 | |
| Joel and Ellie, the game's inseparable protagonists. |
Story
As many of you already know, the Last of Us is centered around an apocalyptic event that destroys most of the world's population. From the previews it seemed to be another zombie game, and in many ways it is. But what separates this from games like Left 4 Dead and Dead Island is the zombies themselves. They are humans that have been infected by a strain of Cordyceps fungi, driven to madness by its invasion of their brain. This is brilliant, as it takes a very real, horrifying fungus and expands it to infect the human race. This sets the stage for a new, yet familiar survival game in which you are battling mushroom people, albeit with weapons and not the boots of a well-known Italian plumber. For most of the game you play as the grizzled Joel, an ex-father wandering this new and unforgiving world. Its clear from the opening that most of the civilized world has gone to hell and that only Darwinism shall prevail in weeding out the weakest specimens of the human race. The story borrows from other post-apocalyptic thrillers and games, mashing their stories into something refined and breathtaking to experience. This is the tale of a man who has lost it all, searching for something to fill his life with purpose, and finding a teenage girl who may hold the key to saving humanity. I found the relationship between these two to be endearing and well hammered out throughout the game's lengthy campaign. What starts off as two strangers barely tolerating the others presence evolves into a father-daughter relationship that will tug at the heartstrings of even the most stone-hearted gamers out there. These are two people who genuinely need each other, both so emotionally damaged by the world around them that their interactions with other people can be called awkward at best. What I found so captivating about the story is how unnervingly it captures the dehumanization of mankind. People brutally slaughter others for food and supplies in this game, including Joel and Ellie. I have seen very few games in which a 14 year old girl gets this many head shots. Ellie is perfectly fleshed out, and knows her way surprisingly well around these changed lands. She has the personality of a grown woman, which shows how much of her innocence has been lost since the infectious outbreak. This world is a far cry from the luxurious one that Joel lived in, the man taking down scores of other humans who have families and children; each having their own lives just like him. There are no black and white areas in this game's morality, just a huge grey area that leaves a sour feeling in your gut when your newest victim is on the ground begging for his life. Life is harsh and hateful in the Last of Us, and this is where the game shines the brightest in its depressing grimness.
 | ||
| Behind this man is a mountain of corpses. |
Graphics
I'm going to go ahead and state that this game looks incredible. Every aspect of its visual fidelity is so fine-tuned that this ranks right up there with the likes of Killzone 3 and Uncharted 3. Naughty Dog is using their proprietary engine that powered U3, only with even more impressive tweaks that add to the visual flare. Lighting effects are top-notch, with dynamic shadows reacting to light sources as you'd expect, along with gorgeous damp surfaces and water shaders that made me yearn for a quick dip in a pool. Textures in this game are not among the best I've seen, but when you have such an incredible amount of detail in every environment and character model you truly wonder if this isn't a PS4 game in disguise. ND has a new type of ambient occlusion that has to be seen to be believed, it makes ambient shadows look down-right lifelike. Honestly I wish this game would come to PC, its mouth-wateringly gorgeous in every aspect. Areas are huge and open, with no one place left wanting for detail. Every setting feels unique and appropriately grim, and you can see where a lot of the budget went. This game is a fine example that you can be beautiful and have a stunning personality. A true testament to the power of the PS3, proving that it still has lasting power despite the emergence of its successor.
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yes, it looks every bit as good as the previews suggest. |
Gameplay
The Last of Us features some very interesting new systems. The first is a sort of Listening Mode where your character concentrates on nearby sound sources, displaying enemies in a silhouette of varying brightness depending on how much noise they are generating. The silhouettes disappear on "Survivor" difficulty, adding a further touch of realism to the game. The combat is also a huge strong point, melee feeling rather weighted and clumsy while the gunplay has an appropriate amount of sway to each weapon. Joel and Ellie are not supreme interstellar assassins, they are regular human beings thrust into a horrible situation that they didn't ask for. The game has an interesting crafting and leveling system, bringing in RPG elements to what may appear a strict survival game. You level by consuming dietary supplements which enhance your character's abilities. I would love to find pills that help me craft health kits faster than it takes time to sneeze, that stuff would be invaluable on a camping trip. Some of this takes away from the realism of this game, but it ultimately doesn't bother me, with the addition of New Game+ giving players ample reason to trek through the story once more just to beef up Joel. Stealth is a huge part of this game, where sometimes you may not have enough supplies to see yourself through the next encounter without shaving off a couple health kits. Joel can crawl through the environment and perform brutal or sneaky takedowns depending on his melee weapon or if he has crafted any shivs. The kills are often cringe inducingly realistic, with blood spattering onto the environment and Joel himself as he slices throats and caves in skulls. A bow can also be used once you acquire it, though the ammo for the thing can be somewhat hard to come across if you use it too frequently for anything other than picking off unarmored foes. Oh, forgot to mention armored baddies. These guys come in later, and they are a pain in the ass to off quietly without headshots. Luckily you can find work benches you can use to make various upgrades to your expanding arsenal, some weapons can even be upgraded with armor-piercing rounds. You'll need to scavenge for parts and tools if you want to extensively modify your weapons, and this is where the game's encouragement for exploration really shines. Explore abandoned homes and villas as you loot for crafting supplies and collectibles, ensuring that you have a chance to resupply before your next harrowing encounter with either the humans or infected. Ellie is also rather useful once she gets armed, generally staying out of harm's way and taking potshots at enemies to draw their attention once they are aware of Joel's presence. Only a few times I had to save her when a Clicker or Runner got a little too close and held her down. It's essentially an escort game where your escort can handle themselves for the most part, not entirely unlike the spectacular Bioshock Infinite. The AI of both the infected and non-infected are excellent, with humans behaving as if they have an actual brain and the infected behaving exactly how you'd expect a ravening fungoid monstrosity to act. Enemies patrol random routes, sometimes altering their route just when you think you have their patterns predicted. Humans talk and whisper amidst combat, flanking and sneaking in an attempt to overwhelm Joel. They feel like living beings, rather than models following pre-programmed pathways. They also lack eagle-eye accuracy, a glaring issue in many games touting to be steeped in the roots of "realism".
 |
| Don't worry dear Clicker, it only hurts the first few times. |
Sound
Another strong point of the game is the sound design, where it is so immersive that you can simply lay down your controller and listen to the environments. Birds chirp, trees sway, wind blows across deserted streets, and infected emit ear-splitting howls of hunger and despair. The world truly sounds as if nature is reclaiming it, as the banter of a once bustling city is replaced by an eerie silence which permeates the entire area. The sound of Joel's increased breathing as he takes aim is a great touch and really helps with the overall immersion, as does your enemies' cries of pain and alarm as you war with both infected and humans alike. Sounds echo in tightly packed hallways as you'd expect, creating an atmosphere filled with dread as you predict your next encounter with the awful Cordyceps hosts. The sound matches the presentation perfectly, and its something I wish more games would pay attention to. Sound immersion can break an experience if it is not handled properly.
 |
| Do not let a Clicker get close, trust me. |
Conclusion
Naughty Dog has succeeded in crafting an unforgettable experience in which story and setting come before everything else. This is a developer that loves making games, and it shows. The Last of Us is a game that cannot be missed, a gleaming diamond in a sea of increasingly generic shooters that can teach other developers a thing or two about how to make a touching experience. I found myself wondering who was worse: The infected or the humans? For me, it was the regular people who were the scariest. Ordinary men and women driven to shocking heights of savagery by the simple need to survive. Joel and Ellie's tale is one that ends with a whimper, instead of a bang. There are no huge boss fights or epic on-rails set-pieces to be seen here. There is simply a tale of survival about two strangers who come to care deeply about each other, lost in a world that wants them dead, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 10/10
No comments:
Post a Comment