If you haven't played The Last of Us STOP now! Play it and
come back.
For the many of people who did play The Last of Us, an
overwhelming majority will agree that this game is truly one of the best of
this generation and possibly one of the best games ever. This game had
perfectly scripted moments that immersed you in the game and made you develop
genuine emotions that most games could only dream of pulling off. We were taken
along on this journey as Joel, a character who had lost his humanity as much
from his daughter's death as he did from society collapsing. The beautiful
prologue that allowed us to play as Joel's daughter Sarah, pulled us into the
story in a way that you hardly seen from video games. After the tragic death of
Sarah we pick up 20 years after. It is easy to see that Joel was shaped by
this event, but he does not act in a cliche way. This is a breathe of fresh
air. Without continuing with a mere plot summary of events, the journey you go
on with Joel and Ellie have sparks of entertainment that are more often
associated with books or films. The Last of Us is a game that captures the very
best of video games as a genre of entertainment that leaves a blueprint for
video games to elevate into a more accepted art form. The Last of Us
accomplishes this through terrifically scripted gameplay and remarkably lifelike
characters that leave an impressive imprint on you and your emotions.
Gameplay
The Last of Us' gameplay is not revolutionary through it's
mechanics. However, the way the gameplay makes you become Joel and Ellie is.
Rarely do games come along where you feel something for the characters through
gameplay moments alone. The way you are clamoring for resources to defend
yourself transports you into this world. Though this may be apparent in other
great games there is more than just resources that pull you in. The feeling
that you there as Joel or Ellie is continued with the interactivity between
Joel, Ellie, and the world around you. The artifacts that you find have
life to them,and there seems to be a real sense that someone wrote this in this
world. It does not feel like something that is just a clue of the story,
instead it is a look into others' lives before and during this madness. There are also times where the characters stop and reflect on the world, it seems to
be more realistic than a simple observation that is solely put there to push
the story along. A belief sprouts that these characters are truly on this
journey. A feeling that even though you can control them, they are still their own
being. The giraffe scene is a great example of what sells the idea that
these characters are truly realistic and that games can offer real emotional
emotions through gameplay only.
When you see Ellie walk away and yell for Joel there is a
sense of panic and you rush up to find her. As soon as you get to her you see
this amazing sight.
At that moment you take a break from all the madness around
you to enjoy a sight of nature that has been lost throughout this mess. Of
course more eventful things occur along the way before this event, but this is
one of the few gameplay moments. There are many more moments that drive you
further into the depths of the characters though. However, they are done
through the cutscenes, which I might add are seamless.
Realistic Characters
Too often do we see in games characters
that are fun to play as, but are still just characters. The true beauty of this
game is it gives us a feeling that we are on this journey with real people.
Everything that Joel goes through is not an Uncharted action sequence, sure
there are some skeptical moments of whether he would survive or not in real
life, but those are suspended belief moments that accompany most books and film
that have similar plots. Ellie is a young teenager that makes one believe is
actually a young teenager. Tess, Sam, David, Tommy, and all the rest of the
non-playable, but deeply impactful characters also offer up more realism to the
game. The features of each character is what makes them so real.
Ellie
Ellie could arguably be what makes the game so much more
capable of being compare to a good book or film than any other character. She
is very talkative and friendly, she is somewhat rough around the edges, but
still has some naive tendencies that any young teenager would. Her helplessness
in certain situations creates this realism. With Ellie there is not this
invisible shield that protects her from harm. Naughty Dog does a great job at
toting the line between what is necessary and what is too much. Her struggle
and confrontation with David gave us tremendously creepy scenes. At one moment
she whispers that he is creepy during the final confrontation. The interactive
cutscene where she is reaching from the machete and is being kicked repeatedly
by David was heart wrenching. Yes, we could say that they would never have
David rape Ellie because it is a video game, and ultimately nothing was ever
shown to clearly state either way, but during those moments of the final
confrontation I certainly did believe something terrible could have happened to
Ellie. Ellie's character offered us something Joel could not and that is an
outlook on this whole situation that some might have shared. An outlook that is
self sacrificing. Joel and Ellie both give us a different view of the world,
and through that two different characters through which we can relate to.
Joel
We have seen him suffer the most. His daughter and partner
both die right in front of him. He accepts a job that is basically a suicide
mission and then upon accomplishing it hears that it will result in the death
of someone he has grown to love and care about. He is then faced with a moral
decision to most likely save humanity with a vaccine or save someone he deeply
cares for. Of course the gamer gets no choice in this matter, but that is what
makes it brilliant. The plain fact that Joel then becomes the bad guy by saving
Ellie adds to the game's realism. Joel even lies to Ellie rather than try and
justify his choice to save her. He obviously sees his daughter in Ellie and she
gives him a second chance at fatherhood. The fact that this decision was even
made, had to even be made is something that video games barely do. Joel is
truly a character that suffers and does what many humans would do, which is why
he is such a compelling character that video games see once in a blue moon.
The Supporting Cast
There are so many characters that I could make a second
article solely about them, but for the sake of this article I will leave only
few points about some of the characters.
Tess
Tess is a character that
guides you along the journey until you are ready to take the helm. Her grittiness
and strength makes her an honorary tour guide for the player. Through beginning
the story with her you learn that basic mechanics. Through the gameplay you
partly grow attached to her. However, the game keeps her at a distance from
becoming too connected. This is not done by accident and helps show Joel's
disconnection with the world that only Ellie can mend. Her appearance in the
story is not long, but it is delivers an impact that can be seen through Joel's
character arc.
Henry & Sam
They seem to go together as well as Joel and Ellie. Sam is
much more protected than Ellie due to his older brother always keeping watch.
Their dynamic is interesting. Sam, is still a child. He plays with toys and
does not think about things the same way that Ellie does. He does not
experience the same hardships as Ellie did. Henry is just like Joel, looking
out for the best for him and who he is with, however he exposes Joel's flaws. Henry despite leaving Joel to die comes back later
for him and saves him. He does something that Joel may not have done. When
Sam is bitten and it is revealed to us, it is not to tell us, but to confirm
our suspicions. Sam exhibits this sense of fear and ultimate doom through his body
language and dialogue that is unthinkable in gaming. The next
day when
Henry is finally letting up on him for once, it is the day that Sam turns. The
tense and tearful scene plays out perfectly as far as storytelling goes. Henry
and Sam gives us a glimpse of a different side of the main characters while
also offering up some insights into how this world has shaped others.
David
David is by far the creepiest character that someone has
been able to make realistic in a video game that I have played or know of. When
you meet David you are on edge because you are still wondering what happened to
Joel and are controlling Ellie who is this little girl, as good with a gun as
she is, she is still just a kid. You then start to let down your guard as bit
as David helps you defend incoming infected. The cutscene with Ellie and him by
the fire makes you think he is going to give you a pep talk, but it is instead
a threat. Then when Ellie is being helped captive by David he continually
freaks you out. He is chopping up people that he has killed and you are not
fully convinced that what he gives Ellie to eat is truly deer. Then out of
nowhere David hits on Ellie which is freaky in general, but with the given
circumstances is even weirder. The final confrontation between these two
is beatuifully done, but adds another layer of David's creepy nature. He
comes off as someone who has been worn down by the decline of society and
became crazy due to that. David offers us a glimpse into Ellie's vulnerable
side, while also giving us another look of what humanity has become.
What does this all mean for gaming as a
medium?
So, why is The Last of Us the key to gaming's future? You
may be wondering what does this really have to do with the future of gaming and
making it an experience comparable to a book or a movie, and the answer is very
simple. A game like this proves that realistic character can exist and thrive
in a video game. That one can take an emotional journey and analyze characters
as we do with books and film. The Last of Us takes us on a roller coaster ride
of emotions that are seldom in video games. It is a new breed of game, it is an
upgrade in storytelling. What sets The Last of Us apart from other games is it
gives us a story that just happens to be in a game. With the next generation of
consoles about to be unleashed this holiday season we are about to step into a
genre that allows interactivity with the story and has proof that this
interactivity will not hinder the impact, but in fact shape the impact into
something more spectacular. What gaming has found with this title is proof that
games are no longer just shooting with some story elements that seem to mesh
every so often, but are experiences where story and gameplay are one. A title
like The Last of Us is the future of gaming when it comes to the storytelling.
The next generation will be able to offer many games like this one, but few
will be as trailblazing.
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