New Infected – The Shambler

The first season of The Last of Us chose to represent the earlier stages of the infected up to the clicker through practical effects and real actors. This makes them feel more real, tangible, and dangerous. The next stage, the bloater, was ultimately created with motion capture, as it appeared more threatening.

Since the Shambler, a new type of infected, is at least on a similarly grotesque and deformed level as the bloater, the production team is likely to also work with CGI here.

The infected played a somewhat lesser role in the series compared to the game, as it focused more on the story and drama, which was probably the right idea for a series.

But still, as a design and monster enthusiast, I hope that enough love and attention will be given to the infected and especially to the Shambler. I am extremely curious!

Joel’s Death

Joel’s death is a moment that probably needs no explanation. He was the main character of the first game, who was probably especially dear to all fans alongside Ellie.

He is brutally killed and Ellie has to witness the final blow. While playing for the first time, I felt like I wanted to cry with Ellie (which I definitely did).

I absolutely do not feel ready to go through that again, but the scene is certainly important and needs to be impactful. I hope that Pedro and Bella will play this scene just as intensely as Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker did, but they are big shoes to fill. I will probably have to prepare myself emotionally, but I will be grateful if HBO makes me sad for weeks again with this moment.