This game won the hearts of millions even before its official release, and after launch it managed to earn the highest praise from critics. That’s no surprise, since the game was developed by the renowned studio Naughty Dog, which has always been known for its high-quality and well-crafted projects. Now, let’s find out whether The Last of Us is really good enough to deserve the title of "Game of the Year."
The events of the game take place in America, which suffered a global catastrophe 20 years ago in the form of a little-studied fungal infection. Initially, it was believed that this infection would only affect insects, but unexpectedly, it began to infect humans—and at a very rapid pace.
Within just a day, the infection would affect a person’s brain, eventually forcing them to attack others. However, the infected in The Last of Us are far from being zombies. Yes, there are some similarities, but instead of bloodied walking corpses, we see hybrids of humans and fungi—though that doesn’t make them any less dangerous.
The main character of the game is Joel. He works as a smuggler, trading supplies and weapons. His life was going at its usual pace until he was given a task: to escort a girl named Ellie to a military group that seeks to build a new, better world on the ruins of the old one. Thus, the story revolves around the journey of this girl and the grown man, who, over the course of their travels, are destined to become almost like a real family.
The storytelling in the game is top-notch. The slow and clear narrative makes you empathize with the characters and their difficult situation, while the vivid cutscenes that smoothly transition into gameplay bring this picture to perfection.
The game deserves an award for its stunningly designed locations and interiors alone. The developers put so much care into every tiny detail—every discarded bottle and every old magazine—that exploring the environments is just as enjoyable as progressing through the story.
The overall view of the vast city, which has been literally overtaken by nature and its greenery breaking through thick layers of asphalt, is so breathtaking that all you want to do is gaze at this triumph of nature over civilization.
In this world that is alien to humans, the protagonists have to face three types of enemies. Humans are marauders and bandits who won’t negotiate with you and will try to kill you and take everything you own at the first opportunity.
Runners are mutants with sharp eyesight who move very quickly, making them some of the most dangerous enemies in the game.
Clickers are completely blind infected whose heads are taken over by something resembling a fungus, but with a unique shape and appearance. These mutants rely solely on their hearing and are extremely dangerous to the main character in open combat.
In the game, you’ll constantly struggle with a shortage of ammunition, because there really isn’t much of it. So before you start shooting left and right, you’ll have to think twice, since firing your pistol or rifle will almost certainly attract the attention of the infected, who won’t hesitate to attack immediately—and that’s never a good thing for our heroes.
In The Last of Us, stealthy gameplay and quietly taking out enemies is much more preferable, as this way you can save ammunition for emergencies and greatly increase your chances of survival. In fact, it’s not always necessary to kill an enemy; sometimes you can just wait it out in cover and then quietly slip away from the danger zone. Also be prepared to spend a significant portion of your playtime searching for supplies and crafting various weapons.
After finishing the story, you can check out the multiplayer, which offers players two modes: deathmatch and... another deathmatch, but this time with no respawns until everyone on the map is eliminated. You’ll also need to split into teams, gather equipment, and race around the map searching for your opponents.
At the end of each match, you’ll earn points for progression. Basically, we’ve already seen all of this in other games. So, while the multiplayer doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking, it’s still just as entertaining.
The Last of Us is a game, and like every game, it has its flaws. One of the most disappointing is that Ellie’s AI isn’t quite as brilliant as it was made out to be. Of course, she doesn’t just stand around—she’s always doing something depending on her surroundings. Sometimes she’ll try to play an arcade machine, or ask about something she sees, and so on.
In some situations, she’s actually very helpful and doesn’t become a burden, unlike companions in many other games. Still, the developers promised that Ellie would feel almost like a real person, but that didn’t quite happen. However, even this doesn’t make the game any worse.
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To sum up everything said above, it’s easy to agree with the critics who gave the game top marks. It’s almost certain that The Last of Us will become Game of the Year and will be remembered by players for a long time.
With its engaging story, colorful and meticulously crafted locations, dynamic multiplayer, as well as its unique atmosphere and incredibly captivating gameplay—with its careful, silent kills and spectacular melee scenes that let you interact with the environment—The Last of Us is a game that you not only can, but absolutely must play. There haven’t been projects like this in a long time, and it’s hard to say if there ever will be again.
