The first time I played The Last of Us, it sort of ruined me for other video games. As I played through, I knew I was experiencing something special, an emotional experience that I had felt in other mediums, but never through video games. I cried several times in the game, felt moved in a way that surprised me and desperately wanted more once the story was over. I didn't play another video game for several weeks after my first play through, knowing that whatever I played next would be a disappointment.
In this way, The Last of Us affected me in a way that no other piece of entertainment ever had, and I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out why that is. This is certainly hyperbolic, but I think I reacted this way because I felt like I was watching an entertainment medium find the next step in its evolution. I felt like I was playing a game that so thoroughly changed what I thought of video games that there truly was nothing else like it. For me, The Last of Us was the beginning of the next phase of what video games could do. It's what I imagine listening to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club band when that album first came out must've been like, or hearing a sound film after decades of silent films. The Last of Us told a narrative that had its impact strictly because it was an active gaming experience, rather than a passive activity like watching a movie or reading a book. The reason the story was so powerful was because of my experience that helped tell the story, and that's a feeling only a video game could accomplish. To me, The Last of Us was breaking the boundaries of what narrative storytelling could do in video games.
Naughty Dog is able to do this in a story that we've seen countless times in all forms of media. While the game never says this is a zombie story, essentially they are the same. We've seen stories of father-daughter relationships struggling with a post-apocalyptic world. We've seen zombie stories where we meet new friends and lose them just as quick, or with humans that become just as evil and dark as the horrors that have destroyed the world. The Last of Us doesn't have much in the way of its story that is original, and yet, it's the way that Naughty Dog tells this story that makes all the difference.
There's so many individual aspects to telling this story that show gaming at their peak here, all coming together to tell a tremendous experience. The sparse soundtrack always hits hard when it comes on, and the mocap performances are easily the best I've ever seen. The facial animations are staggeringly powerful and just a look or the way a line is delivered does so much to tell this story. But I think the underrated star of The Last of Us is the perfect editing and directing. Where the camera is put in a tense moment heightens everything, such as when you're caught in a trap and have to shoot enemies upside down, or the angles the game provides when you're trying to stay hidden. Plus the editing is perfect right from the beginning, cutting from a terrible experience, right to the titles at the best time. I love when Joel falls asleep, then the game cuts to him waking up, same placement of character, but completely different lighting, which jolts me every time.
Again, I think it's important that this is an active experience, and this time around, I tried to notice the little tricks that Naughty Dog is using to get their audience to fall in love with this relationship between Joel and Ellie. For example, in the beginning levels of the game, the relationship between these two is understandably cold, often making the player press the triangle button in order to start or continue conversations. Naturally, the further the game goes, this isn't as necessary, as the conversation flows the more these characters get to know each other. There's other little details, like how characters become less stiff around each other. Like when Ellie has to be lifted or pulled into another area, she's clearly not thrilled about it, but later in the game, she has more movement and is more comfortable being around Joel.
Of course, there are more overt examples of Naughty Dog showing these two growing together, as they rely on each other for support and to stay alive. We're watching the growth of a partnership over a year, watching them understand each other and care and need each other. They're becoming one, not two separate entities. Just look at how the game handles the section the winter segment of this game. Throughout this season, both of these characters are on their own, and the player can feel that lack of another character. It just doesn't feel right. It's harder to handle the situations of both Joel and Ellie. They both need each other and there's something missing when they aren't together, so when the game reunites them, not only is their bond stronger, but it's as if the game is coming back to normal. By themselves isn't their natural state. Together is.
This time around, I did notice some minor problems I have with this game. At times, collision detection became a problem, and often, I felt like I had lost the characters I was supposed to be leading, only to turn away and find them standing right next to me a second later. But I think my biggest problem might be that it's hard to be stealthy in this game. It's clear the game wants you to kill your way through each level, but I'd far prefer to stay hidden. The inability to lean against walls or press yourself against a surface while trying to stay hidden became frustrating to me, especially considering Uncharted has allowed players to do that for years.
I don't think the player would have the same depth of emotion for these characters if they were watching this story on TV (we'll soon see!) or reading this story, it's the fact that the player is actively a part of this relationship that makes it hit so hard. I'm not sure if it's the best game to show the unique gifts that gaming can offer a story (I'd argue Gone Home, Braid and Doki Doki Literature Club are all stories that almost by their nature couldn't be told in another medium), but it's probably the best example of narrative storytelling in an active medium that I have experienced.
This second time around, The Last of Us still hit me hard, but I'm happy to know that other games are trying to also further video games as a storytelling medium by copying what Naughty Dog has done here. It's hard not to see the complete redesign of the latest God of War as a response to what The Last of Us did, and I'm glad Naughty Dog has had this type of impact on the future of gaming, because it's well-deserved.
To me, The Last of Us is a massive step forward for the potential of videos games, proof that games can be just as moving and funny and powerful as any other piece of media. The first time, I felt like I was watching Naughty Dog break new ground, and I still get that feeling with this second play through. The Last of Us is gaming finally realizing their power as a storytelling medium.
