Living in Texas, with her father, Joel, twelve-year-old Sarah waits for her father to return from work, eager to give him his birthday gift. Once home, late at night, Sarah wakes up and gives him his present. It’s a watch, for he had been complaining about his prior one being broken. Afterwards they proceed to watch T.V.
Once Sarah fell asleep again, Joel took her to her room, although soon after, once again, she was awakened. This time it was from a phone call from her uncle Tommy, Joel’s brother. He asked Sarah to put her dad on the phone immediately, but the call cut off. So Sarah, confused, went out in search of her dad around the house. As she descended to the kitchen, she witnessed her dad shooting one of their neighbor. Afterwards Joel told Sarah something bad was happening, and they needed to get out. They tried to flee out of the chaos once Tommy came to pick them up. As they drove past their friends and neighbors, they started to wonder what was happening. Soon they learned that people were sick from a gas leak nearby. Only people from the city have been affected, so far. The military have already blocked off the highway, forcing survivors to go through the city. Once inside, survivors were forced to flee by foot. At this point, all the soldiers in the military have been ordered to shoot and kill anyone outside the barrier. As Joel tried to persuade a soldier that they are not infected, the soldier fired shots, resulting in Sarah getting shot and dying in Joel’s arms.
The game itself is a masterpiece. With such a dark and violent gameplay, brief but very emotional cutscenes, and beautiful soundtracks that match situations perfectly. It is one of the most realistic games of this generation. There are over a hundred games with the whole zombie, or infected theme. The graphics and the story of this game overshadows many of those previous games. Many people were skeptical at first, once they learned it is one of those games, but in the end, The Last Of Us was a game that affected people as much as changing their perspective on things. The combat in it is very gritty, but takes patience. The different methods for killing your enemies are definitely worth the wait. Staying in stealth mode for long periods of time, using glass bottles and bricks as distractions and diversions. All that is required to experience the almost-real blood spatter across the floors impacted by such blunt force and bullets. The players also have other responsibilities, such as finding supplies in order to make health packs or mechanics and instructions to upgrade your weaponry.
Another essential part of this game is the music. To experience the various feelings throughout the game, the player must also listen to the music. In my opinion, it really helps with the tone of the situations and allow me to experience it and appreciate the effort that has been put in it. With such a strong intro, beginning with a heartwarming moment seeing a father with his daughter on his birthday, taking such quick transitions to horror and action, with the daughter witnessing their infected neighbor getting killed by her father, and all the people in the city, and soon the daughter dying in the father’s arms. In a matter of minutes, the game allows you to already experience various moods and feelings for the scenarios, with specific music to go along with it, and of course the dynamic but fictional characters.
With such a lugubrious story, and the tragic past of the protagonist, Joel, and the connection between the deuteragonist, Ellie, who is an infected, but immune orphan, who was to be escorted to the Fireflies, who are an insurgent militia fighting against the authorities governing the quarantine zones, is just gold. Joel and Ellie’s appearance and attitude contrast quite sharply from one another, but as the plot thickens, so does their bond and they start to have strong feelings towards one another. Almost as much as a father and his daughter.
This game is personally one of my most favorite. I have played it numerous times, and have been sentimental almost every time. The story and the music is beautiful, not to mention the emotional but brief cutscenes. Although in the beginning, I wish it showed a bit more of Joel and Ellie, and them bonding more, but realized that keeping these heartfelt moments short is the best way to go. It keeps the game interesting and perhaps allow players to anticipate for a sequel. The multiplayer of this is quite unique, with the same mechanics of using stealth and distractions to get your opponents. It is a bit hard to get into, but once you start playing it, you can go on for hours. Hardcore first-person shooter fans may not enjoy it as much, like myself. I played the game mainly for story and fun.
Naughty Dog has proven itself again as one of the most accomplished development teams worldwide. Giving us a consistent and interesting game that is supported by all of its mechanics, which makes it worth every penny, and hopefully, I won't be the last of us to enjoy this game.