people do anything, especially for survival. In a sense the clan is justified... just a little. It's still wrong! And they shot first, they had it coming. It is interesting that the clan isn't necessarily a gang of evil cannibals. David wasn't lying. Dialogue here & there reveals that there really were women & children - a whole civilization Joel & Ellie just happened to cross paths with. They're a bit different from the Hunters, so this made for an interesting segment.
I've had a lot of time thinking about why David was so obsessed with Ellie. The most obvious interpretation was that he was a creepy perv. But he could've also wanted her as part of their cannibal clan given how she helped Joel ruthlessly kill other clan members. If she was such a cold blooded killer, maybe this fascinated him. Maybe it was a little bit of both? She was referred as "special" and "pet" which could mean either one. But nothing was explicitly confirmed.
Gameplaywise, it's one of the most heart pounding parts of the game. As Ellie, you are thrown into some intense situations. When you're with David, you battle through the factory to get to this horrible hoard battle that kills you over and over if you're not tactical with the very limited supplies, especially if you've used all your best before the bloater shows up. Then there's a large segment where Ellie is trying to run away from David's clan, which requires some anticipating stealth. At least you're surrounded by beautiful winter scenery made for you to enjoy when you catch your breath. Though this wintery setting isn't fun when you have to navigate the blizzard as both Joel & Ellie. Not only do you have to take out a bunch of enemies, but you have to do it in such a disorienting setting and it's scary.
There are just a couple of scenes here that are just outstanding. First of all, Joel's interrogation is so intense. Beast mode is totally activated and angry Joel is just terrifying. What a boss. And after a little boss fight with David, Ellie butchers him with his own machete. Whether he was about to molestee her or eat her or both, that man had it coming. But it was such a brutal death that really hit Ellie hard. She's not a killer and this was such a traumatic experience for her. You know it was bad when you heard the pure fear in Joel's voice when he says "I gotta find her" after discovering that they were knee deep in drama with Cannibals. He finds Ellie hacking away at David's face and pulls her away. He snaps his daughter out of her animalistic rage and she breaks down and cries into her father as he pulls her into an embrace. My heart melts. The scene is so heavy with different emotions and I cry every time. The writing is just so beautiful and the music is so somber. One of the best scenes in the game.
Salt Lake City
Here we go. The finale.
Going through the Salt Lake City area is quite pleasant before we go underground. There's a lot of nice dialogue between Joel & Ellie and the world design makes you feel like you're just strolling through nature. The giraffe scene is unquestionably iconic, or as Ellie puts it, "So f***ing cool." A beautiful moment of tranquility before all hell breaks loose.
You reach the underground and there are 3 bloaters waiting for you. Not to mention all the other infected roaming around, this part can be pretty terrifying. This is the last combat sequence before the hospital, so there's no problem going guns a-blazing if you're tactical. Though I am always the advocate for stealth. You can go through this segment carefully and quietly without using a single bullet. As creepy as it is navigating thought the hoard, I promise it is possible.
Marlene
Raise your hand if Marlene was in the right? Half of you would say so. Ellie's sacrifice was the key to saving humanity. Marlene was lost in her belief that she could save the world. As if a vaccine was going to make everything right and back to the way it was. But what if the scientists couldn't do it? Ellie would've died for nothing. And even if a vaccine was created with a 100% success rate, who's to say that's what's going to save humanity? Marlene is naïve enough to believe it'll work, but she's wrong.
Look at the last group of enemies we ever face in the game. Humans. Look at the Hunters. Look at David's cannibal group. Even jumping to the sequel, look at the war with the WLF vs the Scars. Not a single person is infected. What vaccine would cure their violence? Who's to say none of these groups won't kill for the vaccine and make sure that their group and only their group will be the only ever to be immune. Getting rid of clickers and the infection is only half of the problem in this apocalypse. It's been 20 years and humans have adapted too far for life to ever be the same. A vaccine would not be enough. So yeah. I'm the other half who will not raise my hand. Ellie's sacrifice would have been in vain. I firmly believe this.
Joel
It seems Joel & I are on the same page as well. Based on dialogue when Marlene was around way back at the beginning of the game, Joel seemed to have skepticism about the Firefly's mission from the beginning. And as I've said, experiences from this game alone, I can see why Joel would think humans were not worth it. How did Sarah die? Oh yeah, a human shot her. So there was no way Joel was going to let humans take another daughter away. And he did what he had to do to get her back.
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Was what he did was right? No way. It was selfish. But, unlike other games we know, the entire game form start to finish did a good job in making us sympathize with him. Unlike other characters that have committed horrendous acts we can never agree with, you rooted for Joel to have his happy ending with Ellie. Joel's journey literally ended the way it started with Joel carrying his daughter close in his arms. They've been through so much together. They had every right to go home and begin a new life. That sort of thing is hard to do in the apocalypse but Tommy definitely figured it out. Ellie is right. After everything they've been through, after everything they've done, it can't be for nothing. And for Joel, it was all for Ellie. To be with her and call her daughter. Troy Baker couldn't have said it better himself. Joel was never a hero. He was never setting out to save the world. But Ellie became his whole world, so in saving her that's exactly what he did.
On the other side, he spoke a great lie to her, and I always figured she saw right through it. Her infamous "okay" was just an acceptance for them to move on, at least that's how I always saw it. But Joel saying "there were a lot like you" not only made her not special, but also took away meaning from her existence. He took away Ellie's right to willingly sacrifice, though on the the hand Marlene also didn't give her the chance to say no either.
What ever you may think of these ethical dilemmas, I'm always fascinated by the conversations that can be sparked from this. Over the 8 years I've ben a fan of this experience, I will occasionally come across such discussions & be so excited to take part in them.
Overall Review
This game has been out for almost 10 years. It is literally my favorite game of all time. Ellie says "okay," the credits roll, and the music plays, and I sit there for 5 minutes not only fighting the intense urge to start over but also basking in the amazing experience I just finished. I take it in every time as if it's my first again. And while the sequel took that away from me for like a year, I'm happy to say I got that feeling back and it feels so good.
As a fan of the Uncharted games, the Last of Us really stepped up in terms of shooter combat. Uncharted still owns parkour & puzzle gameplay, but if I want to have fun shooting people like a serial killer mad man, it's more satisfying playing as Joel. There's so much at your arsenal at the same time. The only problem is finding the ammo to use it as it is a survival horror so strategize carefully. I'm all about the stealth, but I enjoy strategizing every sequence no matter what approach I use. While the path is very linear, there is still plenty of opportunity to go into side areas to collect supplies or find notes of exposition. The world building in general is just so fleshed out and full and makes the world feel alive. The design of urban decay is also an aesthetic and I love exploring any abandoned structure we come across.
Story wise, no other game comes even close to the perfection of this story. There is so much emotion and complexity to every character. Acting is top notch. And you go through such horrendous experiences as Joel and Ellie, you fight as hard as they do to stay alive. The heart of this story is the relationship of Joel and Ellie. That human connection in a world over run by Infected and murderous Humans is the light in the darkness. I'd say I can write an essay for how much I love the story as well as the game over all, but if you're reading this sentence, you know I just wrote an entire dissertation doing so.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★
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