HBO has a hit in its hands in the form of The Last of Us. Created with the help of Naughty Dog developers Craig Maizin and Neil Druckmann, this is their biggest and most successful launch since 2010’s Game of Thrones.
One of the best stories in videogame history
The Last of Us is one of the most successful and iconic game series in recent history. Both games in the series have been lauded for their unique and impactful story. The game puts you in the shoes of Joel, a construction worker trying to survive during a zombie outbreak. You lead Joel through a dangerous world filled with horrible monsters and various warring factions of humans.
While the game took a lot of elements from classic zombie movies and games, it did so in a very realistic fashion. Characters have depth, and you can see them struggle to maintain a shred of humanity in a bleak and dangerous world. All this while enacting horrible violence upon other humans to survive.
What the show does right
The show’s first episode follows the start of the game pretty closely. The first scene starts with a TV interview from 1968, with two scientists discussing the dangers of a future pandemic. This hits home given recent events, with one of the scientists introducing the idea of the Cordyceps infection. For people who haven’t played the game, this is an excellent introduction to the core concept of a fungal infection that turns people into monsters.
We then see Joel and his daughter Sarah living their day-to-day lives before all hell breaks loose. I don’t want to spoil a lot, but we see Joel go through a traumatic event in the starting hours of the outbreak. The show then does a time skip 20 years in the future. We see a changed Joel trying his best to survive in the Boston Quarantine Zone alongside his partner Tess. They are a two-man team of smugglers traveling outside the Quarantine Zone to scavenge for resources.
All in all, this is one of the best video game adaptations ever. It creates a story that adds plenty of information for people already familiar with the series’ story. At the same time, it pulls newcomers in with some great acting and excellent world-building. The casting is spot on, with Pedro Pascal giving Joel depth as a man that has turned into a cold shell of his former self.
The Last of Us is out now on HBO Max, with new episodes coming out every Sunday. So whether you’re a fan of the series or just a fan of anything related to zombies, do yourself a service and give this show a try right now. You won’t regret it.
