Remastered review of The Last of Us

Naughty Dog delivers its best result in The Last of Us, which presents a heartbreaking and thrilling picture of a post-apocalyptic world gone rotten.

I found The Last of Us a deeply conflicting video game. And I’m not saying that because of its horror elements. I say this because of his crude representation of humanity’s darkest potential and how a global catastrophe can so completely unravel the fabric of society.

Simply put, Naughty Dog’s magnum artwork caters for all needs. It has suspenseful, well-designed gameplay and depicts one of the most visually striking post-apocalyptic landscapes ever produced in entertainment media. But my lasting memories with The Last of Us will be with Joel and Ellie, and how their struggle for survival results in a struggle for hope in a world without hope.

History

It should come as no surprise that Naughty Dog’s immensely talented writers possess a keen instinct for developing compelling narrative and recognizable characters.

However, unlike Uncharted, The Last of Us takes a bitter and rooted approach. It shows a world where a devastating pandemic has infected a large part of the human population. This global disaster has led to anarchy among the survivors. And, not to mention the Infected, who continue to haunt humanity and my nightmares.

The Last of Us is brutal in its depiction of civilization’s decline towards near-madness. As such, paranoia is a recurring theme throughout the game. The different factions of the remaining humans have essentially lost hope of returning the world to its former state.

Instead, they try to get what little power they can among their rivals by harnessing limited resources. Joel is given the task of escorting Ellie through this loosely constrained social echo. Ellie is a teenager born in chaos, but who could be the key to humanity’s survival.