I’m a sucker for great storytelling and The Last of Us has just that. But don’t get it twisted: it’s only a masterpiece as a video game. What made this game so profound and impactful was that there was absolutely nothing like it at the time of its release back in 2013. Now, we’ve had strong narratives in choice-based games like Until Dawn and entertaining stories with Uncharted, Red Dead Redemption, and God of War. Still, none of these stories were set in the zombie-hunting hemisphere. Restricted to hack-and-slash, zombie games were purely about fighting off hordes. The Last of Us offered a cinematic experience that was accompanied by the thrill of killing zombies.
The Last of Us universe showed me what video games are capable of from a narrative point of view. This is true storytelling, delivered with beautiful and realistic cutscenes that sold its powerful story. You could argue it plays more like an interactive movie like Until Dawn, Telltale’s The Walking Dead, or any Quantum Dream title, but The Last of Us evenly splits its cutscenes and gameplay so you get the best of both. Although the gameplay is rather outdated now, especially with enemy pathing and AI (both enemy and companion), it’s an easy game to pick up and quickly get engrossed in. But the reason to keep playing is its story.
Where it gets more divisive is with its sequel, The Last of Us Part II, but the storytelling gave me the same chills, tears, and standing ovation that the first game repeatedly pulled out of me. I found the choice to make us play as the “villain” for half of the game was brilliantly innovative, as it showed multiple perspectives on how humans love, lose, grieve, and battle with acceptance. It forced us to see the complexity of the human mind, the nuance in relationships, and how, rather than viewing everything in black and white, right and wrong, we could see the world had far more depth.
But here is where TLOU doesn’t translate as an adaptation: there is nothing special about The Last of Us as a TV show. It isn’t doing anything different from The Walking Dead, which was peak television back in the early 2010s. What’s worse is that the cast literally makes no sense. The dystopian and fictional world built by Naughty Dog felt so real that anyone cast to play Ellie and Joel other than Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker struck a nerve for all the wrong reasons. To me, Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal are so far from their characters, it’s absurd. From Episode 1, I already don’t believe in what I’m watching, therefore I cannot invest in the characters I already aligned with and empathized with from the game.
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I have the same take on the Uncharted film, which starred Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, two terrible choices, where neither embodied their characters. Instead, Naughty Dog’s adaptations feel like a cash grab to pre-existing fans who are willing to purchase every remaster and remake. It’s disappointing because, to me, there’s nothing like The Last of Us, but what made it so outstanding has since been diluted by its adaptation.
Sure, The Last of Us TV show expanded on the previously subtle and tiny plotline of Bill, exploring the romance between two men in the heart of an apocalypse. But most of the show makes changes from the source that appear to be there just to please a portion of gamers who criticized the original. I thought the writing in both parts was fantastic, and yet certain elements were missing from the adaptation as if there was something wrong with it. The game’s script should be easily transferable to various media, yet it was altered to include the occasional (but terrible) comedic moment that lessened the seriousness of this morbid world and narrative. Ridiculously long monologues and mediocre acting completely changed the meaning of vital moments like Joel and Ellie’s porch scene.
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It’s a real shame because we’ve seen what a near-flawless adaptation looks like with Arcane, which I adore immensely, even though I’ve never played League of Legends (and likely never will). I guess the difference is the limitless capabilities of an animated show that is free to do whatever it wants, and is capable of creating a fantastical world that you can believe and invest in. Arcane offered escapism with excellent storytelling, characters, and worldbuilding. The Last of Us is set in an altered reality of America, yet it’s as realistic as a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.
I sadly don’t think The Last of Us Season 3 will change my mind on how I view the show, because I believe an adaptation wasn’t needed in the first place. It’s just another apocalypse now, and I’ve gone mad watching it unfold.
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