The Last of Us: Best of the Generation

I hate The Last of Us! I hated the zombie apocalyptic setting, the stealth based gameplay and its survival aspect! I hated it all! Yet, I fell in love with the game. I loved how the game got a hold of me and didn’t let go. I reached a point where I just couldn't tear myself away from the game. What made me forget my hatred for the zombie apocalypse and stealth based game play you ask? It is simple really… the incredible human tale of Joel and Ellie surviving in a tough and brutal new world; the story and characters which hooked me till the end. This is without a shadow of a doubt the best game developed by Naughty Dog!

The gaming industry has undergone a sea of changes in terms of story-telling. In previous years, most action games did not focus much on a coherent plot and much of the emphasis was on the gameplay. But in recent times, game developers especially of the action genre have started incorporating heartfelt and powerful tales and in this regard, The Last of Us has come up trumps. Had the plot been used in a movie, it would definitely have been nominated for an Oscar or a BAFTA! I am serious! The plot narrative weaved a harrowing tale of survival masterfully which made such an impact that I readily overlooked the gameplay (which was amazing but not my cup of tea) as I wanted to know how the story unfolded and how it ended.

Most games which deal with zombie apocalypse, either have a silly plot or has an 'in your face' attitude, but The Last of Us story is what you call muted. It neither was going at a breakneck pace nor brought in convoluted theories, but kept the human aspect at the forefront. What would you do if some kind of horrific plague decimates the human race? How much are you willing to sacrifice to protect what is important to you? To what lengths are you willing to go in creating a world worth living? Such are the questions that the game asks and to be honest this is what got me pegged. Here was a story which wasn't afraid in asking such questions that even most movies don't ask let alone video games! If only the legendary movie critic Robert Ebert was alive to see how much The Last of Us has come to mimic movies he would have been impressed!

Accompanying the incredible plot were the believable characters. In the last 24 years that I have been playing video games, I have NEVER come across a game that had such mature, complex and well realized characters! Joel, Ellie and all the other characters I met in the game were like real people! I mean I felt a connection towards them that I honestly have not felt in most games (being an RPG fan and having played my share of story driven RPGS but even then almost none could match up with The Last of Us).

Joel who plays the disheveled survivor living his life, taking a day at a time, who has been burdened in protecting a little girl he barely knows and has to chaperone her across the country. The highs and lows of Joel's interaction with the girl is what drive the plot forward. At every twist and turn you start to understand Joel's motives and goals and you can only root for the guy. Troy Baker's voice acting for Joel has to be the best male performance this year. Baker in the last 3-4 years has made quite a name for himself and has almost become as famous as Nolan North. His portrayal as Joel ranks as his best as he was able to exude each and every emotion with skill. Joel is easily one of the most complex protagonists around; a male lead whose spirit has been broken and who fears dying in a horrific manner or worse… turning into an Infected. In an industry which shows male protagonists as the alpha male, where nothing scares him, Joel is an anomaly!

Ellie requires a special mention here. She is the girl Joel has to protect for reasons I can't mention for the sake of avoiding spoilers. But Ellie for me has to be the most realistic character ever created in video games! Her mannerisms are exactly what you will expect from a 14 year girl. Her reactions to the unusual circumstance she find herself in made me not only care for the virtual kid but made me brave many scary set pieces because I wanted to protect the child and get her to safety. I have very rarely felt so connected to a game character like how I have to Ellie! Ashley Johnson who voices Ellie has given the industry the best vocal performance, perhaps ever! Sure there are many well known voice actors and actress who have given great performances in the past but even they can't hold a candle to her. Ellie is a fierce kid who wears her heart on her sleeve and Ashley Johnson captured every diverse emotion perfectly which made Ellie one hell of a character.

The rest of the cast and the characters I met were just something to behold. Throughout the arduous trek of the main characters they meet up with different people with different priorities in the messed world they inhabit. I came to loath them but at the same time I understood their abnormal plight. This is a game that builds its foundation on characters, such a trend we only see in movies. While its usually a given that most of the resources would be put in casting good voice actors for the main characters while the non player characters would just ‘get by’, but this is where The Last of Us differ as even the side characters had some amazing voice work behind it. Anna Wersching (Tess), Jeffery Pierce (Tommy), W. Earl Brown (Bill) and the other characters we get to meet all have done sterling work in the game. A special mention to Nolan North’s cameo which just showed the incredible set of pipes the man’s got! The Last of Us makes a credible case that the game industry has found a new focus and personally I like it. I just hope that the next generation can take this focus to new heights.

I have already discussed the voice acting of the main characters but I JUST HAVE to mention the Infected and the Clicker! Whoever came up with these voices was absolutely insane! Its one of the prime reasons I never could muster up the courage to play the game at night! I felt fear, disgust and yes, even sadness as I saw these… things living out their lives in utter agony and pain! Even thinking about it gives me Goosebumps!

The gameplay? Well I will just say that despite my utter hatred for horror, zombie and stealth genres the game still held my interest till the end credits! Yes there were MANY occasions where I would be cussing out loudly at some of the most intense sections yet I came back for more (bitch for punishment I daresay?). As the game picked up and the frequency of hair-raising sequences increased, I finally understood why many gamers love the horror genre: the constant feeling of dread that heightens the senses and edge of your seat stuff that makes this genre so compelling. Having said that if anyone asks me to play some of the classics of this genre I will only have one thing to say to them, NO!

There were 2 features of the gameplay that were quite fun though. First was how well Naughty Dog implemented survival into the game which made exploration a joy. Any new area I would encounter I would be looking in every nook and cranny to salvage items for creating med kits, Molotov cocktails, and other do-dads. While also looking for ‘scraps’ to upgrade the meager arsenal. Naughty Dog really took the concept of survival to another level!

The other aspect was the gunplay. As the ammo was scarce, every gunfight was a tense experience. I had to make every shot count and I just couldn’t spray bullets all over the place as well. This made the gunfights feel real and with consequence.

But perhaps for me the most hated aspect of the game was stealth. For a horror game to make players slink around avoiding hideous creatures was terrifying as well as a stroke of genius. Due to these sections, I would be criticizing Naughty Dog for it but yet I knew if I stuck with the game I will eventually find the ‘rhythm’ and go with the flow and thankfully such an attitude worked for me! Yes there was more than one occasion where I thought I had to give up playing the game, yet I didn’t stop and was eventually rewarded!

Enough of about gameplay and let me just gush my love for the insane graphics of The Last of Us! I have no qualms in saying that this is the greatest looking game ever made! Every cut-scene was as if I was watching a movie. Naughty Dog has unexpectedly outdone themselves especially after the visual tour de force which was Uncharted franchise. I don’t know how this venerable studio does it but Naughty Dog has become the front runner at constantly pushing the boundaries of the gaming industry.

The level of detail was just astonishing. The facial expression especially of the emotional kind has to be the best ever, even beating the much lauded facial expressions of LA Noire. It was as if I was right there with the character feeling what they were feeling. Not many games can do that if any. The animations of characters were so real! Sure enough Naughty Dog has been doing mo-cap work for years now but The Last of Us has to be their coup de grace! The environments’ detail was bordering on excessive and obsessive but that only played into the hands of the game as it made the game so darn immersive and engrossing!

The HD generation brought with it a deluge of incredibly looking games that blurred the uncanny valley but The Last of Us takes a lead so big that it will take some doing by other companies to even come close. And when they will come close Naughty Dog will raise the bar once again!

The sound department was the unheralded hero of the game to be honest. The soundtrack was so subtle almost being non-existent most of the time but once it does rear its head it just creates an amazing ambience… whether it be during tense gunfights or emotional scenes. But the most jarring aspect of the sound track was on how many occasions there was just no music AT ALL. During stealth sections where evading and avoiding the Infected was required there would be no background music and THAT created an aura of horror I have never experienced in ANY game!

As I near the conclusion of this review I will give a small spoiler free mention to the ending. Now one of the biggest criticism of recent Western games is they don’t make endings meaningful. Many a times I would feel as if the developers have left me in the lurch by giving a ho-hum ending! Even one of the greatest game franchises: Mass Effect had a pretty disappointed ending (in my case I felt like Bioware had kicked my gonads! That’s a topic for another post I guess). The Last of Us literally takes that trend and throws it out the window! The ending was nuanced and beautiful yet was so powerful that it took me a while to come to grips with it. It just resonated so well with the rest of the game. I remember how it kept me a daze during the credits! I wish more western game companies had the foresight for concluding a game in the right way. It’s not that Naughty Dog has not been guilty of such a trend as I experienced with the Uncharted series but with The Last of Us they hit the sweet spot!

OK, time to wrap up this long read. The Last of Us embodied every aspect of the HD generation. The last 6 years, very few games can claim to have even come close this game. Yes there are some truly outstanding games which came out on various platforms but The Last of Us stands high and mighty above the rest. 10-20 years down the line when we will fondly look back at this generation, this game will shine out. For me The Last of Us is the best game of this generation! Many people will disagree with me however. The JRPG fan in me is screaming ‘SAY IT ISN’T SO’ but I will stick to my guns. So in the end, this game serves as a fantastic farewell to the HD generation and stands among the pantheon of some of the greatest games ever made and wears its badge of honor with pride!

Time take for completion: 16 hours 32 mins
My final rating: 10/10