Over the last few years, post apocalyptic zombie infestation has become a mainstream fascination. So when Sony revealed that Naughty Dog, the studio behind the award winning Uncharted series were working on a post apocalyptic survival horror game, gamers were ecstatic and inhaled any scrap of information about the upcoming game. Fast forward 2 years and Naughty Dog have created one of the greatest games ever made. The Last of Us is a culmination of the best writing, acting, technology and attention to detail the games industry has ever seen. Most importantly though, Naughty Dog have once again redefined the industry standard as we jump in to the next generation of consoles.
The Last of Us blends true survival gameplay with exceptional narrative that can only be found in other Naughty Dog games. At times the game is downright frightening and with incredible reactive AI and limited supplies, the player is constantly on edge trying desperately to outsmart the ruthless enemies. Naughty Dog are experts at people interaction and immersive storylines, so it is no surprise that what makes this game so special is the relationship between the two main characters and how it changes over the duration of the game.
The Last of Us takes place in a dying America, 20 years after a virulent breed of fungus has infected the human population and forced them to brink of extinction. The Last of Us tells a story of Joel, a middle aged survivor who has unwittingly accepted a job to escort a 14 year old girl called Ellie out of the safe zone and into dangerous wilderness in order to take her to a militia group called the Fireflies. Although it may sound like a very routine story for a game, it is how Joel and Ellie interact over the course of the journey that is the real selling point.
Joel is ruthless, cold and impatient and it is clear that the last 20 years has had a dramatic affect on him both mentally and physically. Ellie is a loud mouth, tom boy who has no perception of what life was like before the infection tore the planet apart. It is this fact alone that makes the dialogue between the two main characters so perfect. Ellie is in constant awe at what she is witnessing outside the safe zone and it is the conversations between Ellie and Joel about what life was like 20 years ago that is so fascinating. Over the 12 plus hours of the story, you will witness a truly unique relationship develop and change like no other game before it. The voice acting is spectacular all round especially Joel and Ellie whose voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson portray their characters so well, you sometimes forget you are playing a game.
The game is also a marvel to behold. Running on the award winning Uncharted engine, the game has an incredible attention to detail and varied landscapes. Every room and corridor in the game is different , no book, picture or item I saw was duplicated. Every part of the game’s environment is so intricately detailed, the player gets a clear image of what the world was like in the room before the infection spread. There are houses that are completely untouched by the infection and you see signs of where people simply stopped what they were doing at that time and just fled. This attention to detail creates an immersion for the player like no other game. This is without a doubt the best looking console game this generation and Naughty Dog have to be congratulated for making a better looking game than Uncharted 3.
The Last of Us is a true survival horror game. Resources in this game are scarce so in order to keep Joel alive the player needs to constantly scour the environments for parts and tools in order to make bandages and weapons. Thankfully in The Last of Us ammunition is sacred so it is very rare to come across. What the player must do is find close combat weapons such as planks of wood, lead pipes, glass bottles and bricks and use these to take out the enemies in order to spare the ammunition for the tough enemies. These close combat weapons can be upgraded by attaching sharp objects such as scissors or blades to them which massively increase the effectiveness of the weapons. The inclusion of a crafting and scavenging system in this game was an excellent choice by Naughty Dog. It creates a tense and scary atmosphere within the game where you never feel safe. Adding to the tension is the fact that you have to craft items and weapons in real time while the enemies are all around you.
There are two main types of enemies in the game, the humans and the infected. You need to approach these enemies in two completely different ways. The humans are tough as nails and extremely reactive. If they hear a pin drop they adapt to the situation and find the source of the noise. Once they spot Joel and Ellie, they use various tactics to try and kill you. Taking the humans head on with guns is not advisable, so using the stealth approach for me worked well. The infected on the other hand require a variety of strategic techniques in order to overcome them. The most common infected enemy you will come across are the just recently infected humans. They are vicious when attacked head on and when confronted they scream and call for more infected to join the fight. They absorb more bullets than humans and can kill you just as easy. The greatest threat to Joel and Ellie are the horrifying Clickers. These are advanced infected humans whose fungal growths have burst from their head and made them blind. Although they are blind they are still the most horrifying and deadly enemy in the game. One bite from a clicker means instant death for Joel and Ellie unless Joel has crafted a makeshift knife called a shiv. The Clickers roam the dark corridors making a disturbing clicking sound which also acts as a sensor to detect life forms by resonating sound back to them.
The inclusion of a multiplayer mode in The Last of Us was a surprising but well thought out decision thankfully. The multiplayer mode included in this game is called Factions. The player chooses two sides and then jumps in to one of two modes: Supply Raid and Survivors. Survivors is a four on four team deathmatch like mode where death is permanent and Supply raid is about whittling down the opposing team by getting rid of all their life points. The best thing about Factions is the fact it incorporates the single player gameplay elements of scavenging and crafting except the player is now against super smart humans instead of AI. The tension of the single player is thankfully still intact in Factions and it is nice to see Naughty Dog thinking outside the box when it comes to multiplayer inclusion.
The Last Of Us will be remembered as one of the greatest games of all time. Everything the game sets out to do, it does so perfectly. The first encounter with a Clicker was a horrifying one and one I will remember for a long time. They are truly terrifying and I applaud Naughty Dog for creating such a horrifying enemy in the game. The crafting gameplay mechanics, the gruesome and gritty combat system and the wonderfully executed infected help create an atmosphere and tension like no other game which combine perfectly to compliment the narrative and relationship of the two main characters. Naughty Dog have created a world so amazing and full of detail it is shame to see the game end. I wanted to see Joel and Ellie survive through this journey, I felt an emotional attachment to the two characters and although the story is at least 12 hours long, I desperately wanted the journey to continue once the credits started rolling. Sony is known for it’s impressive array of exclusive games and The Last of Us just joined the top echelon of games only available on Playstation 3. Do yourself a favour and play the inevitable 2013 Game of Year.