The Last of Us is a narrative masterclass. Never before have I been so invested in a games story and characters. It does an incredible job at establishing the tone from the outset and reinforcing it throughout by littering the game with world building details in the environments, dialogue and collectible items. One moment you can be trudging through a dark, infested sewer, the next you can be gazing at gorgeous sunset vistas. Such contrasts give glimpses of hope for a better future in the bleak post-apocalyptic world. The dialogue itself is very well written and the voice acting is top notch, with there being strong performances across the board. This, along with the outstanding cutscenes, helps create that emotional connection with the narrative which makes it that bit more impactful.
Unfortunately, The Last of Us’ gameplay doesn’t reach the highs of its storytelling. It is by no means bad, but it just doesn’t quite have the same level of quality and polish. Stealth and combat encounters are both engaging, but they are quite simplistic with stealth primarily involving throwing bottles, shooting arrows and choking enemies while combat is a cover-based shooter with pretty average gunplay. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the gameplay, but it hasn’t aged as gracefully as its story with glitches, constantly bumping into your partner and enemies ignoring your partner who clearly dashed in front of them often breaking the immersion. However, the game is well paced, mixing up infected and human encounters with exploration and light puzzling to ensure the experience does not get repetitive. What’s more the online multiplayer is fantastic, with the tense, high stakes matches resulting in a really immersive, tactical experience.
Upon this, my second playthrough, of the Last of Us, I adored the story just as much as the first time and even though this time around the gameplay’s shortcomings were more prevalent, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with this unforgettable experience.
2013 Ranked
Unfortunately, The Last of Us’ gameplay doesn’t reach the highs of its storytelling. It is by no means bad, but it just doesn’t quite have the same level of quality and polish. Stealth and combat encounters are both engaging, but they are quite simplistic with stealth primarily involving throwing bottles, shooting arrows and choking enemies while combat is a cover-based shooter with pretty average gunplay. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the gameplay, but it hasn’t aged as gracefully as its story with glitches, constantly bumping into your partner and enemies ignoring your partner who clearly dashed in front of them often breaking the immersion. However, the game is well paced, mixing up infected and human encounters with exploration and light puzzling to ensure the experience does not get repetitive. What’s more the online multiplayer is fantastic, with the tense, high stakes matches resulting in a really immersive, tactical experience.
Upon this, my second playthrough, of the Last of Us, I adored the story just as much as the first time and even though this time around the gameplay’s shortcomings were more prevalent, I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with this unforgettable experience.
2013 Ranked