The Last of Us Review

Set around the year 2033, The Last of Us offers a glimpse into the broken and brittle nation after a mysterious infection has raptured America for nearly two decades.

Cities are in disrepair, threaded together only by overgrown vines and erupting greenery. Walled off government-controlled checkpoints, raiders, anarchic rebel forces and no-named communities left on the fringes of a decayed nation are the few and last bastions of humanity. The infected, humans who have been corrupted by the mysterious fungal infection and thus turned into raging husks of their former selves, roam everywhere else. Few places are truly safe.

Road to Ruin

The Last of Us truly begins when Joel and his partner-in-crime, Tess, set out to retrieve their stolen guns. However, the initial mission that ended abruptly presents a better opportunity. Marlene, the leader of the rebel Firelfly group hellbent on returning American government to its past glory, asks Joel and Tess to escort a girl, Ellie, to a nearby base. Left in the dark on details, Joel and Tess soon unravel Ellie's significance in their forlorn world and fight their way through hordes of infected and desperate survivors.

Ellie

A survivor born amidst the infection, Ellie soon becomes the focal point within The Last of Us. Her demeanor is as tough as her wonder for the world before the decay is high. Naughty Dog crafted a character that's very likable, capable and funny, but her persona is brought to life by the voice actors.

Voice actress Ashley Johnson does a stellar performance in crafting Ellie's naivete and wonderment. However, saying that her performance alone propels The Last of Us to a higher degree of quality would be a wrong presumption. Ellie's little quips aimed at her allies, the tirade of "fuck you(s)" shouted at hunters and those moments of angst held in silence form a cohesive relationship with not only other characters, but the dire world painted in The Last of Us. Nonetheless, it is in tandem with Troy Baker's dark and brutal Joel where players see the most natural connection between characters. Their time spent together across America highlights a growing friendship and reverberates the warmth of hope these characters are searching for. The time and detail spent creating these personas beautifully weave players into the broken world.

What will further draw players into The Last of Us is its powerful narrative. Each moment in this post-apocalyptic universe is one of survival. The term "survival" though takes many faces: greed, hunger, companionship, murder,  isolation, or desperation. Morality is only a facade to a survivor. And the decayed nation turns a blind eye to all. The Last of Us basks in these morality-questioning moments and throws Joel and Ellie into the middle of them. Within the story's frame, Naughty Dog uses abrupt, yet confident hard cuts in its narrative. Though these moments leave burning questions, they grip and stylistically writhe the player into the next segment.

Survive at all cost

The tone and power of any video game narrative can be broken through the dissonance between a protagonist's plight and player control. Such a problem does not exist in The Last of Us. The brutality and survivor-mindset is mirrored perfectly in its gameplay.

Stealth works as a slow, tense hum. Players can slowly creep around corners and throw objects to incapacitate enemies silently, use bottles and bricks laying around to distract infected or even sneak past enemies completely. Joel and Ellie are more than often outnumbered and outgunned, so a direct confrontation can prove fatal for the tandem many times over. Precision and timing are the utmost importance in stealth as enemy survivors and infected are deadly in not only ammo and power, but numbers. As Joel says to Ellie, "Our luck is bound to run out sometime." This sentiment perfectly applies to the tide of battle.

One wrong move will change the pace of combat instantly. That hum of stealth will swell into a frantic fight or flight moment because one alerted enemy could equal several infected suddenly running after the player.

This will not end well.

Combat in The Last of Us is quick, dangerous and versatile. Despite an ever growing arsenal throughout the campaign, which includes a shotgun, revolver and a bow, conflicts may evolve past the typical shooter-archetypes.This is due to the crafting mechanic. Picking through essential parts and pieces, Joel can craft items and weapons, such as smoke-bombs or shivs, to suit any situation. However, crafting items occur in real time and does not stop the game nor its enemies. Having Joel sift through his backpack mid-battle to craft or look for items is not only dangerous, but can also prove fatal. This layer of detail further adds to the intensity, immersion and versatility of combat. At anytime, guns, traps, avoidance and even reemerging into stealth are all viable options in the majority of conflicts.

Combat in The Last of Us immerses players further into the broken world because, like Joel, Ellie and everyone else in the game, the means to fight stems from a raw, brutal, yet improvisational urge to survive. This is one game that beautifully weaves and balances stealth and action into a synergistic flow.

Yeah, there IS a multiplayer mode....

Surprisingly, The Last of Us has a mlutiplayer mode; and surprisingly, many mechanics from the single-player campaign actually make it into the online realm, including the real-time crafting mechanic. Called "Factions," multiplayer takes on two variations of team deathmatch: Survival and Supply Raid. Both game types are a standard four versus four deathmatch, but the former is grounded in eliminations while the latter has both teams stocked at twenty lives and the first team to drop down zero lives, loses.

Unlike most shooters, the Factions multiplayer mode, very much like the campaign, is slow and methodical. While players may choose to run and gun throughout the map like a crazed Clicker, Factions allows cohesive teams to sneak and flank their way through seven campaign-inspired maps. The Last of Us' emphasis lies with its campaign, but Factions provides a fun respite from it.

The fifteen hour campaign draws, immerses and keeps the attention of those who brave the broken streets in this gritty tale. Naughty Dog has excelled in creating a world and narrative so gripping and dark that it is only matched by the excellent balance and versatility of raw action and stealth. Technologically, there were very few problems with The Last of Us. There were a few moments where Ellie or other supporting characters would run obliviously in-front of an enemy and  be totally ignored. The shooting mechanic in both single and multiplayer, while solid, can feel a bit clunky and sometimes awkward. But given the scope and magnitude of The Last of Us, these issues are easily forgivable.

Naughty Dog crafted this game as close to perfection as possible. The Last of Us hits the PS3 on the verge of a new generation of consoles. However despite its latency, Naughty Dog proves there is still purpose in the current generation through the game's brutal combat, fantastic visuals, the hard-hitting, grim narrative and its spectrum of characters.

The Last of Us gets a 5/5.

Pick up your copy immediately and Stay tuned for Subculture!