The Last of Us – From Video Game to an HBO Gem

Origin of The Last of Us

The creation of The Last of Us started in 2009, immediately after the release of Naughty Dog’s previous game, Uncharted 2- Among Thieves. That was the first time in the company’s history that the Naughty Dog’s team split into two. One team focused on The Last of Us, while the other focused on Uncharted 3-Drake’s Deception. In 2023, The Last of Us was released as a TV series. You can check Express VPN’s blog piece to understand more about all the zombie types in the series. 

Nevertheless, The Last of Us was released as an action-adventure game in 2013. It was published by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. The player’s control included Ellie, a teenage girl, and Joel, a smuggler escorting Ellie across the post-apocalyptic United States. This game is played from a third-person perspective, and gamers use improvised weapons and firearms. Also, players can use stealth to defend themselves against hostile cannibalistic creatures and hostile humans infected by a mutated fungus. 

The online multiplayer mode allows up to eight players to engage in competitive and cooperative gameplay. In this video game, the relationship between Ellie and Joel became the main focus among all other elements developed around them. The main characters in the game included Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, portraying Ellie and Joel, respectively, through voice and motion capture. Neil Druckmann, a creative director, assisted these actors.

After it was announced in December 2011, The Last of Us video game was widely anticipated across the globe. In June 2013, it was released for the PlayStation 3 and received critical acclaim. That was because of its gameplay, depiction of female characters, score, narrative, characterization, sound designs, and visuals. Therefore, this videogame emerged as one of the best-selling video games selling over 17 million units by April 2018. Further, the play won year-end accolades, like multiple Game of the Year awards from several game award ceremonies, critics, and gaming publications. 

The Last of Us Gameplay

The Last of Us is played from a third-person perspective and involves an action-adventure game. To advance the story, the gamer must traverse post-apocalyptic surroundings like sewers, forests, and buildings. A gamer can utilize stealth, improvised weapons, forearms, or hand-to-hand combat to defend themselves against cannibalistic creatures and hostile humans. These creatures and humans are dangerous since a mutated strain of the Cordyceps fungus infects them.

Multiplayer

The Last of Us video game also supports an online multiplayer mode called Factions. The multiplayer mode allows up to eight gamers to participate in competitive gameplay. They usually need to rearrange versions of multiple single-player settings. Multiplayer mode involves three game types: interrogation, Survivors, and Supply Raid. The Survivors and Supply Raid make up the deathmatches excluding the ability to respawn. 

Interrogation includes the team investigating the location of the enemy team’s lockbox, and the first to capture it wins the game. In each mode, the gamers choose a faction that includes a revolutionary militia group or a group of hostile survivors. You will keep your clan alive by gathering supplies during matches; every match equals a day. Surviving twelve weeks will mean you have completed the entire journey and can re-choose the Faction. 

The Last of Us as a TV Series

The Last of Us involves an American post-apocalyptic drama TV series. Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin for HBO developed it. The series was released in 2023 and was based on the 2013 video game created by Naughty Dog. Additionally, it is the first-ever HBO series based on a video game. The first season comprises nine episodes, but only three are out. 

Here is a short review of the three released episodes.       

Episode 1

This Episode dates back to 2003, when a vast fungal infection of Cordyceps emerged as a global pandemic. Joel flees with his brother Tommy and daughter Sarah, but a soldier kills Sarah. Twenty years later, Joel resides in the Boston quarantine zone managed by FEDRA, working as a smuggler alongside his partner Tess. Joel and Tess buy a car battery from a local dealer when Tommy fails to contact them. However, they are double-crossed, and batteries are sold to a rebel group opposing FEDRA called the fireflies. Tess and Joel discover Marlene, FEDRA’s leader, when trying to retrieve the battery. This leader begs them to take Ellie to Massachusetts in exchange for a working truck, but while sneaking out, the three are caught by a soldier. The soldier tests them and pronounces Ellie positive for the infection, but Ellie claims to be immune. 

Episode 2

This Episode’s title is called infected. Two days after its outbreak, a mycologist advises the government to bomb the city to prevent further spreading. Ellie explains to Tess and Joel that she is being transported to the west for a cure. Since the State House path is swarmed with infected, they decide to cut through the museum, where they are attacked, but clickers and Ellie are bitten. On arriving at the State House, they find that Fireflies died, and Tess reveals that she was bitten when Ellie’s bite began healing. Tess convinces Joel to escape with Ellie as she stays behind, blowing up the building and killing herself. 

Episode 3

This Episode is titled Long, Long Time. Ellie and Joel heed Tess’s instructions and meet Frank and Bill. Ellie is taught about the government’s execution of innocents during the early days of the outbreak. At the end of the Episode, Bill leaves Joel his supplies, including a truck that Ellie and Joel use to find Tommy.