The story ofThe Last of UsPart 1 is what has captivated players for so many years. It’s a fun game that offers plenty of third-person shooter action. The game has experienced two major upgrades in the form of a remaster and now a remake. But, even after all the technical upgrades and beautiful graphics, the story is still the game’s beating heart that brings players back while inviting new players to join in for the first time.
Withthe release of The Last of Us Part 1, it’s worth looking back on some of the most memorable moments that brought this franchise to life. Joel and Ellie’s lives are turned upside down upon meeting one another. Their tragedies and triumphs pave the way for one of the greatest stories in gaming.
10/10 I Believe Him
Nothing foreshadows Joel’s warpath through the hospital like his interrogation of David’s men in this pivotal winter scene. Joel is still hurt, but he’s awake. He knows Ellie is in trouble, and the clock is ticking.
While the man in the chair gives Joel a little attitude, he’s compliant, marking a spot on the map for Joel where he knows Ellie is being kept. Joel says his partner better mark the same spot on the map but ultimately kills the man before even checking with the partner. When the partner threatens to refuse to cooperate, Joel kills him, too. Joel is a man ready to do anything to protect Ellie, who he now views as his own family.
9/10 Ellie and Riley Kiss
The story of Riley and Ellie is a beautiful one. Young people who just want to have fun. They’re two teens running loose in the mall, and what could be more natural than that? When Ellie asks Riley not to leave, Riley takes off her Firefly dog tags. Ellie kisses her in what is the only bit of romance we see in The Last of Us Part 1.
The kiss is a moment of innocence. It’s a moment of hope. It’s a moment of normalcy in the middle of an apocalypse. Unfortunately, it isn’t meant to last. And while the characters are about to find that out, the players know it from the start.
8/10 Tess’ Sacrifice
When Joel and Tess get Ellie to the drop point, the Fireflies they were supposed to meet are dead. Tess reveals that she has been bitten, and the military shows up. Tess pleads with Joel to finish the job and get Ellie to the Fireflies. She dares to hope that Ellie’s immunity might mean something, so her own sacrifice might also mean something.
It’s a hard moment made even more difficult by the pacing of the scene. Neither the audience nor the characters get a minute and absorb what’s really happening. Joel and Ellie need to run, and the next thing they see of Tess is her body on the floor below them.
7/10 Sam and Henry
These brothers prove to be two of the few trustworthy people Joel and Ellie encounter. While it takes a little while, they become a team. After surviving several encounters against all odds, the group takes some rest, but it’s all about to go wrong for Sam and the crew. The night before Sam turns, Ellie gives Sam a toy that his brother said he couldn’t have. It’s a moment of pure innocence between kids. Unfortunately, that happy moment is undercut by the fact that Sam has been bitten and doesn’t tell anyone.
The following day, Ellie finds a turned Sam. Ultimately, Henry kills Sam and then turns the gun on himself. With his last breaths, Henry unfairly blames Joel for everything.
6/10 The Outbreak
The opening moments of The Last of Us Part 1 are tough moments for the audience. After establishing a good relationship between Sarah and Joel, Sarah receives a distressed call from her Uncle Tommy. He’s desperate to reach Joel and soon shows up at their house. The three of them set out into chaos.
The beginning of the outbreak is messy. Cars are stopped, people are panicking, and of course, you have the unknown infected in the mix. When Joel, with Sarah in his arms, encounters a soldier that initially saves them from the infected, the soldier receives an order and fires upon them. It seems Joel is about to be killed when Tommy intervenes, killing the soldier to save his brother. Unfortunately, the worst damage has already been done. The initial shots hit Sarahts, and Joel couldn’t do anything but hold his baby girl as she passed.
5/10 Ellie Kills David
In a world full of clickers and dangers around every corner, David manages to be the scariest thing in the game. His first intentions seem decent, and things quickly dissolve from there. He kidnaps Ellie and threatens everything, from making her his new pet to chopping her into tiny pieces.
Ellie and David’s final confrontation in a burning restaurant is potent. Ellie doesn’t have the advantage and needs to sneak up on David several times to wound him. In their final struggle, Ellie manages tokill Davidbefore Joel bursts in. Ellie is in tears. Joel cradles her and calls her his baby girl in a moment that almost perfectly mirrors the loss of Sarah on outbreak day.
4/10 The Hospital
This is the scene that sparked so many discussions around The Last of Us Part 1.Was Joel right?Is Joel a hero? Is Joel the villain? These questions continue to go even today. The moment is unforgettable and, to some, unforgivable.
Joel finds out through Marlene that Ellie will have to die for them to make a vaccine. Marlene knows this is what Ellie (who is unconscious) would want. Joel, who also knows this, can’t accept the loss of another daughter. He kills anyone who gets in his way, including the doctors who might be able to make the vaccine. In one fell swoop, Joel saves Ellie and dooms humanity.
3/10 The Lie
While some players might combine this scene with the hospital, the scenes are distinct enough to be their own moments. In the end, the motives in each scene are different, especially for Joel. When Joel tears through the hospital, killing Fireflies and doctors, he does so to protect Ellie. When he lies to Ellie about the Fireflies and the cure, he does that to protect himself. He doesn’t want to lose Ellie, not in that hospital, and not because of what he feels he had to do in that hospital.
Joel tells Ellie that there are dozens of immune people like her, and the fireflies had given up on finding a cure, so they left. Ellie makes him swear it’s true. Joel’s lie here is a scene that hurts because he betrays the one person he loves and the person who loves him. He breaks trust in an attempt to avoid loss. It’s heartbreaking, it’s human, and it’s all too relatable.
2/10 The Giraffes
The Last of Us Part 1 knows when its audience (and survivors) just need something to keep them going. The giraffe scene hits all the right places after we’re repeatedly shown how brutal the world can be for the survivors. In a world where surprises are often unwelcome, this surprise breaks the expectations of the characters and the audience.
Joel and Ellie pause to take in the sight of all the giraffes, showing that the world can sometimes be as beautiful as it is haunting. It’s a peaceful and serene moment where the characters are allowed to smile and even express a sense of wonder. In their lives, it’s a moment they’ll never forget, ensuring that it’s a moment players won’t forget either.
1/10 Mighty Thin Ice
In stories, we rarely see two characters lay it all on the table, say all the wrong things, and then end up even closer. The cutscene where Ellie brings up Sarah to Joel is one of the most powerful moments in gaming, with Joel firing back that Ellie isn’t his daughter and he isn’t her dad. Ellie rightfully feels as if she’s about to be abandoned by Joel. While he isn’t exactly throwing her to the wolves, he is considering walking away from her and the danger (of getting close to her) that she represents.
Joel ignorantly claims that Ellie doesn’t know loss, completely unaware of Riley or Ellie’s life in the quarantine zone). In this scene, you have two characters who are afraid. One is afraid to care, while the other is afraid to be abandoned. Thankfully, everyone comes to their senses, and Joel and Ellie continue their journey together shortly after this powerful confrontation.
