When I finished The Last of Us in 2013, I was somewhat disappointed. It was a splendid and fresh example of what video games can do from a narrative perspective, but I was tired of zombies even back then (I definitely am now) and it was too long. The combat wasn’t great and the promise of a return to “old school” difficulty wasn’t all it was hyped up to be. Still, I knew I had never played anything like it before. I cherished most of my experience.
I purchased Left Behind as soon as it released and played through it in one sitting. It was more focused and genuine than the base game. Its brevity was an advantage. It offered the very best of The Last of Us in a more concentrated format. The relationship between Ellie and Riley ranks among the very best in any form of entertainment (as does the one between Joel and Ellie).
Now I have finished both in The Last of Us Remastered. Even now, over three years after the release of The Last of Us, the full package stands out as something else. I still don’t see a developer topping Naughty Dog anytime soon when it comes to characterization and basic story beats. Having played Remastered after Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, it’s easy to see how much of it was informed by what Naughty Dog learned from The Last of Us. Their vision is unmatched in so many different areas of game design.
It’s a shame the issues I had in the first place carried over into the upgrade. The “realistic” combat instead made me imagine both Joel and Ellie downing an entire gallon of Jack Daniels before shooting at people/former people. It was really aggravating to have a perfect headshot lined up and then suffer from the reticle deciding to jerk leftward of its own accord. The Last of Us is also obsessed with pallets and ladders. Almost every obstacle in the game requires the use of one or the other to the point of tedium and murdering the suspension of disbelief.
But the care Naughty Dog put into the remaster shows. The actual graphical work is impressive. A feature-length documentary, optional commentary, and photo mode are included. I would have liked an option to play Left Behind at the point it takes place within the actual story of The Last of Us. I can hardly complain about it since I paid just $12 for something that features so much and was originally $50.
What I really care about in the end is how much this collection engaged me in its world. Zombies and combat be damned, The Last of Us and Left Behind are both so exceptional. They paint a bleak, BLEAK picture and make you want to see it through to its end due to fantastic writing and characters. Nothing is one-note; everything resounds.
I didn’t have much fun playing The Last of Us or its DLC, but I don’t think that’s the point. I enjoyed them nonetheless. To expect the atypical “fun” out of every game is pretty limiting, I think. Video games are at a level (pun intended) now where they’re being taken more seriously than ever. Not all of them have to fall in line with the norm of acceptable “gameplay”. The Last of Us is one of those things that proved these silly little distractions we control can be something more, and The Last of Us Remastered reminded me of that.
