It's probably no secret that I think the definitive experience of last generation came in the form of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us on the PS3. The game is the perfect blend of action, stealth, and story development. The last bit being the most important aspect here because in this medium story can sometimes take a backseat to the playability. Naughty Dog had pretty much cut their teeth in this regard with the Uncharted series prior to making The Last of Us and because of it we ended up with a game that had some of the best characterizations I've seen in the industry to date. Not to mention a story that by the end had taken multiple emotional turns and brought us to a satisfying yet morally ambiguous ending for our lead characters. The experience with these characters felt like time well spent. The game was a smash hit and naturally we had to know that it would spawn a sequel.
Frankly I have no issue with sequels in certain aspects. Some games have managed to overcome sequelitis and become interesting franchises. In regards to The Last of Us though, I feel like it's a risky move; one that could reward Sony and Naughty Dog handsomely or slightly taint the original experience. This feeling comes strictly from a perspective of how the ending left the two main characters and whether or not their journey is one that we should most definitely close the book on or if we need to revisit these characters later down the line in their experience.
There will be spoilers ahead at this point for anyone who hasn't played the game. Generally The Last of Us follows the adventures of the main protagonist, Joel, 20 years into a post apocalyptic event that has essentially sent the world spiraling into disrepair. To make ends meet, Joel and his partner, Tess, generally deal in some smuggling of goods in and our of the safe zone in which they reside. When a deal goes wrong, they end up crossing paths with the leader of a resistance group who's goal is to find a cure for the virus that has swept over the world. Part of the deal they cut requires them to smuggle some cargo across the country to this group of resistance fighters for their cause. The cargo however turns out to be a teenage girl by the name of Ellie, who not only happens to be infected but also immune to the infection.
From there we generally follow the story from the perspective of Joel and Ellie traveling across the country, surviving scraps with infected humans, scavengers, hunters, and the elements. All the while featuring a gradual build to their character partnership and fleshing them out as two well rounded and relatable characters.
And therein lays the problem with bringing the two of them back for a sequel. When the game ends, it's not on any sort of cliffhanger. What we receive as a finale isn't open ended in any way in terms of the story of these two characters. While the moral implications of the finale as something that are sure to create conversations, the story ends sufficiently. These two characters can go off into the sunset and that's where we can leave them and it would be fine.
By revisiting these characters you sort of tarnish that ending to a certain degree. The world has been built in such a way that I would gladly revisit it but with other characters. Seeing other survivors dealing with this post apocalyptic situation would be great honestly. I'm not entirely sure the concept of bringing these characters back can work on the same level as the first game. And if it doesn't, it may leave some fans like myself disappointed. However, if it works, and it's a big if, then they could have another certifiable hit on their hands.
The risk of ruining these characters is high, but the reward should this all work out will give us another excellent chapter in the story of Joel and Ellie. It's just a question of whether this is an unnecessary risk. At this point we can only wait and see. The game was only just announced a few months ago and is still a ways off. So as anticipation grows, we sit and wait to see how this turns out. Fingers are crossed that it delivers. In the meantime, check out this cool announce trailer for the sequel.
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