The Last of Us Part I
The Last of Us Part I
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Last of Us Part I is an action horror game exclusively for the PlayStation 5. This is a remake of a PlayStation 3 action horror game. It follows Joel and Ellie, a grieving father and a 14-year-old girl, as they travel across an America ravaged by 20 years of an infectious disease that has wiped out much of the world and transformed many people into mindless monsters. The action is bloody and terrifying, with scenes set in dark, dilapidated buildings and with enemies both human and infected attacking with brutal force. Joel and Ellie use guns, knives, bats, homemade explosives, and other weapons to slay their attackers, often stealthily and typically with a good deal of blood, gore, and screaming. The story is character- and relationship-driven, filled with tragedy, sacrifice, and horrific injuries designed to elicit strong emotions from players, who develop a bond with the heroes. Parents should also be aware that this game contains very strong language and some sexual themes that include Ellie looking at a porn magazine (the player sees nothing), coming under threat of sexual assault, and engaging in her first romance with a teen girl. The two girls also share a sip of moonshine from a beer bottle.
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What’s It About?
THE LAST OF US PART I is a remake of the first entry (and its expansion) in one of PlayStation's most popular franchises. It tells the story of a pair of survivors traveling across a depopulated and unrecognizable American landscape ravaged by 20 years of a spore-based plague that essentially zombifies the people it infects. Joel is a long-grieving father playing reluctant guardian to Ellie, a 14-year-old orphan who may just hold the key to curing the disease. But to reach the scientists who can unlock the cure, they must travel thousands of miles through cities and countryside, constantly alert for threats from not just infected but also desperate humans, many of whom have taken to thievery, murder, and even cannibalism. Armed with a handful of guns, scarce ammunition, and whatever weapons and explosives they can cobble together from scavenged resources, the pair is forced to make their way through flooded and dilapidated ruins, deciding when and whether to trust and accept the help of other survivors they meet on the road. This remake uses the narrative elements of the original, including writing, voice work, and performance capture, but completely rebuilds the visual presentation using modern graphics technology. It also adds accessibility features such as descriptive audio for narrative scenes, and includes bonus content such as commentaries and a Speedrun mode.
Is It Any Good?
Though decidedly not for young kids, this remake transforms a bona fide PlayStation classic into a modern masterpiece. The Last of Us Part I (called simply The Last of Us at the time) rewrote the book on narrative game design when it originally launched in 2013. Combining state-of-the-art visuals with award-winning writing and performances, it delivered a deeply compelling story about loss, pain, and hope shared by two strangers forced to survive together in an apocalyptic landscape. All of that remains unchanged in this remake, which wisely opts instead to focus on enhancing the experience via modern graphics. The character models here emote with lifelike pain and happiness as they carefully creep through a world that is strangely beautiful in its desolation. It's filled with crumbling homes containing artifacts and possessions that tell the stories of people long gone, public spaces and malls being slowly but surely reclaimed by verdant plant life, and endless details, from a makeshift daycare set up by a small group of survivors for their kids in hopes of creating some sense of normality to weather-faded posters advertising familiar-yet-fictional brands, products, and movies, many marked by the month and year the world came to an end.
The action complements the story. Joel and Ellie must kill to survive this world, but it's never easy. On most difficulty levels, players will die instantly and in violent, flinch-inducing fashion when attacked by certain enemies (and after just a couple of hits by many others), making nearly every encounter deeply stressful. Resources are few and far between, which elicits a feeling of true excitement whenever Joel or Ellie discover a trove, and upgrading weapons and crafting items -- sometimes in real time in the heat of battle -- results in a sense of accomplishment and growth, even though the game never really becomes much easier. It all makes for an unforgettable, character-driven interactive adventure that will be a surefire hit with both returning fans and a new generation of players who have come of age to play mature games. The Last of Us Part I is that rare remake that loses nothing of the original while taking advantage of everything modern gaming technology can offer.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in the media. How does the extremely violent nature of the gameplay in The Last of Us Part 1 impact players? Do you think the blood and brutality are necessary to tell the game's story, or could the developers have avoided it while delivering a similar atmosphere and experience?
Do you think kids are a product of their environment and the people around them, or are they shaped by their inherent nature?
Game Details
- Platform: PlayStation 5
- Pricing structure: Paid ($69.99)
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Release date: September 2, 2022
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Last updated: December 1, 2022
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