The first episode of The Last Of Us is out in the world and breaking hearts left, right, and center. So far, there have been very few changes from the game (except ones that add even more emotional weight) with incredible character moments and even shot-for-shot scenes taken almost straight out of cutscenes.
However, there is one key difference between the games and the HBO series that has got gamers pulled straight out of the show. In the TV show, audiences are of course only able to watch the show, not take part. In the game, as with many story-focused game, it’s split between gameplay and cutscenes to explore the story.
The cutscenes tell you the bare bones, while the gameplay gives you the time to dive deeper into the world of The Last Of Us, picking up extra information and Easter eggs by reading notes or finding hidden items.
What the gameplay also gives you time to do is mess up—and this is where fans see a difference in the TV show. Where is this random jumping at walls while Joel gets to grips with how to walk? Why didn’t Sarah spend 30 minutes exploring the upstairs of the house without realizing she could go downstairs? Come on HBO, let’s get real.
What’s more, the HBO show has condensed the story to remove much of the wandering around, looting, and crafting. In the game, I spent about 90% of the time scrabbling through drawers to find bandages and bricks, which are worth their weight in gold for making weapons and healing packs.
Of course, this all makes perfect sense. Pedro Pascal’s Joel is a lean, mean, fighting machine who inspires fear in everyone he meets. My Joel was a clumsy but effective beast who somehow managed to stumble through life by only doing a few times per mission.
Naturally, this is largely in jest. Pretty much every change from the game for the show has been done well, such as cutting down the time Joel and Tess spent trying to find Robert (which would have been incredibly dull to watch play out on TV). While playing the game before watching HBO’s The Last Of Us can’t hurt, it’s also a compelling story to watch play out for newcomers as well. If you haven’t already watched Episode 1, you absolutely should go do that now.
(featured image: Naughty Dog)
