On paper, the story behind The Last of Us doesn't really sound hugely original or even engrossing. You play as Joel (Troy Baker) and are given the task of transporting a young girl named Ellie (Ashley Johnson) across America to meet with a survivor group called 'the Fireflies'. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by a handful of humans in comparison to the overwhelming majority of 'infected' - a collection of diseased people who act similar to adrenaline-fuelled humans. Rather than the undead rising from the ground or any other number of reasons for an infection, the reasoning in The Last of Us is purely biological. A non-fictional virus known as cordyceps infects the brain of the host and causes the infected in question to desperately hunt non-infected survivors in hope of spreading the virus constantly.
 |
| Joel (Troy Baker) |
But although the story that The Last of Us tells is entertaining in its own right, it's the characters within the story which make the game truly memorable. Joel has survived in this broken world for nothing short of 20 years, and has changed drastically from the loving father we see him as in the game's opening prologue. He is a broken, dark individual whom does nothing but try to survive, which is shown throughout his actions in the first section of the game. When he is reluctantly introduced to Ellie however, the pair form a relationship of distant trust. The story is split into seasons, and across these the relationship of Joel and Ellie really develops just as much as the characters themselves.
Whilst Joel is jaded and bitter due to his previous experiences of the normal world hugely contrasting the waking nightmare he now lives, Ellie is considerably different. She is aged only 14, and so knows nothing else outside of the bleak existence which she is now a part of. This really shows throughout the story as the couple view things noticeably different. A really good example of this is a section in which Ellie finds a diary of a young girl written before the virus spread, and criticises the issues which the girl writes about, as she has literally no reference point to relate to such issues. Small moments such as these make the characters of Joel and Ellie seem much more than just video game characters, almost as if they were living, breathing people.
The incredible story The Last of Us inevitably tells is matched only by just how fun it is to play as a game. Being set in a post-apocalyptic America, supplies gathered throughout are scarce at the very best (if played on a hard difficultly like the game should be). Because of this, decisions need to constantly be made as to what is more important - medical supplies or weapons? The combat is meaty and satisfying when engaged in, but the game allows you to quite as successfully use stealth to avoid confrontations altogether, therefore conserving supplies. This constant instantaneous decision-making throughout every chapter of the game makes it stand-out even further from a typical action-shooter, and really stands testament to how incredible the game really is.
Of course, the 'Remastered' sub-title on the box is there for something, and this would be raising the game graphically to fit suitably on the current generation of consoles released last year. From a technical point of view, the game has been practically doubled in performance. This raises the frame-rate from 30 to 60, which makes the game run at a previously unobtainable level of smoothness, and also raises all graphical features to 1080p. Not only that, but practically all textures within the game have been improved to look even more realistic and believable. All of this culminates to a truly amazing looking game, and one which is likely the best visually on the PS4 currently. Developers Naughty Dog capitalize on this by introducing a 'photo mode' which essentially allows you to freeze the game at any moment and pan the camera to your liking, which shows off the graphical prowess of the game unlike ever before.
 |
| Ellie (Ashley Johnson) |
A final feature which is arguably just as good as the main story itself is the multiplayer featured in The Last of Us. It manages to intricately replicate the same tense and concerning tone found in the single-player, and also contains a unique ranking system which makes progression feel like a real necessity as opposed to a commodity. Not many people seemed to check out the multiplayer for The Last of Us last year when it was released on the Playstation 3, but the community definitely seems to have embraced the hugely entertaining gameplay this time around.
Verdict
The Last of Us Remastered is undoubtedly one of the best games ever released. Not only does it feature arguably the two best protagonists found in a game, but also boasts fun and engrossing gameplay which mimics the desperate tone created by the plot. If you are a fan of incredible stories or just amazing games, then you probably already own The Last of Us in some form. If you don't however, you should definitely buy it, as it is inarguably one of the greatest video games released.
"I've struggled a long time with survivin', but no matter what
you have to find something to fight for."
No comments:
Post a Comment