My opinion on The Last of Us Part 1.

Endure and Survive.

Have you ever wondered what our world would look like if a deadly parasite had spread around the globe? The Last of Us, just like many other post-apocalyptic movies and games out there, aimed to create a story around the remains of mankind after a devastating exposure to a virus, in this case, a parasite called Cordyceps fungus, which surprisingly is a real thing that infects insects.

The team behind the game came up with the idea of making this particular parasite threatening to humans as well, resulting in the creation of one of the best games in the history of the industry with a unique story never before told. With The Last of Us Part 1's release yesterday, I wanted to write something and share my thoughts with you.

"Rebuild from the ground up." Well, maybe.

Instead of remaking the whole game, the developers built on the foundations of the already existing masterpiece. As they have admitted themselves, The Last of Us Part 1 was intended to become the definitive version of the first title using an updated version of the graphics engine of Part 2. I was delighted to hear that the core gameplay mechanics would get through a modification process to match Playstation 5's power. However, at times it felt like I was playing The Last of Us Remastered on Playstation 4. You could sense Joel's movement from the Remastered version being implemented into Part 1 without any changes or modifications. Yet, worth mentioning is the fact that every animation in it feels so smooth that makes you wonder what Naughty Dog is really capable of doing with future games.

Putting the animations aside, one thing that was very clear from the beginning is the approach they took with the game's gore. Every detail that made The Last of Us Part 2 distinctive was added in Part 1. You can literally see in intense cutscenes drops of saliva coming out of the character's mouth or teeth knocking off after a successful punch in the face. And let's not mention what happens when you shoot with an explosive arrow or throw a bomb to your enemies.

Let's talk about the graphics and how much this terrifying world has changed.

“How do we take the most beloved game we’ve ever made and rebuild it? We build on it. We double down on areas we thought would heighten the experience or get deeper into the storytelling of it, taking all our abilities and skill and applying them faithfully to this rebuild. Just reimagine everything, heighten all the moments, and sell it even more to the player. That was the goal, our guiding light, and the challenge at the same time.” - Naughty Dog Creative Director and Writer Shaun Escayg

Areas that used to be empty in the original are more realistic and humanly in this one. You can see that every object on the shelves or tables, every position of a tree or plant was placed with extreme caution. Nothing feels random. Still, I expected more buildings to be open for exploration because every structure was set in the same exact place as in the first The Last of Us. Even the location of important tools and weapons hadn't changed at all, you knew exactly where to find them if you had finished the game multiple times in the past.

An amazing addition to Part 1 was the upgraded bench, and how many animations they added whenever you upgrade a weapon. You see Joel adjusting the scope on his rifle while twisting the bolts or when you decide to increase its range by taking off the barrel to add another. It's the small details that make a game great in my opinion, and I love when developers put some here and there. With that being said, The Last of Us Part 1 didn't disappoint me, on the contrary, I believe it exceeded my expectations. Naughty Didn't set the bar high nor used a marketing tactic to sell it as if it is something new. It was advertised to a proper degree.

Now, I personally don't want to speak for others regarding the game's price. So, I will speak for myself. The game shouldn't be sold for €80, especially when the Multiplayer mode is completely gone. Yes, there are some amazing gameplay features added, and the graphics are so well crafted. But I got the sense of playing the exact same game as the original and sometimes I wondered if I did right to pay this much for it.

Regardless, The Last of Us Part 1 is still as epic as you remember it being. The storytelling is amazing and enhanced facial animations make its story way more emotional and impactful. I definitely recommend it to people who have never played these games before or to the already existing fans of the franchise. It's indeed the definitive edition of a masterpiece.