Joel and Ellie are the heart and soul that rank this beautiful game among the best that I've ever played. Their relationship, and the way it evolves, still holds up as one of the best pieces of video game writing ever put to pixels. Combined with a rotating cast of excellent supporting characters, interesting and artfully post-apocalyptic locations, a perfectly moody soundtrack, and some genuinely smart moments of horror, this still stands out as probably the best game Naughty Dog has ever created. Now remade with the stunning graphics and smooth gameplay of Part Two, The Last of Us Part One is among the best games released so far in 2022. Easy five stars, and one of my favorite games of all time.