I tried playing The Last of Us a couple of times in the past and I always struggled to get into it, but I finally decided to give it a proper chance after hearing everyone praising it so much. And wow. I'm so glad I did.
This is one of the best stories I've ever played; the characters are so well-written and so deep, the game starts with a tragic prologue that brings a tear to my eye, setting the tone for the rest of the game and instantly building up Joel's character. Ellie's character is so cool, and watching the way their relationship develops throughout the game is incredible. It's also worth mentioning the amount of characters you learn about solely through the notes found around the map, particularly in abandoned homes. The world-building here is cool and I found it so fun to learn about these people's lives.
The gameplay was something I struggled with at first, I'm not much of a stealth-enjoyer but I really enjoyed it in The Last of Us. I think the fact you don't have much to work with at the start of the game is what put me off for so long, but once you start unlocking more weapons and craftable items, it gets so much more interesting and fun. The items allow you to make the stealth a lot more interesting, and having more weapon variety later in the game provides more options for how you approach enemies, meaning you don't have to rely on stealth at all a lot of the time. When I realised I didn't have to use stealth I was super excited, but I ended up using it all the time anyway because of how fun it got, especially in the final mission. The puzzles throughout the game were a good difficulty, I feel like so many games hold your hand too much with puzzles but it didn't feel that way here; they weren't too difficult, but the solutions weren't shoved in your face which I appreciate.
The world is horrifically beautiful, it looks and feels incredibly run-down while capturing the beauty of nature that has overgrown in the world they once lived in. This adds to the dynamic between Joel and Ellie too, as Joel remembers what the world used to be like while Ellie never experienced it and is filled with curiosity.
Overall, I think The Last of Us is a must-play for everyone. I can't believe I overlooked this game for so long, it's a masterpiece.
This is one of the best stories I've ever played; the characters are so well-written and so deep, the game starts with a tragic prologue that brings a tear to my eye, setting the tone for the rest of the game and instantly building up Joel's character. Ellie's character is so cool, and watching the way their relationship develops throughout the game is incredible. It's also worth mentioning the amount of characters you learn about solely through the notes found around the map, particularly in abandoned homes. The world-building here is cool and I found it so fun to learn about these people's lives.
The gameplay was something I struggled with at first, I'm not much of a stealth-enjoyer but I really enjoyed it in The Last of Us. I think the fact you don't have much to work with at the start of the game is what put me off for so long, but once you start unlocking more weapons and craftable items, it gets so much more interesting and fun. The items allow you to make the stealth a lot more interesting, and having more weapon variety later in the game provides more options for how you approach enemies, meaning you don't have to rely on stealth at all a lot of the time. When I realised I didn't have to use stealth I was super excited, but I ended up using it all the time anyway because of how fun it got, especially in the final mission. The puzzles throughout the game were a good difficulty, I feel like so many games hold your hand too much with puzzles but it didn't feel that way here; they weren't too difficult, but the solutions weren't shoved in your face which I appreciate.
The world is horrifically beautiful, it looks and feels incredibly run-down while capturing the beauty of nature that has overgrown in the world they once lived in. This adds to the dynamic between Joel and Ellie too, as Joel remembers what the world used to be like while Ellie never experienced it and is filled with curiosity.
Overall, I think The Last of Us is a must-play for everyone. I can't believe I overlooked this game for so long, it's a masterpiece.