To be completely honest with you, we were afraid that Naughty Dog would keep the gameplay of Uncharted 3 and simply integrate it into a horrific universe. Because as oiled as they are, the mechanics designed in 2011 would not have stuck with terror and dread. The first demo we attended at Sony Computer Entertainment's E3 2012 conference was responsible for sweeping away these fears and demonstrated that the Santa Monica studio had decided to start from scratch for The Last of Us. Result: we are light years away from the productions to which Naughty Dog had accustomed us until now. Even if we won't reveal anything about the scenario so as not to spoil the pleasure of discovery, we would nevertheless like to point out that the game has a simply insane quality of writing.. If the first thirty minutes put a straight line in the face, the rest of the adventure continues at the same pace. The Last of Us is loaded with emotions, the real ones, those that we would not like to contain but that we retain anyway, because it is embarrassing to shed a tear in front of a video game. What a treat, in any case, to follow the wanderings of Joel and Ellie who survived Cordyceps, a terrible virus that almost wiped humanity off the planet. There is a real bond between the two characters, and it evolves throughout the twenty hours we spent with the game. Suspicious at first, Joel will gradually trust his young partner who has not known the world before it was plunged into chaos; which sometimes gives rise to some misunderstanding between the two protagonists. In short, you will have captured it: we end up getting attached to them as well as to the secondary characters they meet on their way. No excessive charisma here, just survivors that everyone can relate to. A massacre.
The Last of Us is loaded with emotions, the real ones, the ones that we would not like to contain but that we retain anyway, because it is embarrassing to shed a tear in front of a video game.
What turns the brain when you lay eyes for the very first time on The Last of Us is the quality of the graphics which are of an incredible beauty. Uncharted 3 was released a little less than two years ago, and it already feels like it's getting old. Well, we're exaggerating a bit, it's true, but Naughty Dog has never shown such artistic mastery in such a vast universe. Each area explored is an opportunity to admire this attention to detail worthy of the Rockstar Games teams. The towns rotted by the Cordyceps display dilapidated buildings, cars corroded by rust, half-destroyed houses, streets where despair reigns, as if man had made up his mind in the face of this incurable scourge. The interiors are just as neat: wallpaper torn off, chairs and tables turned upside down, a few clothes hanging in the bedroom wardrobe, Naughty Dog knows his subject like the back of his hand.
Schizophrenic, The Last of Us also offers the opportunity to take the air in the mountains, where nature remains lush and still makes you want to believe in a happy outcome. Superb. Exhilarating, too, this ease with which the game passes from one season to another; winter is undoubtedly the one that dazzled us the most, even if the other times of the year light up the eyes. With a visual level so close to perfection, we regret the animation a bit rigid of the character when we control it. There is also a slight aliasing which is more present as soon as we walk in the forest, which recalls all the complexity of offering a playground as open as it is magnificent.. Nothing very frustrating in any case, especially when you take a look at the modeling of the characters which is simply exemplary. Joel really looks classy when he bandages his arm to lick his wounds, and his serious demeanor contrasts with Ellie's freshness and naivety.
AT CORDYCEPS!
We told you, the game makes you want to cry, and that's partly due to the characters' facial expressions. Mentally ill work. You wouldn't call The Last of Us a survival horror without the Infected, human beings who have been infected with the virus to varying degrees.. First there are the Runners who move at the speed of light, but can be fought with their bare hands. Although they are partially blind, they are able to spot their prey at the other end of the area, especially if you light them up with a flashlight. Clickers, on the other hand, are totally blind and therefore rely on echolocation to better locate their enemies in space. The slightest sound emitted drives them mad and their bite is fatal; immediate game over, what. Finally, there are the Colossi that the developers had hidden from us until now. Particularly robust, they require you to empty your magazine to get rid of them. The spores they spit out hurt like a grenade, and their grip is just as deadly. When these three races find themselves together in the same area - dark, for that matter - we slap our butts hard since each of them requires a different approach. Taking a treacherous Clicker is the most convincing solution, knowing that it is necessary to have a mouse in his possession to shoot him down. But to approach it, it is vital not to be grilled by the Runners who keep an eye on the grain, especially since they systematically attack in groups. We must therefore accept to wipe a few deaths, the time to identify the rounds that seemed to us at times random. Indeed, we have already had our jugular eaten by a Clicker which was supposed to take one direction, and which finally opted for another at the last moment. Traumatic, but delicious.
What turns the brain when you lay eyes for the very first time on The Last of Us is the quality of the graphics which are of an incredible beauty. Uncharted 3 was released a little less than two years ago, and it already feels like it's aged."
In order to facilitate the task and not put off neophytes, Naughty Dog has integrated a listening system with which it is possible to locate enemies, even through walls.. A crutch for the weak? At all ! We tried to play heroes, like survival horror no longer holds any secrets for us; we quickly understood our pain, the creatures being hidden with a nameless vice. And then, the hearing of the character does not allow hearing everything that happens on the other side of the planet either, let's not abuse it. With environments significantly larger than those of Uncharted 3, it is advisable to listen as often as possible to study the behavior of each enemy. Another helping hand given by the developers: the possibility of using the chisel when you are about to be bitten by a Clicker. This option is only available by practicing crafting which enhances exploration in The Last of Us. A pair of scissors, nails, sugar, strips, everything is good to perfect your equipment. By combining the different ingredients, it is possible to make smoke bombs, grenades loaded with nails, first aid kits or even molotov cocktails, all without interrupting the game. A clever way to keep the pressure on the player, especially since the wear and tear of items is taken into account in The Last of Us, and the crafting of items is not done in a snap of the fingers. Hence the importance of the skills that can be inflated by picking up pills, to increase the listening radius of the character for example, extend his life gauge, or even shorten the time it takes to make a object.
LAST MAN STANDING
On the side of firearms, The Last of Us provides the essentials: sniper, shotgun, revolver, assault rifle, flamethrower, there is something to have fun. Since discretion is key with the Infected, you can even grab a bow to puncture the creatures' skulls quietly. Here again, the arsenal is fully customizable to obtain more comfort in terms of the rate of fire, the size of the magazine, the power of the weapon or the recoil. With so many toys available, Naughty Dog's masterpiece has its share of action scenes, which proves that the game is not necessarily aimed at survival horror purists, but above all at the general public. like Dead Space 3. Moreover, Ellie and Joel are not only confronted with monsters during their journey, but also with other human beings who try to survive. With them, it is authorized to adopt a much more direct, more conventional strategy, even if the AI is a formidable deceit in these moments. Indeed, she does not hesitate to make a diversion to better take us from behind, and with such a successful level design, we guarantee you that there is enough to become paranoid.
On the other hand, we regret that our partner is not as intelligent. She's no dumbass either, as she's able to throw bricks or fire shots when the situation calls for it, but sometimes she rushes into the heap when we attempt a understated approach. Enough to ruin a game. We would also have liked the economy of bullets to be more intransigent, whereas the developers of Naughty Dog had promised us hell. Worse, by picking certain locks using the chisel, it is possible to access armored rooms of supplies. Ah yes, we almost forgot to mention the cover system which is intended to be scripted, since it is not necessary to press any key to take cover. Just crouch to see Ellie and Joel adjust their stance, giving the player the opportunity to focus their full attention on the enemies around them. A method that avoids twisting your fingers in all directions, and allows you to gain immersion as well as fluidity. There is still so much to say about The Last of Us, that we could spend whole days sharing the emotions we felt while following the adventures of Joel and Ellie. Maybe for a possible sequel.
