When The Last of Us landed in our review labs, we knew we had to expect something larger than life. Something that would capture our imaginations in more ways than one. After all, the game has been made by the same folks who’ve given us gems from the Jak and Daxter and Uncharted series. But as is the case with each next Naughty Dog game, this one too has broken all the bounds of our expectations. It has surpassed them to a tune that we wouldn’t expect anything less than such untamed brilliance from the developer’s next title. This is the kind of spot Naughty Dog has found itself in. But again, same had happened with each of its earlier games, so the studio might not have to worry much.
The journey of The Last of Us is one which it wants you to embark on solely due to the dark yet poignant experience it has conjured up for you. This title never runs out of captivating situations. At one moment you’ll be reeling under the shock the previous cutscene threw at you, but the next instance will force you to forget all that and focus on how to get yourself out of the life-threatening situation you’ve found yourself into. The game’s right; stopping and reflecting upon something emotionally won’t be an option when your entire nation has been plagued by a fungus that turns men and women into flesh-eating fiends. Just as it is in this case, TLOU is accurate with all the smallest of things that it includes.
Deep within the strands of its narrative lays the basic idea of a fungus called Cordyceps – known to affect ants and other insects – starting to grow on the brains of humans in a contagious manner. However interesting this basic information may sound, the game never really delves deeper into it, instead choosing to lay emphasis on how the whole outbreak and the resulting apocalypse affects those involved in it – and eventually you – emotionally. The fact that it does it while maintaining a gameplay-centric approach and not bombarding you with unneeded crybaby cutscenes is what the real finesse of this game is.
Joel has been entrusted with an important job, one he’s hesitant to pursue at first. But it soon becomes all that he cares about. His steady-moving life is thrown off balance when he’s offered the task of delivering Ellie to a friendly resistance group. He bears a tremendous amount of emotional baggage which is the driving force for his decisions in the later part of the game. Ellie on the other hand gives us a fresh perspective to the affair since she has lived in safe quarantine zones all her life and also because she hasn’t seen what the normal world looked like, as she was born during the apocalypse.
Its story is the where TLOU gains superiority over a lot of other games in recent history. Comparisons with BioShock Infinite may be unavoidable, but let us tell you, the two games have their own distinct DNAs which are better left uncompared. While Irrational’s FPS bears an extremely complex ending, the simple ending of TLOU only leaves you occupied with a ton of emotions that force you to place yourselves in the shoes of the main characters and think about what you would have done were you in their places.
Gameplay in this title is raw; in the sense that it’s tailored to be as realistic as possible. Stealth is a main component within TLOU, and unlike many other games, it’s not there as an alternative to going all guns blazing. You hide behind obstacles and wait for the best moment to make an escape, while either humans or the infected look to cut your journey short. Wielding your guns is only an option when it’s unavoidable. To get yourselves out of grave situations you will need to make use of each and every mechanic that has been infused into the game. This is what makes it a brilliant gameplay experience to dabble in. One little flaw in its gameplay however is that during stealth situations, enemies can spot Joel from the slightest of his noises or mistakes, but that’s not applicable to other characters, as they appear to roam around under the enemies’ noses, and are still not spotted by them. Although its negligible, it’s hard to keep ignoring it all the time.
Apart from the weapons system, there’s crafting which basically means you need to scrounge areas for useful items, and create stuff like molotovs, smoke bombs, health packs and more out of them. This adds another dimension to its realistic nature. The developers over at Naughty Dog have made a real headway into the field of motion capturing with each and every new game they’ve crafted. The Last of Us takes this legacy forward by introducing true to life body movements and facial expressions which are complemented brilliantly by meticulous voice acting performances, which the actors deserve plaudits for.
Their self-restrained and natural performances help create the wonderful atmosphere which makes this game such a superb experience to soak in. The heavily realized world of TLOU offers us a glimpse into what life would have been like in the years leading up to when the story takes place. The environments add a lot the entire experience which this game has to offer, and their versatility always does its bit of engrossing you even further into the atmosphere. At one moment you’ll be staring at the sun shining through tangerine skies casting its bright light on dew-covered green grass, while the birds hum and chirp, whereas at the very next moment you’ll be haunted by lonely neighborhoods filled to the brim with menacing creatures or humans out for your blood. It is this seamless transition between its environments that draws you even deeper into the game.
The Last of Us is pure graphical finesse. Its visuals leave nothing to be demanded. The game squeezes out all that the PS3 has on offer and delivers some of the best visuals this generation of gaming has witnessed. Taking inspiration from movies in the past which have worked despite their minimal soundtracks, Naughty Dog decided to adopt the same approach. And this too has worked in the favor of the game. Gustavo Santaolalla’s excellent guitar piece plays when it’s needed, but most of the times its the silence that acts as the music.
A shining single player campaign and a superbly enjoyable multiplayer component is a combination that’s quite hard to find these days. Needless to say this game achieves this feat with utmost ease. Forget about Uncharted’s multiplayer, we now have one more gem of an experience to indulge in online. Two modes and find their way into the game. First is Supply Raid which is basically a team deathmatch mode with a number of unique elements, while the other one is a no-respawn mode called Survivors. These two different game types possess many a component from the campaign that make them all the more enjoyable to indulge in.
The Verdict: We aren’t mincing words while saying that The Last of Us is one of the games that defines this generation. We were astounded by its massive vision and compelling gameplay. We were engrossed in the lives of ifs characters. We were determined to take their journey to the very. And more importantly, we never wanted it to end. It’s a masterpiece that truly deserves to be called that. It needs to be played by all those who own a PS3 and those who don’t need to beg, borrow or steal one for playing this game.
Graphics: 10/10
Sounds: 10/10
Environments: 10/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Story: 10/10
Overall (not an average): 10/10