Even eight years after the release of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, it remains one of the most cinematic and tear-jerking games ever published. A recent report revealed a TLOU remake for the PlayStation 5 is in development at Sony, which means fans will likely get to relive all of The Last of Us' best moments in 60fps.
[Warning: SPOILERS for The Last of Us below.]
The original The Last of Us' story revolves around smuggler Joel Miller, who is hired by a militia group, the Fireflies, to escort 14-year-old Ellie out of Boston safely. Unbeknownst to Joel, Ellie is mysteriously immune to the parasitic effects of the Cordyceps fungus that has devastated humanity, and he eventually realizes the Fireflies want Ellie because she might be the secret to curing the infection. The two set off on a cross-country journey to bring Ellie to the Fireflies' headquarters and face violent bandits, hordes of Infected, and a cannibal cult.
Along the way, Joel and Ellie develop a father-daughter relationship central to the most emotional parts of the game. Naughty Dog masterfully balances The Last of Us' scary moments and heart-wrenching scenes with fleeting but resonant periods of calm. The result is an experience that will have many players choking up as much as they'll be at the edge of their seats. Here are some of the most unforgettable moments from The Last of Us.
The Last of Us wastes no time introducing players to the horrors the Cordyceps fungus unleashed. The game opens in Austin, Texas, on the night of Joel's birthday. Sarah, his daughter, stays up late waiting for him to get home from work in order to give him a wristwatch. That same night, the fungal infection reaches a breaking point in the state, forcing Joel and Sarah to evacuate with Joel's brother, Tommy.
When it appears Joel and Sarah narrowly escape with their lives, a patrolling soldier finds them fleeing Austin and is ordered to eliminate anyone leaving the area. The patrolman fires at them, missing Joel but mortally wounding Sarah before being shot by Tommy. Joel's daughter dies in his arms, showing players the trauma the infection has caused him and many others. Plus, it sets the backdrop for the relationship he'll eventually develop with Ellie throughout The Last of Us.
Ellie and Joel meet another duo of survivors when they make it to Pittsburgh - brothers Sam and Henry. The two groups join forces to escape the city and even begin to become friends because of how similar their situations are. Sam and Ellie are about the same age, while Joel and Henry are their protectors. The four seem like they could make a formidable team, but when things seem like they're taking a turn for the better in The Last of Us, disaster strikes.
The four take shelter in an abandoned apartment after making it out of Pittsburgh. Joel and Henry bond over dinner, while Sam and Ellie have a strangely tense conversation in another room. It turns out Sam was bitten by one of The Last of Us' Infected during their travels and is coming to terms with dying. Without telling anyone, he goes to sleep, and when Ellie checks on him the next morning, he attacks her. Henry is forced to shoot his brother and then shoots himself in a state of sorrow and rage.
This portion of the game reinforces that nothing is permanent in The Last of Us' universe. Joel and Ellie had recently lost their travel partner, Tess, to the infection, and the introduction of the brothers injected some hope into the journey ahead. It was cut short, and this scene is a perfect example of the emotional highs and lows Naughty Dog's release can put players through.
Bandits ambush Joel and Ellie while investigating an abandoned Fireflies outpost at the University of Eastern Colorado. Joel is severely injured, and the two take shelter in a garage during the winter, with Ellie hunting and tending to Joel's wounds. She runs into the bandits again and discovers they're part of a cult of cannibals led by a man named David. Ellie lures the group away from Joel but is momentarily captured as David tries to recruit her to join his group.
Ellie manages to free herself and kill David's partner, but he corners her in a burning restaurant. Meanwhile, Joel gains some strength back and manages to set off in search of Ellie. When he finds her, she's brutalizing David with a machete after an intense showdown. Joel runs in to comfort her, but the events traumatize Ellie. She used to be cheery and quick-witted, even among all of the horrors of The Last of Us, but now she's reserved and on edge.
Following the horrific encounter with David and his group, Ellie and Joel make it to Salt Lake City, Utah, where a group of Fireflies is supposed to be hiding in a hospital. On their way there, the duo happens upon a herd of giraffes (a reoccurring symbol in TLOU) that have somehow gotten free from a nearby zoo, which results in one of the most whimsical and carefree moments of the game. Players see a glimmer of Ellie's former self when she and Joel look off into the city skyline and watch the giraffes walk off.
The scene might seem inconsequential, but it's a prime example of the exemplary pacing that defines The Last of Us. After the blood-curdling encounter with David that changed Ellie for good, Naughty Dog shows players there is still beauty and peace in the world's nature. Joel and Ellie bask in it, even if it's just for a moment.
Once the duo reaches the Fireflies' hospital base, Joel turns over Ellie. Right when it would seem Joel's job is complete, he takes it all back. He realizes the group will likely kill Ellie while experimenting on how to synthesize a cure for the infection. Now caring deeply for Ellie, as if she was his daughter, he decides to kill the remaining Fireflies in the base to save her.
After slaughtering dozens of guards, Joel bursts into the operating room, kills the surgeons, and even shoots his original Fireflies contact, Marlene. When she awakens from her anesthesia, Joel lies to Ellie, telling her the Fireflies' plan for a cure failed and that dozens of people are already immune to the disease. It's a heartbreaking moment that's accentuated by one of Joel's final lines: "I struggled a long time with surviving. No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for."
It's here that it becomes resoundingly clear Joel doomed humanity just to save the one person left in the world he loved. It's a tragic ending that rings home one of the central themes of The Last of Us - finding something to cherish in a brutal world.
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