The Test of Us to The Last of Us
When I first read the prompt for this assignment, the tale of The Last of Us came to mind almost immediately. “But Ben, you haven’t played this game in well over two years, so why” you may be asking your computer screen (why are you talking to your computer and why do you know that), and I’ll tell you! The story takes place…
…Three Years Ago
That was a cool transition, wasn’t it? Anyways! Ever since I had enough strength in my fingers, I’ve been playing video games. Whether that be on my first iPad that I totally stole from my father (sorry father) or the Playstation 3 I also definitely stole from my father (less sorry I had fun with that one), I’ve been playing video games. At the time I loved almost everything about video games, and I got to the obsessive point of being a ten year old where I got really good at recognizing games by their theme songs alone! Crazy? Kind of. Fun? Definitely. Now this is where things get fuzzy, so bear with me for a minute. I don’t remember where I was, but if I had to guess I’d say it was over my best friend’s house because growing up, we spent a lot of time together and that kid is essentially my brother.
One thing that the two of us did a lot was to quiz each other via YouTube theme song challenges! See where this is going? I can remember that I had the tendency to kick his as- butt. Kick his butt; and one of the songs that particularly stuck out to me was this really nice acoustic guitar that had a semblance of being home and waiting for a journey to begin. Don’t believe me? Give it a listen!
My Experience
So great, I liked the song. What does that have to do with anything? Well my friends, hearing that song started what is known as a snowball effect, because I became obsessed. There came a point in time where I would BEG for a Playstation 4 so that I could then purchase the game, but that was really expensive. BUT! Yes, there is a but! My father owned the very console that I longed to own myself, so I would sneak into his office at night and play any game I could so that I could try and prove that I loved the gaming system more than he did. Come to think of it, this style of game was never something I ever expressed interest in up until this point; an open world survival game set in a post-apocalyptic America where you sometimes play as Joel and sometimes as Ellie, two survivors, as they make their way across the country and each trying to fulfill their own story. I mean, I was playing Geometry Dash at this point – totally different! Eventually my youthful mastermind plan had proven to be successful because there came a day (I swear I wish I remembered the date) where my mother came up to me while I was playing Overwatch and said “close your eyes and put out your hands; don’t ask questions, just do it”. I was a bit worried I’m not going to lie because any sensible person would be at LEAST a little cautious. Going against my better judgment, I did as I was told and was met with the cool sensation of plastic in my palms. Oh god what did she place in my hands? I opened my eyes and the game I waited to get for so long was staring back at me. I don’t think I’ve ever hugged someone harder nor put a game in a console faster in my LIFE!
Oh man did I play that through to the fullest, and I appreciated every little detail that the developers implemented. From the stunning graphics despite it being 2013 to the emotional scenes as you play through, this game kept me both physically and emotionally invested for sure, and this picture alone doesn’t even do it justice.
I was emotionally invested, but what does that actually mean? Well to put it simply, when I was playing this game it didn’t feel like playing a game. I had gotten to the point where I could feel the adrenaline kicking in when I would get into a fire fight as one of the characters. The most vivid memory I have playing this is one of those adrenaline rushes when you’re playing as Ellie (the little girl) and you’re riding a horse through the snow while a bunch of bad guys take shots at you. It all happens so fast and I got really into it and would dodge in real life!
Isolating What Makes the Game Special
I can’t really decide what I want to isolate specifically, but something that always stuck out to me was the detailed meticulousness that the developers put into this game. There’s a ton of little details that I could talk about, but just a couple that I want to mention because they were the ones I noticed are:
- Allies react to a flashlight being shown in their eyes
- The environment interacts with the characters
- Characters stay wet when entering buildings after rain
- Dust stays on clothes/shoes when walking in dry environments
- Walking through blood will leave a couple bloody footprints as the characters walk (yes it’s rather gross but still the attention here is SO GOOD)
- Ellie’s dialogue is a direct reaction to her combat situation
- Sneaking up on enemies = “that’s right keep looking”
- Headshots with her Bow = “just like that”
For more of the super fine details, I strongly suggest watching the video linked below because he points out some details even I missed my first time playing through the game!
How This Feature Makes the Game Special
Okay, so little details in the game that don’t impact the core gameplay. What does that have to do with anything? Why do these even matter so much to me? Well, for the very same reason I have been so drawn to the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since the original Avengers movie came out in 2012: the little things keep fans observant and interested. For years, the Russo brothers (MCU directors) have thrown in details and surprises throughout that ultimately connect the current 34 films into one big world. I could go into specifics here, but that is SO boring and you already heard me rant about The Last of Us for god knows how long it took you to read all of this. Below is a video (yes ANOTHER) from ScreenRant covering 25 small details from just one of the movies! I found it to be super interesting and I highly suggest it.
Work Cited (totally exciting)
o Knights o. “20 INSANE Details in The Last of Us Part I.” YouTube, YouTube, 20 Sept. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP2omP5zZg4.
Rant, Screen. “25 Important Details In Avengers: Infinity War Only True Fans Noticed.” YouTube, YouTube, 5 May 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HhWDav3XFg.
TaufeeqGamingWorld. “Ellie’s Horse Riding | The Last of Us Remastered | #ps4 #ps #shortvideo #shortvideo #shorts #short.” YouTube, 26 July 2023, youtu.be/C1INjHE7vfE.
“The Last of Us.” The Last of Us, Spotify, Gustavo Santaolalla, 2014 https://open.spotify.com/track/285ieonEuLkll3zknYK2TY?si=128024e3bc464214
“Discover the Last of Us.” PlayStation, www.playstation.com/en-us/the-last-of-us/. Accessed 4 Sept. 2024.
Ingraham, Nathan. “‘the Last of Us Part I’ Is a Gorgeous, Faithful, Expensive Remake.” Engadget, Engadget, 31 Aug. 2022, www.engadget.com/the-last-of-us-part-1-ps5-review-150041410.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAF6-hm-WKVwpVD3O6hASMJtusRk59ypP-zynHAwg1mYJ7N_4GKWRfiisajAWC0scpRb3c2BkiYcR5X0QID1_tub9Rp4Ed4PzSus22alzpGq6pXZwUp8Z3kEbfrFAvkKW9tUExMyPe9zguBOkivkicGZ6kuysniuay0c4NYqibvvY.
