Happy Friday Gamers!
These last few weeks I’ve been diving into the The Last Of Us (TLOU) series and took the opportunity to write about how incredible both games are. TLOU 2 Remastered launched back in January on the same day as Palworld and so it was quickly overlooked by all the buzz. Not to mention the amount of dark and gritty emotions the series is known for – it’s basically a negative emotion rollercoaster. However, on the bright side, it’s painful and dark world is what make it stand apart from the pack. This post is about my experience replaying The Last of Us 1 & 2 Remastered.
Why Revisit Another Remaster?
Well to be honest, these games are masterpieces in terms of quality and design, and now retouched with sharper visuals and powered by stronger technology, it pretty much was a no brainer. I knew at some point I wanted to replay them both. Personally I’ve had a strong connection with this series since the very first Last of Us back in 2013 on the PS3. The game was so visceral and brutal, and there was nothing else like it at the time, especially in terms of its tone. I liked it so much I even replayed TLOU 1 Remastered when it was released on the PS4 a year later. Then in 2020 Part 2 launched and with it the most controversial and divisive storyline. Now that the game gained enough momentum to develop a TV series, both games were re-released again with Last of Us Part 1 in 2022 and Part 2 earlier this year. They both feature updated graphics, more accessibility features, all DLC, additional bonus content, and a new roguelike mode (TLOU 2). These versions are the best way to experience both of these games, so here we go.
The Journey Through Horror Begins (SPOILER Discussion Below)
Starting with Part 1, I was quickly reminded how incredibly intense the atmosphere is. The tone is serious from the start. Seeing the game with the updated visuals and remastered character models was a joy to experience. I was able to play through TLOU Part 1 on PC although at launch the game was not well optimized. After being patched though, the game ran much more smoothly. The biggest difference from the PS5 version was the much smaller details and resolution. Things like sharper textures on environments and characters, dust particles from spores were more noticeable, and it featured much more intense lighting effects.
Now I’m going to skip over discussing many details to arrive at this next part (because the game was about 15-20+ hours long) so I’m turning towards the end of the main story now. By the end, Joel faces a harsh decision, and the price to pay for their freedom afterward was costly. This ending decision stayed with me for a very long time, and I’m sure it stayed with many others as well. Running through the game again, gave me time to reflect on the storytelling and the impact of those decisions Joel made and I sat in my feelings for a while and really thought about it, would I have done what he did, or could I stomach the greater truth that her sacrifice could save the world?
Did Joel Do The Right Thing?
The events of the first game led many to consider what would they do in that situation. I think many of us would have allowed Ellie to die for the greater good and save much of humanity, even if it nearly killed us emotionally, but then the story would have just ended there. I also believe there are many of us who would have done exactly the same thing Joel did and just protect their own, no matter the cost. This whole decision has got to be one of the most intriguing and well written parts of the Last of Us series. Moving into Part 2, Joel still lives with the fact that he needed to kill his way out to save Ellie’s life, even though he would need to keep her from learning the truth. The reality of asking these heavy questions about what you are willing to do for someone you love and whether or not its justified in the greater scheme of things, is tough to answer, and in Part 2 the consequences of his actions are revealed.
Part 2 was definitely a bigger experience in every sense. The scale and scope of the game is much larger, the storyline is much more deep, and a whole LOT darker. The core theme primarily focuses on Ellie and Abby and their chaotic spiraled journey of vengeance. There were so many emotions I experienced running through this game that it really took me for a loop. Most especially the death of Joel which will forever be a moment that is burned into my memories. This moment was so over the top and brutal that many players and fans simply abandoned ship from that point on. It left many of us feeling unsettled and disturbed to lose a character we’ve all come to care about so much, especially in such a gruesome fashion. However, it is not until you get around 30+ hours into the game that you begin to see how the story comes full circle.
It took a long time for the story of Part 2 to start making sense. Especially the first time around back in 2020, as a lot of it felt so unnecessarily brutal, and time consuming, most especially when it came to the backtracking missions with Abby. Ultimately though, I think the core story reveals a dark side of humanity that many people don’t like talk about. It reveals the potential darkness within ourselves, the consequences of our actions, and the scope of violence that comes from hatred within, should people act on their feelings of revenge.
Now there is a part of me that understands why the game was written the way it was. It was intended to be visceral to show how ugly things can get when you take someone important from another person, however, its how it was presented to the players that really left a sour taste for most people. As Ellie and Abby are the driving force for the story, they each continually show a dark side of humanity, the brutality of vengeance and where it leads. Their determination to see their own brand of justice dished out upon each other was nothing short of evil, and it was only until the very last moment just before murdering one another that they each recognized the damage they’ve done. If they each hadn’t stopped themselves to let the other go in their weakest moment, their never ending hunger would have consumed them both, only to feel just as empty and hurt from their losses as they did from the beginning.
The story in Part 2 is draining and it was a tough one to play through. There are such positives about the game in regards to the core gameplay experience and memorable moments like Abby’s bridge walking scene, and Ellie’s flashbacks with Joel that were amazing sequences. But then there were moments when even me (a seasoned gamer who’s been playing all kinds of violent video games for years) felt like, man this game is straight up brutal, even a bit too far at times. Even things like stealth kills, as an example, are not only visually violent but the sound design that accompanies them is equally as disturbing. Something about the tone of these games only makes the killing in them feel much more brutal, and perhaps that speaks to the high quality design of the game.
Closing Thoughts…
Finally, I wanted to conclude this post by talking about my overall thoughts on this whole series from the beginning. It felt as though people have been bashing this game since before it even came out, for two reasons, one being they wanted the game asap, and two they didn’t want it at all because of news they heard regarding the game. And it began the surge of threats to the developers which seemed to catch like wildfire across the industry. Not surprisingly, the game does feature some of the most divisive storytelling for fans, and elements of its design like the main character Abby were disliked by many, mainly pointing out her masculine figure. While there is a big argument to be made that none of the storytelling in video games matters enough to warrant death threats in real life – because in the end, it’s all a work of fiction, I think all of the reactions of people really showed just how much they cared about this game and its characters. People really resonated with Joel, myself included, and I was really thrown off guard seeing how horribly he died. It was a crazy moment that people took really personally.
Perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, the writers wanted there to be real consequences throughout the story, which I think people don’t really like to accept in video games or in life. Players love their favorite characters no matter who they are or what they are doing, however, the question of whether or not the main character can be still be good if they are constantly killing and murdering others, comes to mind. As a character, Joel was brutal to his enemies and destroyed them violently, letting no one stand in his way, and eventually he was met with a similarly brutal end. His attackers stopped at nothing to find him and when they did they used equal violence against him. The harsh consequences for the life he led, and same for all the suffering Ellie and Abby go through in their lives. It’s a consistent theme you can see throughout the whole experience.
Playing through both games was fun and exhilarating as it was scary and downright depressing. There are parts that make you laugh, feel wholesome, and feel straight up horror and sadness. Like I said earlier, this whole experience is an emotional rollercoaster riddled with negative feelings, but in the end, a cool gaming journey to experience. If you haven’t played these two games already they are definitely worth checking out just for the gameplay and set pieces alone. The story on the other hand I could say is incredible at times, and at others, downright depressing and brutal, so much so that people have logged off of livestreams (and I know because I was watching a livestream when it first happened), so approach at your own discretion.
As always gamers, if you made it all the way down here, thank you so very much for reading this very lengthy post. It took weeks to finish both of these games and I took so many photos and gameplay videos of the experience to put this post together. Sadly, I just ended up using photos as I felt they properly catch some of the emotion I was referring to.
I hope you’re all doing well amidst all the craziness of this year. Have a great weekend and be kind to someone today, make a phone call to a long lost friend, send an email to a loved one, something small to make someone else smile. Hope you have a great weekend!
Inside A Gamer's Life 
Interesting blog post,
How deep an experience can get when we are shown the darker parts of our personalities. An ugly reminder of what we can become if we are not careful!
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