Overview

The Last of Us is set in a world where a deadly spore outbreak has ravaged the world, causing a deadly apocalypse to come about, and spreading all survivors very thin. It’s a third person survival-esc action game, revolving around brutal combat and resource management.

Characters

Joel Miller is our main character, a survivor like any other. He was there to witness the fall of everything, and was forced to watch his family be torn from him by the monsters he now hunts. As part of a deal to gain back some lost gear and supplies of his, he takes a job to escort Ellie across America, to a group known as the Fireflies.

Ellie Williams is Joel’s companion, and an extremely important person in the Fireflies’ eyes. She starts off as a standoffish and begrudging ally through contract alone. Though of course, Joel and her grow to care about each other, and Ellie grows very skilled and experienced for herself, eventually not even needing Joel to survive on her own.

Main Conflict & Story

Joel and Ellie travel far and wide to get to the Fireflies, through many locations and climates, dealing with countless issues, and other survivors.

By far, their greatest issue is the Cordyceps fungus, and its produce in the various types of infected. Now, this fungus is a real thing, but it only affects small insects, and is so harmless that people even take it as a health supplement. But fantasies are fantasies, and the various deadly “zombies” you deal with in the game challenge you in every sort of way. From quick, close combat in the Runners, to stealth and diversion tactics in the Stalkers and Clickers, ending with draining every resource you have, with Shamblers and Bloaters. You have a wide variety of threats to prepare for on your journey.

As the story progresses, Joel begins to see Ellie as a daughter figure, having lost his own long ago. And Ellie, being an orphan all her life, sees Joel as a father figure. They care for each other, and learn to protect and aid one another in their own ways, sticking through thick and thin against infected and survivors alike.

Reflection

This game has been one of the most fun I’ve played, with a story – and ending especially – that I loved truly, but will not spoil. In my time playing, I felt so many emotions and got so immersed in this world, as they perfectly nailed how to toy with your heart. It really is a masterwork.

Overall, if you like strategy, emotional storytelling, and satisfyingly-punishing gameplay, The Last of Us is for you.