Side Quest #2: The Return of The Last of Us
Unceremoniously, the first time I heard of The Last of Us was when I searched for some YouTube videos to cure my boredom back in 2013 (...which I now realize was a decade ago ??).?
I tore through that playthrough in less than a week because of how amazed I was from the writing, graphical fidelity, and emergent gameplay. That is when I instantly became a fan of Naughty Dog Studios.?
Fast forward to a few years later, I bought a PS4 and finally got my hands on The Last of Us Remastered (which I may or may not have been of legal age to play).
Despite knowing everything that happened in the game and spending too many hours watching cutscenes over and over again, I was still excited to play the game for myself. It wasn’t until how quickly I realized how much skill it takes to shoot — let alone just aim —? in the general direction of clickers charging at you. I adapted and learned the mechanics, however, and had such a great time going on my own adventure.?
This game was my first foray into the realm of Mature games and how different they can be. Growing up on the Gamecube with amazing titles such as Super Mario Sunshine and Animal Crossing are things I wouldn’t trade for anything. This, however, limited my knowledge and experience that games as an artform can reach with the liberty of including more mature subject matter.
As the years went on, we graciously were given a second part to the series, aptly named Part II. That game could probably fill its own Side Quest, but the bottom line was that the storytelling and gameplay were second to none.?
Shortly after that release when the news first broke that there was going to be a TV series, you might assume I would have been frothing at the mouth for an opportunity to see my favorite characters on the big screen.?
Shockingly, you would be wrong.?
Games have not had the greatest track record with game to movie adaptations. In fact, you could say most of them are trainwrecks that do not adhere to the original source material at all.?
My mind went into overdrive thinking how many different ways they would butcher the characters and their fantastic and dramatic journey across the U.S.
I was a bit relieved, then, when I found out the original creative director Neil Druckmann would be returning for the show. Not only that, but he would be taking the helm alongside other Naughty Dog staff. Then, when the time came, I sat down and watched. I had never been more happy to be wrong in my life.
The show was an absolute mastercraft in character and world development. To the hardcore fans that had played the games, the show has scenes that are almost 1:1 to the game. It was exciting to see scenes or phrases I remembered the characters doing in a live action rendition. I would have been okay with just that, but the producers of the show decided to go even further.?
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We are given opportunities to see new storylines that I wished were part of the game (I still cry when I see strawberries), and allowed even more characterization and world building. I think the show struck gold in the knowledge that producing a show has its own unique benefits compared to a game.
Some things may not work well in a game, and some may not work well in a show or movie. Instead of trying to jam these incongruencies to make them fit, they explored what they could have done differently. I won’t go into spoilers but there is a whole dedicated sidestory episode that was beautifully done in the show, which is something that would have absolutely not worked in a video game.
Of course, not everything can go perfect for the show. One of the big issues hardcore fans from the game had was that HBO’s version of Ellie did not look like the Ellie we all knew in the original game.
As a big fan of something, you are very familiar with and grow accustomed to the looks of the main cast. You almost expect a spitting image of the cast to portray these delicately crafted characters.?
The harsh reality is that the perfect Ellie casting can not look like an artistically rendered character model. A show or movie’s cast shouldn’t be hired just on how closely they look like the original source material, but rather how closely they can emulate the spirit of said character.
I initially wasn’t worried about her casting when it was first revealed, but I was worried how tropey her character would be with the angsty and rebellious young teen angle. Bella Ramsey absolutely nailed the character, and even gave us a better glimpse at her darkest fears that harbor inside of her.
In a somewhat hilarious fashion, this problem didn’t seem to apply to Joel’s casting choice. Before the show even aired, Pedro Pascal got tons of love and adoration on TikTok and other social media platforms (iykyk) for his role as Joel.?
That’s not to say, though, that the fanfare isn’t well-deserved. Pascal masters his role and manages to consistently prove he can perfect many different types of characters and excels at doing it. I just wish that his co-star and counterpart Bella Ramsey had gotten the same amount of praise that Pedro initially got, and hope that Bella knows that they are doing such a great job of bringing Ellie to life.?
Wow, this Side Quest went a lot longer than I had anticipated! If you’re still with me, I encourage you to jump into the fantastic experience of The Last of Us, if you haven’t already.?
Whether you watch the show, play the game, or even watch someone else play the game like I did, it’s a worthwhile experience that can be equated to a modern day epic. You will laugh, cry, die repeatedly (if you’re playing), and learn a little bit more about what it means to be human.?