The MeinMMO editor-in-chief refers to the series of The Last of Us (Part I and II) as her favorite video games of all time. Especially because of the story. After seeing the new trailer for the HBO adaptation of the game, she is sure: Something great is coming our way.
There is no game that I play more frequently than The Last of Us. I can never get enough of the world, the oppressive yet loving atmosphere, and the characters. The story still hits me hard years later, when I experience the last scene.
As a result, nervousness set in when the adaptation was announced. Despite:
- a budget of over 10 million dollars per episode
- Neil Druckmann as author, the creative director of the games
- Co-writer Craig Mazin, who wrote the gripping and highly-rated series Chernobyl
- Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) in the lead roles as Joel and Ellie
After watching the first “real” trailer of the series yesterday, all my concerns dissipated into thin air.
The trailer perfectly captures the essence of The Last of Us
When from the very first second I hear the opening chords of “Alone and Forsaken” by Hank Williams, paired with the visuals, my arm hairs stand on end immediately. The song deals with loneliness and desolation. We see Joel walking through crowds of people, and the devastated world around him slowly unfolds.
My second goosebump moment occurs at second 0:08, when the camera slowly pans from the broken clock to Pedro Pascal’s sad eyes. Everyone who has played The Last of Us knows the significance of this clock.
This desolate atmosphere, capturing loneliness and especially hopelessness, is essential for the story to work.
At 0:33, I feel goosebumps now also spreading from my arms to my legs when I hear the piercing, creaking sound of the Clickers. These blind zombie creatures have super hearing. Every little loud movement means death.
But the trailer also flashes the beautiful moments when Ellie seems to be sitting on a carousel with another child at 0:47. The children smile at each other as they are enveloped in warm, golden light.
It is exactly these contrasts that make The Last of Us so special, and how the trailer captured that gives me great hope.
Or as our Cortyn said in the conclusion to The Last of Us Part II: The best story I ever hated.
It is a privilege to make the story accessible to more people
The gameplay of The Last of Us always had its weaknesses, but it is still fun. Especially the stealth sections when you have to sneak past those cursed Clickers.
But the heart of it is clearly the story, which challenges us and also does things to us that we might not like.
I am glad that this story is now being made accessible to more people who may not be familiar with video games.
I have high hopes for the HBO series. What do you think?
If you want to read more about The Last of Us, I recommend the articles from our sister site GamePro, which deal extensively with the game.
