The Last of Us

International boxart, depicting protagonists Joel and Ellie in a post-apocalyptic Boston.

### Director

Bruce Straley
Neil Druckmann

### Programmer

Travis McIntosh
Jason Gregory

### Artist

Erick Pangilinan
Nate Wells

### Platforms

PlayStation 3
PlayStation 4

### Release

**PlayStation 3**:
WW: June 14, 2013

**PlayStation 4**:
NA: July 29, 2014
PAL: July 30, 2014
UK: August 1, 2014

### Genre(s)

Action-adventure, third-person shooter, survival-horror

### Mode(s)

Single-player, multiplayer

***The Last of Us*** is a 2013 action-adventure survival-horror video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. A remastered version, *The Last of Us Remastered* was released on the PlayStation 4 in 2014.

*The Last of Us* is set in a post-apocalyptic world devastated by an outbreak of a mutated *Cordyceps* fungus, which turn humans into deformed, cannibalistic creatures called the Infected. The game's single-player campaign follows the story of Joel, a hardened survivor and smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl called Ellie, immune to the fungus' effects, across the ruins of the United States.

Played from a third-person perspective, *The Last of Us* combines elements of third-person shooters, survival-horror and stealth games. Players primarily control Joel through semi-linear environments with Ellie as a friendly AI companion. Weapons such as firearms, knives and Molotov bottles can be used in fights against the Infected as well as hostile survivor groups. The game also includes an online multiplayer mode called Factions in which players are sorted into two clans and have to win matches to gather supplies for their survivor groups.

Development on *The Last of Us* began following the release of *Uncharted 2: Among Thieves* in 2009, and was primarily led by lead director Bruce Straley and creative director/writer Neil Druckmann while another team focused on *Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception*. The development focused around the relationship between Joel and Ellie, and the team built the game around this core idea. Actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson were cast in the lead roles of Joel and Ellie respectively, and influenced aspects of the relationship and dynamic. The game was officially announced in December 2011 and released in June 2013. A prequel expansion pack, *The Last of Us: Left Behind*, was released in 2014

*The Last of Us* received critical acclaim, and has since then been considered as one of the greatest video games ever made. It was praised for its narrative, themes, characterization, art direction, visuals, vocal performances, soundtrack, level design, combat and the Factions multiplayer mode. It was nominated for and won numerous end-year awards, particularly for its narrative and performances, and several Game of the Year recognitions. *The Last of Us* was also a commercial success, estimated to have sold over 20 million copies by October 2019.

The success of *The Last of Us* led to the established of a franchise, including expansion into other media such as a limited comic book series called *The Last of Us: American Dreams* and television adaptation. A sequel, *The Last of Us Part II*, was released in 2020, while a remake titled *The Last of Us Part I* was released in 2022.

## Gameplay

### Single-player

*The Last of Us* is a third-person perspective action-adventure game that features shooter mechanics, stealth mechanics and survival-horror elements. *The Last of Us*'s single-player campaign is comprised of several Chapters in which players primarily control protagonist Joel in his quest across a post-apocalyptic to deliver Ellie to a group called the Fireflies; several sections in the game have the player control Ellie. The player is usually occupied by an AI-controlled ally, most prominently Ellie herself.

## Plot

### Setting and characters

*The Last of Us* primarily takes place in 2033 over the course of a year, with a prologue section taking place two decades prior in September 2013. A devastating outbreak of a mutated *Cordyceps* fungus causes humans to become feral, aggressive creatures called the Infected, blind humanoid monsters who use echolocation.

### Synopsis

In September 2013, the United States is devastated by an outbreak of a mutated *Cordyceps* fungus. In Austin, Texas, a carpenter called Joel (Troy Baker) attempts to escape the ensuing chaos with brother Tommy (Jeffrey Pierce) and daughter Sarah (Hana Hayes); as they flee, Joel and Sarah are stopped by a soldier who is given orders to shoot them. While Tommy manages to arrive and kill the soldier, Sarah is fatally shot and dies in Joel's arms.

20 years later, with civilization in ruins, an older Joel lives with his partner Tess (Annie Wersching) in a quarantine zone in Boston, Massachusetts, where they work as smugglers. After a fellow smuggler crew steals the duo's weapons cache, Joel and Tess track its leader down and kill him; they learn that the cache is under the possession of the Fireflies, a rebel militia opposing the quarantine zone authorities.

## Development

### Technology

*The Last of Us* was built on an enhanced version of the game engine used for *Uncharted 2: Among Thieves*.

## Release

An easter egg about *The Last of Us* was included in *Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception*, released November 1, 2011. *The Last of Us* was officially announced a month later on December 10, 2011, at the Spike Video Games Awards; Naughty Dog unveiled a debut trailer and an official description regarding some of its features. On June 12th 2012, during a participation in *Late Night with Jimmy Fallon*, Naughty Dog announced *The Last of Us* for a 2013 release; they later announced May 7, 2013 as the game's release on December 2012. On February 12, 2013, Naughty Dog announced a delay to June 14th 2013 to grant the development team more time to polish the game.

On April 9, 2014, Sony announced that the game will be released on the PlayStation 4 as *The Last of Us: Remastered*, an enhanced version of the original game featuring improved graphics and performance, and usage of PlayStation 4-exclusive features. It was released on July 29, 2014. *The Last of Us: Remastered* also includes the *Left Behind* expansion pack.

On September 24, 2019, *The Last of Us: Remastered* was announced as one of the free games available for PlayStation Plus subscribers alongside SIE San Diego Studio's *MLB The Show 19*. On September 17, 2020, it was announced *The Last of Us: Remastered* will be included in PlayStation Plus Collection for PS Plus-subscribed PlayStation 5 owners, alongside Naughty Dog's other title *Uncharted 4: A Thief's End*.

## Legacy

Since its release, *The Last of Us* has been recognized as one of the most significant games of the seventh console generation and listed as one of the greatest video games of all time. Its narrative and presentation were noted to have influenced or inspired titles such as Santa Monica Studio's *God of War* (2018), Insomniac Games' *Spider-Man*, and *A Plague Tale: Innocence* (2019).

The success of *The Last of Us* started a franchise; a sequel, *The Last of Us Part II* was announced in 2016 and released in 2020. A third, multiplayer-oriented installment is in development.

In 2023, *The Last of Us* was one of four titles inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame, hosted by The Strong National Museum of Play, for "[influencing] popular culture or the video game industry significantly".

## References

1. ↑ https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2015-the-making-of-uncharted-the-nathan-drake-collection
2. ↑ https://hardcoregamer.com/next/61431/61431/
3. ↑ https://www.slantmagazine.com/games/the-25-best-video-games-of-2013/
4. ↑ https://www.eurogamer.net/eurogamer-readers-top-50-games-of-2013
5. ↑ https://history-computer.com/top-10-games-from-2013-were-still-playing/
6. ↑ https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/01/the\_last\_of\_us\_is\_the\_best\_game\_of\_the\_decade\_according\_to\_metacritic\_users
7. ↑ https://blog.playstation.com/2020/01/10/playstation-blog-game-of-the-decade-the-winners/
8. ↑ https://gamingbolt.com/to-be-compared-to-the-last-of-us-is-fantastic-says-god-of-war-director
9. ↑ https://www.eurogamer.net/cory-barlog-discusses-almost-cutting-kratos-from-god-of-war-2018
10. ↑ https://www.inverse.com/gaming/last-of-us-release-9-year-annivesary
11. ↑ https://www.eurogamer.net/a-plague-tale-innocence-wants-to-be-the-last-of-us-with-rats
12. ↑ https://www.museumofplay.org/press-release/world-video-game-hall-of-fame-announces-class-of-2023-inductees/