The Last of Us is a smart and refreshing change of pace from the high-octane, emotionally dry games we've come to know.
The plot is simple; get the girl to the group that could possibly save the world. The plot isn't complex, nor is it even close to being one of the best you've seen. However, it does provide motivation to the incredible characters within a beautifully realized setting. Excluding the prologue, the game spans nearly a year, 20 years after the outbreak of a virus that leads to the destruction of critical elements of the brain that makes a person a person. Essentially, those unfortunately infected are zombies and the sections of the game involving them are not the focal point of the action. You're encounters with these creepy creatures are usually tense and surprisingly frightening, but slow movement and simple stealth mechanics will serve you well. The main enemy, the survivors, are tougher. Because of their ability to actually think, stealth becomes immediately more difficult, and you must resort to gunplay and melee combat. Both methods of loud confrontation are brutal and satisfying. The weight of each shot, punch, and swing of the club feels heavy and truly lethal. Movement around environments is fluent, and the notreallycovershooter cover system is nice. The stealth isn't deep, but what is included is all that's needed. Anything else that could have been added to the gameplay most likely would have felt contrived and out of place. An exception for this is the crafting system, which gives you more ways to murder your enemies and gives you a reason for picking up those supplies between the action. These slow moments between set-pieces are essential to the refreshing feeling of the game. In these moments, players get to collect supplies and admire the beautiful and detailed world. More importantly you are given insight to certain aspects of each character. Where other games barely allow you to take a breath, The Last of Us allows you to meditate in comparison. Action and exploration combined, the game lasts for roughly 15 hours. The length is fairly large for your average linear shooter.
The two characters central to the game are Joel, a hardened man who's lived through experiences of before and after the apocalypse, and Ellie, a young girl born after the pandemic. Joel is possibly one of the most intriguing characters in video games history, mostly because his motivations are deeply rooted in reality. Initially reluctant, his character slowly moves away from the emotionally withdrawn to emotionally involved. After the events of the prologue, the writers occasionally bring up this altered and damaged personality subtly throughout the game. They successfully paint a picture of a damaged man trying to find his way. Ellie, on the other hand, is a young girl that resembles everything innocent left in the world. Picked up early in the game as merely "cargo," she joins equally reluctant Joel on a journey that is far bigger than she would have imagined. A girl left by her parents early on, she's been clinging on to a paternal figure that cares for her up to the events of the game. Ellie is an independent and smart girl who you learn is very capable of holding her own in a fight with men twice her size. Her lack of fear in dangerous situations is surprising, but her toughness does not diminish her innocence. Throughout their travels, Ellie asks Joel questions about a time past, and you ach when realizing what she has been deprived of because of the time of her birth. Still, she remains a bright light in a dark world (and for Joel). Cracking dull jokes during down time, staring in awe at fireflies, and doing what kids would do nowadays, she will undoubtedly make you smile at some point, which is saying a lot considering the world that game is set. Although lusciously beautiful, the America you travel in is a reminder of a happier and easier time that is gone; flooded streets, broken and ransacked homes, abandoned quarantine zones, the world is destroyed. The developers decided not to go for a bleak look, but rather created a world where greenery covers the sides of skyscrapers and breaks through the concrete roads, and it looks beautiful. The heavily detailed environments and character design are astonishing. Both technically and artistically, the design is a master-class. Never has the apocalypse looked better.
Lastly, Naughty Dog was intelligent enough to craft a unique multiplayer, different from their Uncharted series. The Last of Us' multiplayer is wonderfully fresh. As a member of one of two factions, you play as a leader of survivors and must grow your clan. Through playing, you gain parts from killing opponents, reviving teammates, crafting items, etc. In game, you can use these parts to purchase upgrades, but after the match these parts are converted to supplies to keep your group of survivors alive. Since these "survivors" are just artificial dots on a screen, it will surprise you by how much you are frightened when you come under attack by the opposing faction and realize you could lose up to 100% of your clan. By completing challenges in game, you can defend against these attacks or gain new members. Along the way, you gain small bonuses. The other bonuses are obtained through accumulation of supplies (basically XP). Never has a multiplayer experience made you care as much as this game does. The multiplayer gameplay itself works largely similar to singleplayer, but obviously you have teammates and more possibilities for strategic play. Matches are tense, slow, satisfying, and frustrating. One of the strongest and most promising multiplayer experiences you will ever have. Short on modes and maps, you will hope the future DLC will expand this great addition.
Before the release of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog expressed their focus with the game: Narrative and emotion. These two things are arguably the weakest overall aspects of the games on the market, and this issue has been addressed and the bar set. The characters are full of depth and realism, and you deeply care for them by the end. You are emotionally connected to these characters. When a person is emotionally invested in something, every aspect about it is highlighted or emphasized in some way. For some time now, many others have tried to do what Naughty Dog has done, but have failed. They've sacrificed interesting gameplay for a strong narrative. These games are not balanced, and split their audience. The Last of Us hits this balance perfectly. It's refreshing to see a game succeed in every objective it set out to do. You won't forget this classic game anytime soon. One of the generation's greats.
Gameplay - 10
Plot - 8
Characters, Setting - 10
Aesthetics - 10
Multiplayer - 9
Overall - 10
The Highest Recommendation Possible.