This is a thread that I made almost 2 years and a half ago, and posted it on NeoGAF 2 days after finishing this masterpiece and its DLC for the first time, so hopefully you won't get too mad about this reheated stuff. I'm posting this because I felt this forum could do with a few more topics to kickstart some discussion, and what better choice than one of the best games from this decade? The second reason I'm doing this is personal: when I posted the original thread it got a grand total of exactly zero replies. This is me trying to get some closure and finally move on; consider it a late port or whatever. It's exactly as it was written back then, with no further edits, corrections or additions of any kind. Whatever fault you find here, you can blame my 2016 self for that. Without further ado, I leave you with the thread.
Originally posted in April 12, 2016:
Originally posted in April 12, 2016:
I know, I know, this game has been discussed to death on the internet, but ever since finishing it last Sunday I felt the need to talk about it, to share my impressions and opinions and read about other people's. Three years after it came out, I finally got the chance to sit down and play it entirely, along with the Left Behind DLC. Let me tell you, I loved both of them. This thread will contain unmarked spoilers, so please stop reading now if you haven't finished both the main game and DLC.
This wasn't my first time with the game, actually. I had played the first couple of hours at a friend's two years ago, and I remember not being too impressed with it. Sure, it looked great and the gameplay was pretty good, but using Listen Mode felt like cheating. It also didn't help that we were three friends playing a single player game together, which means I couldn't take my time and explore every single nook and cranny like I wanted to. We were rushing it, and of course the atmosphere and worldbuilding suffered as a result. During that run, we got as far as the subway station after discovering Ellie was infected, and before Tess' death. Afterwards, I proceeded to forget all about it until two weeks ago. In the meantime, I went through the entire Uncharted trilogy for the first time, and that rekindled my faith in this game.
Man, what a ride! First of all, following some recommendations here on GAF I disabled Listen Mode in the options menu, to avoid being tempted by it during stealth sections. That was a great idea, because it meant that I had to rely on my eyes and ears instead of a wallhack, making these parts more engaging and interesting (played on Normal). The intro is amazing, letting you know Joel's daughter by controlling her for a while and showing you her room and some of her thoughts; this made her death scene hit me harder than it would have if she had been just an NPC. Fantastic way to start the game, and it was still shocking even though I had seen it before. Exploring the quarantine zone with Tess was much more enjoyable when I could do it at my own pace, and I took the time to read every sign and soak up the atmosphere. The dedication with which Naughty Dog crafted this virtual world is evident: in less than five minutes we understand how this post-apocalyptic society works, how the military is attempting (and sometimes failing) to control the survivors and keep them safe, how the infected are killed on the spot, how hungry and angry some people are, and how others are taking matters into their own hands by starting an underground revolutionary movement. We get to see it by ourselves, hear about it, wonder about it all.
The writing is excellent as well. Characters' actions seem credible, as do their motivations. Joel is kind of an asshole (understandably so, but still not what you'd really call a good person; though what does "good" truly mean in this hellish future?), a once caring dad who now finds himself unable to trust anyone (except for Tess), who can't connect with anybody and doesn't want to deal with another possible loss. Ellie is an innocent child living with a terrible sense of guilt who's struggling to survive in a world she can't quite comprehend, despite this being the only life she ever knew, but who doesn't feel like giving up yet and is trying her best to be brave. Tess is a hard-boiled survivor with a soft side deep inside, who decides to sacrifice herself in hopes of saving everyone else. Seeing the cast interact with each other is a delight, as are the optional conversations, which can range from amusing ignorance (yes, ice cream trucks are real!) to adorable (Ellie telling jokes to lighten up the mood). Another great thing is that companions have a mind of their own while not in battle or sneaking, and this can lead to them looking around the area with curiosity and saying something relevant (for example, in the DLC Riley will check every single thing in the Halloween store and speak her mind about it, if you stay there long enough).
The story in The Last of Us is rather simple; it's the journey what matters. Along the way our buddies will meet with a diverse set of characters, who are also written well. Some of them commit terrible acts, but even then it's not hard to see why they act that way (not that you'll like them, of course, but it's not gratuitous evilness). Joel isn't innocent either, as he admits having taken part in raids and other heinous acts in the past; he's also seen killing fellow humans after they told him what he needed to hear. Others, like Tommy or Henry, are just trying to survive in this devastated world. We also see Joel and Ellie's relationship mature and go through different stages, with the former unwilling to open his heart to her for fear of suffering pain again, and the latter not trusting him at first and later wishing to rely on him as a father. His attitude hurts her a lot, at one point making her run away when he made her feel unwanted and a burden, so it's amazing to see how both change towards the end of the game and he begins to truly care about her. He cares so much that he's willing to risk humanity be wiped out rather than losing Ellie. I can't honestly blame him for that.
So far I've only talked about writing, setting and plot, and that's because the game excels in all those aspects. That doesn't mean the rest is not good, far from it. Gameplay feels good, controls are responsive and the stealth mechanics work perfectly well. Crafting feels a bit underused, there aren't many things to make and half of them I never used (bombs and molotovs). I like how the crafting, upgrades and collectibles menu doesn't pause the game (don't worry, there's a proper pause), and I discovered it the hard way while checking some artifact I had picked up in the middle of a fight. Shooting mechanics are also tight, though it's best not to go on a rampage and do things quietly. That said, a few parts seemed to drag on a bit too long, particularly the Pittsburgh chapter with all the fighting sequences. Besides, many of these areas have that characteristic "low cover and obstacles scattered around" layout, so as soon as I came to one of those I immediately thought "Oh no, another fight, I just want to keep exploring peacefully". Fortunately there were plenty of opportunities to do so later on, and the game never became boring anyway. And even if I would have liked some more breathing room inbetween combat moments, storywise it's understandable why Naughty Dog went for this approach during this chapter.
The Last of Us looks beautiful for a game released on a 2006 console. Sure, some textures may have looked a bit blurry, and signs weren't always legible (I wish every game could copy this from Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on Wii), but overall it was very pleasing to the eye. Lighting effects and animations really stand out. Likewise in the audio department, including the minimalist soundtrack that really suits it. Voice acting is perfect to me, with every character delivering their lines in a believable way.
I really like how the game treats morality. There are no heroes or villains here, just people trying to survive. Some choose to hunt and kill others, some prefer to scavenge whatever supplies they can, and others would rather form their own community and help each other. As I said before, I sympathize with Joel for saving Ellie, despite condemning humanity to probably never find a cure. But at the same time I also appreciate what the Fireflies were trying to do, even if it meant the death of an innocent girl. Also, the ending is not the main characters saving the world or anything of that sort, it's just them sticking together amidst all the destruction. And that's fine. Joel doesn't see a point in doing that, if it means losing everything and everyone he cares for. Why should Ellie pay for something she had no involvement in? Why should 3 billion faceless women, men and children be more important than her? No, as a parent he had already experienced what it was to lose a daughter, and he wasn't going to go through it again, not this time. For him, passing on a cure is a fair price. Even lying to her about his actions is worth it, for the sake of keeping her alive and safe. In his place, I'm sure I would have done the same. But the fact that this ending isn't black or white is nothing short of amazing, because Marlene wasn't a monster, clearly she was deeply hurt by the decision to perform the surgery on Ellie and its consequences, which would have been great for humanity but fatal to her. Great work, writers!
I think that's it for the main game. Couldn't get all the collectibles, optional conversations or Ellie's jokes, despite exploring every corner (or so I believed), so I'll have to go through it again later. Which is actually no problem, because I already feel like replaying it. Now onto the DLC.
Left Behind is, without a doubt, one of the best pieces of DLC I've ever played. It's fairly short, probably took me between 3 and 4 hours on Hard (again, no Listen Mode). It's set both before and during the main game, serving as a prequel to Ellie's story and showing some events that happened while Joel was hurt, after escaping from the university. The latter is kinda similar to the winter chapter in the main game, letting us control her while fighting against hordes of infected and survivors, sometimes both at the same time. It's very good stuff, with an interesting side story about a couple of soldiers who got stuck in the mall, but it's nothing that we haven't seen before, save from infected and human enemies fighting each other. The final battle is too long, with an unnecessary second wave coming right when it appears to be over, but it's still entertaining.
The real meat, in my opinion, are the prequel segments. Here we get a glimpse at how Ellie's teenage life was before she got infected, and her relationship with her best friend. Riley's fate is mentioned at the very end of the game, while her Firefly pendant can be seen in Ellie's backpack when playing as her. This is the story of how that friendship ended tragically, with the two them bitten and only Riley dying. It shows the emotions that teenagers go through, how they want to grow up but also remain the same, all those confusing feelings. It's done in a masterful way, by making the girls go in a final adventure together while reliving the joy of childhood. The carousel, the water gun fight, throwing bricks at abandoned cars, trying different Halloween masks, taking pictures in funny poses, playing an imaginary video game. These things may sound silly on paper, but playing them feels incredible. It achieves what it sets to, which is to establish a deep connection between both characters, and it never gets boring. It's beautiful to see them together, and it's terribly sad to think about what will happen shortly thereafter. I think it's a good idea not to show the very end, and instead leave it to our imagination.
But then this one thing happened. Something I could swear that had been hinted about all along the DLC, but didn't really expect to see. Something that is very rarely seen in video games, let alone AAA ones, and it was greatly appreciated. A small scene that in the wrong hands could have been a disaster, but which Naughty Dog pulled off with tact and a lot of care. In the end, Ellie and Riley were more than just friends, or at least they felt something for each other. Or maybe they did it without even thinking, in the heat of the moment due to how much Ellie liked her friend, not necessarily in a romantic way. Personally I believe they had feelings for each other, but the actual reason isn't important. In what may rank among the most adorable scenes I've seen, Left Behind shows Ellie sharing a kiss with Riley, in a very intimate display of affection. She then smiles as in slight embarrassment and whispers "I'm sorry", to which Riley replies "For what?". If that isn't cute, then I don't know what is.
So yeah, these are some thoughts I've been having about this fantastic game and its DLC. Sorry for the long post, it seems there was a lot to say about this masterpiece. I'd really like to hear what you guys think about the game.
