Revisiting the Timeless Perfection of The Last of Us

[Music] The Last of Us is one of the most iconic and beloved video games ever released in 2013 Naughty Dog dropped a game that would push the barrier of what is possible for narrative driven video games and delivered a story with characters that would go down to some of the greatest in any game to date it truly was a game that defined a generation over the years we've had remasters and remakes out of assured games that they can relive one of the greatest video game stories ever told and seeing as The Last of Us Part Two remaster is releasing in just a matter of days I decided to go back and play through the last of us to relive Naughty Dogs magnum opus to enjoy this story through a modern lens and see if the last of us is as much of a masterpiece in 2024 as it was over a decade ago when it released this also marked the first time that I'd replayed the game after having Seen the Last of Us HBO series so I I was of course curious to see how I'd feel about the game upon replay after seeing the show so we're going to dive in deep into this game the story the characters the world the gameplay and really dive deep in this retrospective look into the Timeless Perfection of The Last of [Music] Us the story of The Last of Us is one that truly stands the test of time not in the sense of it being a unique story because this is a story concept that you have seen many times before I mean think about it character has to transport a child across a dangerous landscape and by the end a relationship is formed like in its simplest form the story of The Last of Us isn't a groundbreaking story in the sense of its concept it's a groundbreaking story in the sense of its execution of that concept The Last of Us is a story that deals with harsh realities companionship trauma finding purpose connection and arguably most importantly loss and what that can do to people it's a story so rich in its themes in its characters and how everything comes together by the end to create an ending that sticks with you long after you roll credits it's often said that the best stories are the stories that stick with you that you're thinking about long after it's over and that is The Last of Us in a nutshell the gamees ending alone has kept this story in the Zeitgeist for over a decade was Joel right was Joel wrong the moral dilemma alone has kept this game at the front of people's minds for so long but we'll touch on the game's ending a little bit later let's not let the ending overshadow the story and the journey that leads us to the end so let's talk about that Journey the opening chapter of the game sets this story up for greatness we're introduced to Sarah and Joel we learn everything we need to know about them in one cut scene and a short exploration segment where we play as Sarah all the seeds for the greatness of this story story are planted here we see Joel's connection to Sarah we see the watch and its significance and of course the beginning of the ceps outbreak itself the entire opening sequence is incredibly intriguing upon multiple playthroughs because we know Joel as this ruthless man hardened by loss in the world he lives in but in the opening sequence when Joel is forced to shoot his neighbor after hesitating until the last minute you see the contrast of the man he is now to the man that we know he becomes after Sarah death it's one of the reasons this game is timeless and multiple playthroughs are worth it but the ultimate Catalyst for this story is Sarah's death which is still one of the most harrowing scenes I've seen in a video game ever we see Joel mut baby girl quite a few times and the significance of that is registered when he uses those same words on Ellie deep into the story when she escapes David so none of this here is shock value for the sake of it it's the ultimate driver of what makes this story work so well and that is how it sends Joel down this path of losing his humanity and once the story picks up 20 years later we get to see him ReDiscover it through Ellie anyway we find out that Joel is still alive 20 years post outbreak pockets of humanity are surviving however they can mostly in quarantine camps factions such as the fireflies have risen up but are struggling and all in all Humanity has dwindled down so the only people surviving are essentially the ones that have been willing to do what is necessary to survive not only have the humans changed over the 20 years the world and the infected have too cities have been overtaken by Nature the infected are everywhere with many of them evolving into different stages we get a strong sense of what this world has become and how Joel has been affected by it through Visual storytelling you don't get a ton of exposition dumped on you to tell you what the world is like now or how Joel has changed you can piece it together visually and it's just one example of The Last of Us showing and not telling But ultimately Joel and Ellie cross paths as a firefly named marleene has tasked Joel and Tess with transporting a child to some fires in exchange for doubling their cash they eventually find out that Ellie has been bitten the only catch is you're supposed to turn after 2 days and she was bitten 3 weeks ago so they ultimately go through with a deal against their better judgment only to find out that the fireflies they were to drop Ellie to have been killed we find out that Tess is bitten and she uses her bite and condition to convince Joel that Ellie is immune she holds them off long enough for Joel and Ellie to escape and then we are set off on a journey where Ellie slowly breaks down the Walls Joel put up after Sarah's death and to contrast that Ellie's innocence becomes tainted by the things she sees and does across her journey one thing that I absolutely love about this game story is it takes its time it doesn't rush through anything and lets the small moments with the characters linger which is something that I feel like the show didn't do enough of like like small moments such as Joel's glance to his watch after him and Ellie enjoy the view there's so much to delve into here just from one glance at a watch because this is just such a rich story with seriously complex characters something else this game does very well is it progresses through story and Joel and Ellie's Bond through other characters such as bill now Joel needs to find Bill to get a car so they can get to Pittsburgh now in a way Bill acts as a mirror to Joel he's a loner who likes it that way as connections with others seems a Sure Fire way to end up dead at least in his view we even get subtle nods to what that might mean for Bill through Frank who we don't actually see in the game well alive anyway a lot of people often dismiss bill as this crazy person that acts as comic relief but his character does so much for propelling this story forward when it comes to Joel bill is what Joel could be if he continues down the path of not allowing anyone to get get close Joel realizes this and we see some development there is a moment where Joel says that Ellie held her own to Bill hinting that Joel is slowly starting to let his walls down and by the next scene we see the two of them engage in non-hostile conversation for once here this make you all nostalgic you know that is actually before my time that is a winter though we then Venture on to the Henry and Sam section of the game which in my opinion is up there with the game's highlights more so because it mirrors a companionship similar to Joel and Ellie's adult looking after the child like you get the idea now we spend a lot of time with Henry and Sam we get more fleshing out of the world and we see just how brutal and unforgiving this world can be Joel has moments throughout these interactions that have you believe he's really starting to mellow out but that wall can go back up at a moment's notice and it does after the completely traumatizing events of Henry and Sam we head to Jackson and reunite with Tommy Joel's brother and his new wife Maria this for Joel is the end of the road he tries to porn Ellie off to Tommy as he's a former Firefly and seemingly more fit for the task all of this despite the fact Ellie has become very attached to Joel so when Joel refuses to even let her know what the plan is she pieces it together and takes off and it leads to my favorite scene in the entire game not her you know what Maria told me about Sarah Ellie you are treading on some mighty th eyes here I'm sorry about your daughter Joel but I have lost people too you have no idea what loss is everyone I have cared for has either died or left me everyone [ __ ] except for you so don't tell me that I would be safer with someone else because the truth is I would just be more [Music] scared you're right you're not my daughter and I sure as hell ain't your dad Ellie found out a lot about Joel from Maria and Ellie in a moment of harsh truths brings Sarah up directly and unapologetically and it's here we realize just how broken and closed off Joel is despite him showing glimpses of opening up and caring for Ellie but I'll come back to this in the character section of the video there is just so much here to dive into we're trying to keep this as story focused as we can So eventually Joel comes to his senses after processing what Ellie said and agrees to continue the journey with Ellie to a university supposedly occupied by fireflies obviously this doesn't go according to plan chaos ensues and Joel is critically injured by Bandits this leads to one of the best parts of the game The Protector rolls between the two characters have switched and we play as Ellie and set off to find food and medicine to keep Joel alive eventually Ellie comes across David the leader of a group who comes off as harmless she makes a deal with David for some medicine he reveals to her that the bandits Joel and Ellie killed at the University when Joel got injured were his people understandably alarmed Ellie leaves and questionably gives Joel the medicine like I'm no doctor but I don't think that's how you do it but you know it's it's good enough it does lead to really nice moment though you really start to buy the bond between the two of them here but then eventually Ellie is Tracked Down by David's group and is kidnapped whilst Joel remains unfound and surprisingly okay this is actually one problem I do have with the story it's a little convenient that Joel recovers so quickly and just in time to go and save Ellie but considering how much this game gets right I can let small things like this slide like it's earned it at this point it does lead to the torture scene with two members from David group so Joel can find out exactly where Ellie is and I absolutely love this despite getting the information Joel Still kills the two of them kind of foreshadowing what's to come it's the first real taste of Joel doing whatever is necessary to save Ellie and cross those moral lines so it's eventually revealed that David's group are cannibals and Ellie remains defiant despite David trying desperately to not have her killed the reason behind why David doesn't want her killed is honestly sadistic and disgusting but they eventually do try and kill her Ellie breaks Joel's rule of not telling anyone that she's infected and it saves her life you really start to see just how sadistic and disgusting David really is after this and it leads to one of the best moments of the game David in his own huis leaves himself open for Ellie to brutally attack him this is a major deal from a character standpoint as it's really taken any ounce of Innocence away from Ellie she has become a product of This World by this point a lot of this story is Joel regaining his Humanity but Ellie kind of losing her innocence and this is where that really comes to a head but Joel eventually finds Ellie and calms her down and they reunite mirroring the opening of the game with Sarah and Joel says that baby girl Line stop stop [ __ ] dck me it's me it's me it's me look look it's me he tried to oh baby girl it's okay it's okay it's whil this scene marked the end of Joel and Sarah and the beginning of Joel losing his Humanity this scene marks the beginning of a new father daughter bond and Joel rediscovering his Humanity this is where he lost purpose this is where he found purpose it's just so damn good we see just how much Joel has changed in the very next scene where Joel is the one one constantly talking whereas Ellie is the one that's closed off highlighting the contrast between where these two characters rat at the start of their Journey this of course leads into the iconic ending of the game and it's revealed that in order for doctors to develop the vaccine it means that they're going to have to kill Ellie as ceps grows on the brain Joel realizing that this means he's basically about to go through once again the very thing he just overcame stops it from happening going on a rampage and killing dozens of fireflies including the Doctor Who ties into the next game with Abby and in the process Joel robs the world of a cure because his fear of loss completely took over leaving the player with the question was Joel right Joel and Ellie find their way back to jackon to meet back up with Tommy but before they do Ellie's suspicions have grown about what happened at the hospital she confronts Joel and makes him swear to her that what he said about the fireflies was true Joel lies Ellie says okay and then it ends the bittersweet ending of one of the greatest video game stories ever told this story is just so damn good and I know it might have felt like I left a few things out here and there but that's more so because we're going to discuss that in the character section of the video but overall with this story it's just Timeless you find a little nugget of gold each time you retrospectively look back at certain parts of the game taking a Broken Man ruined by loss and slowly building his Humanity back together through the go he was tasked to transport again not a new story concept by any means but this is by far the best version of this type of story here we are 11 years after the game came out and people still debate whether Joel was right or not and that's the sign of a Timeless [Music] story so let's talk about the characters of The Last of Us because although the story is in of itself excellent the true highlight of this game are the characters that Propel that story forward so let's start with Joel who is without question one of the best video game protagonist to ever exist and the way Troy Baker brought this character to life simply can't be praised enough Joel goes from your everyday single father to a broken violent and detached man his relationships after Sarah's death are superficial at best Tess being the prime example of this Joel is an incredible character because nothing is simple with him he is a character that challenges the player Joel mercilessly kills others in the name of survival but there are times where he could let people live but he chooses not to he's not a good person by the time we catch up with him 20 years into the outbreak and he's not a good person by the time the game ends as is evident by the fact he ruins the only chance of a cure for his own selfish desires and on top of that he then lies to Ellie about it but what makes Joel interesting is we completely understand why he does everything he does we understand why he lacks empathy towards others we understand why he is the way he is and despite the fact that Joel is not a good person we sympathize with him now it also must be said that there is a lot of push and pull throughout the story with Joel for example bill is used as a mirror to Joel to see what he will become if he continues to stop any form of attachment that's why see Joel lien up a little bit in the down moments with Henry and Sam you know he's starting to let that door open because of Bill but Henry and Sam's death is a reminder to Joel that bill was actually right which plays into why Joel originally committed to handing Ellie off to Tommy obviously this isn't the soul Factor as to why Joel does feel himself getting closer and can't fathom the idea of Ellie getting hurt and him failing to stop it much like what happened with Sarah and much like what he saw happen with Henry and Sam the game plays almost endless tug of war with Joel opening up to Ellie just when it seems like she's breaking those mental barriers down Joel set up after Sarah's death something happens that causes Joel to default back to his ways every time their relationship sees progress Joel senses it and puts a stop to it so when the time comes that he doesn't stop it it's a huge deal now a major aspect of this story is obviously the idea of Ellie being able to offer Humanity a cure from the corps virus but interestingly I think Joel doesn't really want the world to be cured throughout majority of the journey actually I'd argue the entire Journey losing Sarah allowed Joel to slip heavily into being a product of the world around him and he's comfortable in his misery in this post-apocalyptic World there is no need to return to normal for him because what normal is there without Sarah this is shown by how Tess was much quicker to believe in the idea that Ellie might actually be immune before Joel did whatever happened to me is the key to finding a vaccine oh Jesus what she said oh I'm sure she did like why would Joel want things to return to normal when Sarah isn't in the picture instead Joel seems content with surviving until that day comes where he doesn't so when hope comes he's quick to shut it out but he rediscovers something worth fighting for with Ellie a large theme of this game is finding purpose and he found it through her he even says so at the end of the game that he struggled with surviving for a long time but you have to find something to fight for in Ellie he found something to fight for even when he essentially takes Ellie on as his surrogate daughter a cure is still the last thing on his mind when they're so close to the Finish Line he even suggests to Ellie that they don't have to go through with it and should just turn around and go back to Jackson Joel is clearly comfortable with the world staying as it is as long as Ellie is there he got what he needed out of this journey he doesn't care about a cure but we obviously can't talk about Joel without talking about the ending so Marlene and Joel kind of play protagonist and antagonist in the game's ending they both kind of want the same thing they don't really want Ellie to die it creates a perfect microscope on the morals that people always debate regarding the game's ending because we all know that Marlene is right if Humanity has a chance to find a cure with Ellie being the sacrifice it's worth it it's sucks but it's what must be done but at the same time we all want Joel to go and save Ellie and we don't really blame him for it because we've seen the context we've played through it and experienced all the reasons why Joel should go and save her but at the back of our mind we know Marlene is right that's why it's such an interesting ending it challenges the [ __ ] out of the player despite being a clear answer on what should be done it's still a moral dilemma and that's why I love this ending there is nothing simple about it and Joel knows fully well that what he's doing is wrong there's actually an optional dialogue moment earlier in the story that I'll play for you that backs this up your fellow Hunters do this cute I know my money is on the military why would they mow down all these people you can't let everyone in so they killed them and dead people don't get infected you sacrificed the few to save the many it's kind of shitty yeah so Joel is very well aware of the idea of killing few to save many in this world he just doesn't care by the end because it affects him it goes back to real world psychology where if you have the option to save a loved one or 10 strangers you're probably going to pick the loved one despite the fact that it's going to result in more loss of life it's because of the attachments we form to them we're more likely to do that it's the same thing here that's why we don't blame Joel for what he does like no matter what way you cut it this ending is just incredible and there are a ton of moments throughout the game where you can just see so much bubbling under the surface with Joel every time he glances at his watch every time he tries to change the conversation when it gets close to the topic of his life before the outbreak I saw this right before the outbreak you did does he totally gutter by the end nobody gets gutted it's a it's a dumb Teen Movie who dragged you to see it then I don't know let's just stay focused all right there are so many intricate details to be picked up on Joel is simply one of the most well-rounded deep layered and interesting characters that I've seen in any form of media not just video games this game came out 11 years ago and people are still peeling back the layers of this character and it's for good reason but let's switch things over to Ellie much like Joel Ellie is one of my favorite video game characters ever like I even named my cat Ellie after this character so that doesn't say it I don't know what will anyway Ellie has only known life within the apocalypse she's fascinated by the world that existed before the outbreak and it's really endearing it's interesting seeing Ellie go from this innocent dork with a bit of a tough streak into a product of the world around her Ellie carries a massive burden in this game that being her immunity she was bitten in the events of the Left Behind DLC so was Riley Riley obviously died and then Tess died and then Sam died all of them succumbing to the very thing she's immune to and as she says at the end of the game she's still waiting for her turn she feels the need to be the savior of humanity because of this very reason and Joel deprives her of that through a lie Marlene says at the end of the game that Ellie would want to be the sacrifice that could save Humanity that it's what she'd want and and I think Marlene is right all the guilt Ellie has carried because of the one she's seen die by the very thing she survived is eating away at her and the only way to really let that go would have been for her life to mean something again Joel takes that away from her he tries to help with this by saying that there were dozens of others that were immune but the fireflies have stopped looking for a cure all of that to take the load off the burden that he knows she carries But ultimately it's still a lie again Joel is not a good person now ending aside Ellie and Joel work so well together because they both are the puzzle piece that each of them is missing Ellie is looking for someone to get close to to rely upon to find attachment Joel is essentially the exact opposite of that and Opposites Attract the dichotomy of Joel and Ellie is on display throughout this entire game she's hopeful and optimistic seeking attachment whereas Joel is pessimistic and puts up a wall at the smallest sight of attachment they both have this massive void within them and the only way that void is ever going to be filled is if Joel lets his guard down and seeing Ellie slowly chip away at that is one of the best parts of the entire Journey there are multiple times in the game where Ellie says that her greatest fear is being alone she lost her mother Marlene pawned her off Tess died Sam died and Joel wanted to leave her behind just as the two of them were starting to get closer it's these reasons here that the where Ellie confronts Joel about her not being Sarah is such a standout moment in the game Ellie isn't stupid she pieced together quickly after finding out about Sarah from Maria that that's the reason Joel shuts her out although this was a pretty brutal conversation and brings out the worst in Joel toward Ellie it's a conversation that needed to happen to bring these two closer together and that's exactly what happens Ellie delivers Joel the hard truths that he needs to hear and it takes him some time but he eventually comes to terms with that this little girl had managed to completely change the mind of a man 20 years deep in trauma it showcases how powerful connection can be and a lot of this game is about that very thing connection you could honestly go on for hours on end about moments like this throughout the game and again that's another reason why people still talk about this game in such great detail over a decade later there are just so many layers to peel back with these characters like Ellie saying just one word at the end of the game kept the discussion for the game's ending alive for years on end that ending left a lot of moral ambiguity up in the air especially for Ellie her okay could be interpreted in so many ways now I know part two goes into this but we'll get around to that when we make a video on part two which we will be doing so subscribe if you haven't already that video it's going to be a long one anyway Joel and Ellie their Dynamic is just the back bone and heart of this game so many layers UPS Downs a bit of sweet ending it's just perfect now I was originally just going to keep the character section of the video reserved for Joel and Ellie because that's what this game is all about really but I have to dedicate some time in this video to David David is one of the most interesting characters in this game and every time I play through it he makes me feel so uneasy because he is by far the most vile and evil person in the game he's smart manipulative and 10 times scarier than a clicker could ever be the thing is David isn't a Survivor not really he's a sick twisted vile manipulative person that isn't a product of the world like Joel or other characters we come across like Bill David doesn't just do what he needs to do to survive his sick twisted manipulation of Ellie is evidence of that being a cannibal is maybe a last resort when it comes to survival sure but doing what he wants with Ellie yeah that's that that ain't survival dude that's just [ __ ] up that's why I say despite the show being filled with characters that are severely flawed and willing to murder at a moment's notice David is the only character in the game who is actually evil he comes across as this softly spoken nice enough person that's maybe a little strange but behind the unassuming facade lies a monster seeing David and Ellie work together makes you think that maybe this guy isn't all that bad obviously can't be trusted which goes without saying in this world but maybe not all that bad but then things start to fall into line David knew who Ellie was the entire time knowing that David knew all along that this was the little girl that helped Joel Slaughter some of his people yet he was just playing with her getting her on his side just highlights how manipulative this guy can be perspective is a theme that the second game plays on quite heavily but it's in this game a little bit too the scene with David telling Ellie about what happened to at the University plays into that theme to David his group were out looking for food and a crazy man killed them all to Joel and Ellie this group fired on them first they're both right from their own point of view they're simply surviving it's only when you go a little deeper that you uncover that David's group are pretty messed up not only are they cannibals but their leader as a truly disgusting individual that clearly has them all under his control so when Ellie gets to kill David before he can do God knows what to her it's one of the most satisfying moments in the entire game and then it leads into one of the best and most emotional moments of the game The Last of Us truly makes great use of not just Joel and Ellie but the characters around them to strengthen and flesh out the relationship that the game is built around whether it's Riley Marlene Tess Bill Henry and Sam or even David each character has a major role to play in the development of Joel and Ellie there's no time wasted with pointless characters everything serves a purpose it's a game written to [Music] Perfection so let's talk about the game play and the world of The Last of Us the game play is extremely minimalist it's the simplest part of the journey yet it's still satisfying and fun all things considered the core gameplay of The Last of Us is actually really damn good now obviously as you've seen by the background footage of this video my recent playthrough was on the PS5 and there were some slight changes made from the 2013 and 2014 versions of the game the PS5 version is the best way to play this game as you would expect it is simply breathtakingly impressive graphically but the haptic feedback with the PS5 controller makes something as simple as drawing a bow or healing a satisfying experience now the general gameplay Loop of the game it's pretty Dam damn simple you navigate a streamland area complete tasks such as moving ladders pallets dumpsters to navigate the world Bight off some Infected or some Bandits and then cutscene rinse and repeat there are some more Dynamic gameplay sections that break up the monotony of the minimalist gameplay and it's enough to keep things fresh sneaking through infected riddled buildings whilst your low on supplies work so well and leads heavily into survival horror despite the game being more narrative focused you often find yourself scouring ing each room and opening all these drawers left right and Center to gather parts to upgrade weapons craft bombs upgrade Health listening distance and more and depending on the difficulty this is something you are going to need resources are relatively scarce so it forces you to think about your encounters a little bit more you can't just walk into a room full of clickers guns blazing and expect to walk away every time the AI in this game particularly for the human enemy encounters are reasonably smart they flank you often and can catch you off guard very easily and considering how brain dead most enemy AI are in games these days I really appreciate that the gun playay feels incredibly simple yet powerful and the bow and arrow is just so satisfying to use but I will say this one thing that I don't like about the game play I know something negative about The Last of Us I've only said like two or three things this whole video but you know is what it is but the assault rifle that you get at the end of the game during Joel's Rampage I hate it using it makes me cry it makes me angry I don't like it what is this recoil man I honestly just put it away and use literally anything else anyway I see a lot of people say the last of us is barely even a game you know it's a movie The gam play is pointless just watch the cutscenes and I couldn't disagree more with this take whilst yes the gaml is probably the weakest aspect of the game although it's still great there is so much in terms of World building and character depth that you get through through the gameplay that complements the story in characters if you just watch the cutcenes you are robbing yourself of the gravitas of the story and understanding of the world and why it shapes these characters what did you know know what about the Ambush I've been on both sides so uh you kill a lot of innocent people I'll take that as a yes take it over you want the dialogue exchanges through the gameplay sections are one of the best parts of the game whether it's simple things like Ellie learning how to whistle which for some reason is one of the most endearing and likable things any character does in this game or even toward the end of the game where Ellie gives Joel the picture of him and Sarah like this is a massive deal and it's not in a cut scene Maria showed this to me and I uh I stole it I hope you don't mind well no matter how hard you try I guess you can't escape your past thank you or even just any old dialogue interaction as you explore the world that fleshes these characters out there is so much to be discovered that complements the main story in the characters it must also said that the active experience of playing through this story is simply unmatched the HBO show is a great way to experience this story but it's a passive experience you're merely the viewer The Observer the game is an active experience you're controlling these characters you spend all this time with them you explore the world with them therefore you subconsciously latch onto the characters even more that's why whenever anyone asks me if they should play the game game after watching the show I don't even think twice I say yes straight away it's an entirely different experience and one that a show even though it was great simply can't do exploring every nook and cranny of this world is something that playing this game offers and it leads to some incredible moments there is just simply so much to find that fleshes out the world and the people that perished and speaking of the world it's seriously damn impressive naughty dog did a lot of research when it comes to the world and the virus of this game and it creates a post-apocalyptic setting that is fun to explore it's a very realistic portrayal of nature taking the landscape back if something like this happened and on the PS5 version of the game it's simply one of the best looking games that there is I quite often find whilst playing this game that I just stand around and take in the surroundings it's a very immersive experience whether you're climbing through Spore ridden ruined buildings walking through streets where Nature has taken over or rumaging through sewers with infected all around you every aspect of the world and the design choices work extremely well like there's nothing worse whilst exploring the world where you walk into a building with spores and you just know you're about to get destroyed by a ton of infected and I mean that in a good way it's just this world is so enjoyable to spend time in despite how depressing it is but speaking of infected as we haven't really done that in this video you've obviously got Runners the basic zombie like infected you've got the clickers who are probably the most iconic of this world's infected bloaters and of course stalkers who I hate and I wish would all die these things scare the living [ __ ] out of me there is enough there to keep the combat section of the game play fresh you have the human characters sure but the infected add a lot to the gam playay element of exploring the world it's these encounters that sell to you how dangerous this world is and the fact that the virus in this game is based off something that actually exists in real life is always going to add that extra little bit of creep Factor so although when I do play The Last of Us I'm mainly there for the story and more specifically the characters the gameplay and World provided definitely make the gaps in between the cut scenes a treat to endure those little nuggets of gold that you find as you explore the world just make it so you have to keep looking around to see what you can find although it's a narrative game first and foremost the game play and World it takes place in makes for a fun break from the main reason we do play this game but to bring this one all together The Last of Us Part One is every bit of a masterpiece as it was when it first took the gaming World by storm back in 2013 if anything I'd argue it's even better today with the improvements made through the remaster its story although not groundbreaking in its concept is truly Timeless large in part due to the Incredible characters Joel Miller and Ellie Williams it's a story about connection loss self-preservation and purpose and the way it explores these themes with these alltime video game characters is truly something that never gets old Joel remains as one of the greatest video game protagonists of all time offering a deep look into what loss and love can do to a person how it can make someone do unspeakable things it's incredible to see these two iconic characters come together over such a long and turbulent Journey with moments that have lived rentree in my head for years and an ending that for over a decade has people talking offering players a moral dilemma that has them questioning what they do in the same situation it's a game that stays with you long after the credits roll a mark of a truly great story The Last of Us is without a shadow of a doubt a Timeless [Music] masterpiece

Channel: Game Overload

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Keywords: the last of us, the last of us part 1, the last of us ps5, the last of us game, the last of us joel, tlou, the last of us ellie, the last of us ending, joel, ellie, joel miller, the last of us pc, the last of us part 1 remake, naughty dog, the last of us 1, the last of us retrospective, the last of us video essay, gaming, the last of us 2 remastered, the last of us part 2, ps5, ellie williams, troy baker, ahsley johnson, neil druckmann, tlou 2, the last of us hbo, tlou part 1

Id: xtkEQxwy_DU

Length: 37min 53sec (2273 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 17 2024