The Last of Us review (Video)

June 18th, 2013

Peter Nolan

The Last of Us has been one of our most anticipated games since long before even last year’s E3. Naughty Dog’s take on the end of civilization is so intriguing, and fungus based, that we couldn’t help but pay attention. As excited as we are, we can’t help but wonder if this game is going to turn out to just be Uncharted with fungus-zombies but we’re hoping for something more and, judging by the demo, we’re going to get it. Now the time is finally here, the time in which we get to take a cross country trip with Jake and Ellie to show those mushrooms who’s boss.

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I won’t spoil any of the story, but the setting that The Last of Us presents you with is one that I could go on for hours about. This is essentially a zombie story, but one like you’ve never seen before and, for people who know the science behind it, one that is truly terrifying. The infected, as they are known by the characters in the game, are not actually the walking dead but are the walking living. Humans are being infected by a new strain of the Cordyceps fungus and being turned into violent shells of their former selves. If you aren’t familiar with Cordyceps, I suggest you look it up as it is one of the freakiest things you can find in nature and Naughty Dog have perfectly captured the terror that the discovery of a strain that could jump to humans would bring.

It isn’t simply the concepts that make The Last of Us scary, the situations you’ll run into during the game serve to suck you in like few other games can. Every environment that you’ll come across is stunningly beautiful in its own right due to both the level of detail and the visual quality. The Last of Us is one of the best looking console games of this generation, hands down.

When you aren’t fighting off other humans, which will happen quite frequently, you’ll be facing off with some of the most frightening enemies you’ve ever encountered in a game. The majority of the infected will come in one of two flavors: runners and clickers. Runners are the precursor to clickers and still look mostly like a human but the noises they make and their movements ratchet up the creep factor. Clickers are further along in their infection, to the point where the fungus has taken over their face so they can no longer see. Instead, Clickers see via echolocation forcing players to be very careful when dealing with them, as well as making a room full of them one of the most terrifying situations you’ll encounter in any game.

Since you are rarely alone during your journey in The Last of Us, you’re probably wondering if this is all going to be one big escort mission with Joel having to continuously rescue Ellie. This absolutely won’t be the case as the secondary characters can take care of themselves, for the most part, and can also not be spotted by enemies during the frequent sections where stealth is your best option. This mechanic can lead to some situations where Ellie, or another character, is sitting right out in the open while enemies completely ignore her, and can break your immersion but it ends up being a small price to pay for not having to worry about her being seen.

Combat in The Last of Us is tense, strategic, and at times very difficult. Staying true to the survival side of things, ammo is scarce and avoiding enemies or sneaking up on them for silent kills is always your best option. If you are spotted, you can back off and hide while you watch the fantastic AI system at work. Enemies won’t simply rush you when they see you but will split up and flank you, try to sneak up on you, try to flush you out with explosives, remain wary of being attacked, and will switch their tactics if they discover your new position.

The Last of Us took me fourteen hours to complete, but the level to which you explore some of the more open environments could extend it quite a bit further. Your journey is often bleak, sometimes heartwarming, and is always tense while it wraps up with an ending that smacks you in the face. This is one of the best single player campaigns you’ll ever play.

As surprising as it was to hear that The Last of Us would have a multiplayer mode, it was even more surprising to find out that it was actually pretty good and is built around a unique idea. When you begin multiplayer you’ll be asked to choose one of two factions, and will then compete in a twelve week quest to survive and grow your settlement with each match you play representing one day. As you win matches you will gain supplies and grow your colony. Go on a losing streak and you may find yourself without enough supplies to maintain your group.

The best thing about multiplayer is that the same type of strategic action that you get in the single player campaign also translates over to multiplayer. Players start with minimal ammo but can earn parts to buy more and upgrade their weapons. Items like health packs and bombs can also be crafted, just like in the campaign, by scavenging materials from the map. Stealth is still your best option in multiplayer and working together will always trump running in with guns blazing.

With an engrossing story and campaign, stunning visuals, and survival horror mixed perfectly with fast paced action, The Last of Us is a truly impressive package. This is before you even get to the fun and original multiplayer mode or the fact that the campaign delivers twice as much content as we are used to with this type of game. Naughty Dog picked a heck of a way to close out the console generation by making one of the most memorable games the PS3 has to offer.

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