Survival horror, it’s a genre that's been done
to death. Games like ‘Dead Space’, ‘F.E.A.R’ and ‘Condemned’ offer great
scares and a haunting atmosphere but fall short of a true survival experience.
Enter ‘The Last of Us’, the latest
cinematic thrill ride from Naughty Dog, Sony's flagship developer. Previously
accustom to making more light-hearted experiences like ‘Jak & Daxter’ as well as the globe-trotting ‘Uncharted’ series, this is Naughty Dog's
first official step into the realm of survival horror. Not only is it
graphically unrivalled but the game's ability to tell pieces of the story
through the environment has never been done this well before and probably won’t
be bettered for some time to come.
You play as Joel, a grizzled gun-for-hire tasked with escorting a young girl
out of one of the last remaining quarantine zones and across the United States.
The catch? In 2013, the world was hit with the cordyceps virus, a mutant strain
of an infection that previously only affected insects. With humans though, the
infection replaces the host tissue with fungus and causes them to become zombie
like creatures that devour anything living. It's been two decades since
the collapse of society; Joel's seen his fair share of odd jobs that have
earned him a reputation among the people of the quarantine zones. It's easy to
see from the get go that the past 20 years have been less than kind to Joel. From
his rugged complexion right down to his personality, it’s noticeable that
Joel’s endured some pretty awful things. As mentioned previously, Joel’s job is
to escort a young girl across a destroyed & hostile United States. This
young girl is Ellie, born 6 years after the infection hit America and
presumably the rest of the world; she’s a tough and independent 14 year old. The
apocalypse is all she’s ever known, Ellie’s had to grow and mature much faster
than a child normally would. Even though she puts up a strong and mature front
for others to encounter, underneath that there’s a little girl screaming out
for love & care.
‘The Last of Us’ tells a deep and
immersive story through the use of various environments. As players make their
way through rotting town houses; a decayed office building or an abandoned city
street, they'll come across small snippets of information like dog tags; hand
written notes and photographs that tell another survivors story through Naughty
Dog's post-apocalyptic universe. These pieces of lore act as collectables
through Joel & Ellie’s journey and present a decent challenge for trophy
hunters. Objects such as old newspaper stands; evacuation boards and letters
from people attempting to reach loved ones serve to enhance the emotional
connection players develop with the universe.
It’s no secret that Naughty Dog’s graphical benchmark
is only rivalled by a handful of studios in the industry. ‘The Last of Us: Remastered’ showcases exactly what the PS3 could do
at the end of its lifecycle and then some, with the developer upgrading the games
superb aesthetic to a visual extravaganza through the use of the PS4. Behind
every corner is another breath-taking vista as good as or even better than the
last, an area populated with menacing hunters or the terrifying infected, or a
new environment that tugs at your heart strings as you read the desperate
scribbles of a survivor’s final moments. ‘The
Last of Us’ stands as a testament to the evolution of games, not just as a
form of entertainment but as an outlet for creative minds to produce products
that evoke the deepest of human emotion.
Breathing life into an overly saturated genre, ‘The Last of Us’ focuses on stealth &
survival rather than bullet crazed action or unpredictable scares. Basic combat
sees players assuming control of Joel as he sneaks, strangles, stabs &
shoots any or all that he comes across in his travels. Although there’s a
larger focus on stealth, which allows players to sneak between a variety of
different covers and silently subdue enemies, the game also offers a handful of
ranged & melee weapons as well as an assortment of craftable tools to use if
the situation gets heated. Depending on the chosen difficulty, of which there
are three to begin with, I personally think that firearms would be used more
wisely as a ‘get out of jail free’ card rather than the go to strategy as it
almost always causes a tight situation due to a distinct lack of ammunition on
the harder difficulties. This risk/reward system opens up a mixture of
different paths for players to experiment with. It’s delightfully stressful
dealing with a room full of human enemies who’ve spotted you while you’re
furiously crafting a bandage or a flaming Molotov. Most weapons become available
as players progress through the roughly fifteen to twenty hour campaign
depending whether you’re a completionist or not.
Joel has the unique ability of ‘listening’ to the
surroundings in order to better navigate environment. Once active, this ability
allows Joel to see enemies through walls. Although this game mechanic allows
for a more tactical approach to the combat scenarios, I found it to be more of
a cheat on the easier difficulties. Luckily the game’s made more challenging on
the ‘survivor’ difficulty, taking the ‘listen’ mode out entirely.
Upgrades come in the way of items called
‘supplements’ that are found in secret rooms or scattered around the environment.
Once the player has accumulated enough of these supplements, they can upgrade
one of Joel’s capabilities. These are passive upgrades such as being able to
craft items faster, increase Joel’s maximum health and even increase the range
of Joel’s ‘listen’ ability.
In the previous generation, it was the trend to
include multiplayer components to games that didn’t necessarily need them. ‘Batman: Arkham Origins’ added a
multiplayer where three Joker gang members fight three Bane gang members and in turn, a
two man Batman & Robin team. As harsh as it may be, this
implementation of multiplayer was absolutely useless. ‘The Last of Us’ however, stands head and shoulders above the rest,
packing all of the single player elements into a competitive atmosphere.
Matches consist of two teams of four, which keeps things nice and personal.
Instead of running off on their own, players are encouraged to move in groups
as they’ll have a far greater chance of survival.
Gameplay elements from the story mode are mirrored
superbly in multiplayer. Crafting, stealth & combat are nearly identical in
both instances, which is a feat that’s only truly rivalled by the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ franchise or last
years ‘Watch_Dogs’. Players loot,
craft & kill their way to victory in a handful of modes. Enhanced and
bundled together, ‘The Last of Us:
Remastered’ contains the original two multiplayer modes: supply raid and
survivors, as well as interrogation which was added later through an update.
These modes allow for a variety of gameplay that focus on eliminating the
opposing team; scavenging enough supplies or collecting enough information from
the opposing team.
What’s surprising is that not only have Naughty Dog
constructed a very smooth and fair multiplayer experience; they have also
included an intensely stressful meta game. Outside of the multiplayer matches,
players assume the position of the leader in their own small group of survivors
and through their success or failure in competitive matches, that group will
grow and shrink accordingly. This extends to not only winning matches but
completing smaller objectives throughout a match.
The detailed aesthetic of the PS3 version of ‘The Last of Us’ is absolutely stunning
and with the power of the PS4, Naughty Dog have elevated their masterpiece higher
than expected with ‘The Last of Us:
Remastered’. Naughty Dog have crafted an online experience that can, at
times, be frustrating after seeing your group members get sick and die but at
the drop of a hat, be so uplifting after your group survives another week and
has supplies to spare for the next. Whether it’s the heart wrenching story or
the intense situations between you, the hunters, or the infected, very few
games can match the raw emotion that this game invokes. Joel & Ellie are
remarkably well built & fleshed out characters who are accompanied by a
diverse supporting cast of rag tag survivors. Needless to say that ‘The Last of Us’ soars above & beyond
all competition.
‘The Last of
Us’ gets 10 ‘Muted Microphones’/10
+ Devastated Yet Beautiful World
+ Diverse & Memorable Characters
+ Absolutely Gorgeous
+Addictive But Sometimes Annoying Multiplayer
Remember, if you liked my review and you want to see more, follow me on Twitter @DylanPerrett or My IGN under 'bobert9497'.
Remember, if you liked my review and you want to see more, follow me on Twitter @DylanPerrett or My IGN under 'bobert9497'.
