How HBO’s The Last of Us Season 1 Stacks Up Against the Game

Online game variations require massive adjustments to suit the wants of a extra passive medium. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann dealt with this transfer fairly nicely in HBO’s The Final of Us and had been in a position to graft the sport’s strengths to the present whereas additionally including to the world to make it greater than a easy retelling. Not all adjustments are created equal, although, as some made the present excel the place the sport didn’t and vice versa. And whereas each are incredible in their very own proper, right here’s how every episode stacks as much as its counterpart within the recreation.

Episode: “When You’re Misplaced within the Darkness” vs. Hometown, The Quarantine Zone

The Final of Us has an unforgettable intro, but the present comes out on prime due to its potential to flesh out that world earlier than the outbreak. This provides viewers extra time to bond with Sarah and take care of her extra dearly. Naughty Canine did one thing comparable by letting gamers management her to start with, which took benefit of the medium’s interactivity, however that shortcut clearly can’t be used the identical in tv. The scene of the neighbor’s an infection can be considerably creepier, as an outdated girl unnaturally slinking round is a bit scarier than Mr. Cooper crashing via the glass door. 

The post-Outbreak Day sections are additionally extra thoughtfully launched. Viewers get to see how Robert screwed Tess over as an alternative of simply being informed about it. The battery Joel desires as cost additionally has extra story significance than simply the nebulous weapons he was promised within the recreation since he desires the battery to go see Tommy. All of this cuts down on chasing Robert and the tutorial sections, too, that are the weakest components of that recreation. Setting every thing up takes time in video video games, and that’s not all the time useful in an interactive medium. Nonetheless, taking extra time for preliminary worldbuilding can work higher within the realm of TV and this debut, from its surprising discuss present intro to radio tease on the very finish, exhibits precisely why.

Winner: “When You’re Misplaced within the Darkness”

Episode: “Contaminated” vs. The Outskirts

This one is a detailed match, however the TV present takes it largely as a result of the sport remains to be considerably in tutorial mode at this level. The slower segments that the sport must introduce the participant to its programs are extra apt for a tv present since they’re virtually completely targeted on dialogue and worldbuilding and never involved with slowly laying out the right way to swing a melee weapon or throw a bottle.

The added dialogue within the present additional sells the rift between Joel and Ellie, as he’s extra constantly vocal about his displeasure surrounding the deal, which additionally then contrasts properly with Ellie’s array of well-delivered jokes. Their awkward change when Tess is maneuvering to open up a path is a transparent instance of this and never one thing the sport takes its time to do. This regular buildup offers Tess’ pleas to Joel to complete the deal much more weight because it’s extra apparent that he isn’t proud of this association.

Because of some intelligent framing within the present and overly slender stage design within the recreation, the scenes with the contaminated are additionally stronger within the present. Seeing the Clickers via the glass and the way the contaminated talk is extra partaking than having to take down contaminated within the museum’s cramped halls.

The unimaginable chilly open in Jakarta is the largest differentiator, because it lays out the grimness of the outbreak whereas additionally giving a extra world view of it. The video games are inclined to deal with the extra native results of how the world ended, which works, however broadening it out like this does open up the universe a bit extra. 

Winner: “Contaminated”

Episode: “Lengthy, Lengthy Time” vs. Invoice’s City

Invoice’s City is the place the sport really begins because it’s the place Naughty Canine takes off the coaching wheels and begins giving gamers extra weapons and harder encounters. It’s even filled with unimaginable moments, like when Joel hangs the wrong way up and has to defend Ellie and the Bloater combat in the highschool health club. Invoice and Ellie’s catty banter can be hilarious because it exhibits how kooky Invoice is whereas additionally demonstrating Ellie’s ferocity.

However regardless that Invoice’s City is a spotlight within the recreation, “Lengthy, Lengthy Time” is only a elegant quick movie. Watching Invoice and Frank’s relationship play out is the largest swerve from the video games and tells the same story from the alternative angle. Within the recreation, Invoice exhibits Joel what he’d be like if he had nobody to take care of: a shut-in lunatic who mutters to himself as a result of he’s pushed away everybody who doesn’t have a mushroom for a face. Within the present, Invoice exhibits Joel that discovering somebody to take care of has worth is a key to happiness, a shift that makes him a task mannequin as an alternative of a cautionary story. This extra optimistic angle superbly flips the lesson on its head and tells a touching love story the place survival isn’t simply the important thing; it’s about making probably the most out of the time that’s left.

Winner: “Lengthy, Lengthy Time”

Episode: “Please Maintain to My Hand” vs. Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is much more gameplay-oriented than Invoice’s City and is stuffed with considerably extra advanced fight arenas. That itself is thrilling since its tense encounters are all the time so dynamic and replayable because of the recreation’s unpredictable A.I. Clearing out the lodge, skulking via its creepy basement, and wiping out the bandits within the bookstore and monetary district make for a number of the greatest battles within the recreation since they’re all open and by no means play out the identical method twice. The group additionally leans a little bit away from cutscenes and extra towards environmental storytelling, which retains up the pacing.

And whereas it’s satisfying to play, the present’s portrayal of this part offers it the slightest edge. Humanizing the bandits echoes what Naughty Canine did with The Final of Us Half II, because the unhealthy guys are not faceless goons and have considerably justifiable motivations. Making use of this lesson from that sequel was good because it permits for extra nuanced characters on either side. Kathleen is ruthless, however her anger is sound, which is extra completely defined within the following episode.

Winner: “Please Maintain to My Hand”

Episode: “Endure and Survive” vs. The Suburbs

And that extra thorough rationalization is why “Endure and Survive” is a barely extra memorable episode than The Suburbs part. Kathleen’s anger towards Henry extra successfully colours him with shades of grey. He does abandon Joel within the recreation, however ratting out somebody to the hostile F.E.D.R.A. forces in change for medication is considerably extra merciless. Making Sam deaf was additionally a inventive inventive flourish that extra clearly makes him codependent on his brother. 

Each even have wonderful sniper sequences and for various causes. The chaos of the present with the large combat between the contaminated and Kathleen’s military is wild and the present’s most bombastic set piece. Within the recreation, sneaking down that lengthy hall whereas additionally combating bandits is a aggravating combat that pushes gamers to be extra intelligent about how they use cowl and advance. They’re barely completely different takes, however incredible nonetheless, making this one of many harder comparisons.

Winner: “Endure and Survive”

Episode: “Kin” vs. Tommy’s Dam, The College

“Kin” is a particular case as a result of it blends Tommy’s Dam and The College into one tight episode. And since one is best within the present and the opposite is best within the recreation, it’s exhausting to select a winner right here.

“Kin” excels as an episode as a result of it really takes viewers within Jackson, which Naughty Canine didn’t have time to completely implement, in accordance with a latest interview with Druckmann. It’s why gamers solely go to the dam in that part of the sport. However having the ability to tour the place, see how folks reside, and the life Joel may have is simpler than being informed about its qualities whereas combating off raiders in a dilapidated dam. 

Exhibiting off Joel’s anxiousness was additionally an awesome new wrinkle because the recreation doesn’t as clearly present that facet of his thoughts. His emotional moments with Tommy are the payoff to that setup since his vulnerability communicates how distraught he’d really feel about letting down one other younger daughter-like determine. And whereas the sport handles Ellie’s tried escape a little bit higher since it’s extra reckless and dramatic for her to jet off in anger (and it’s not that clear how she hears Joel and Tommy discuss within the present), this complete part’s deal with character is extra compelling within the TV collection.

Nonetheless, virtually fully skipping previous the college is unlucky since that stage excels in environmental storytelling and constructing Joel and Ellie’s bond. Having Joel clarify soccer and seeing how the scholars handled a lethal pandemic make for excellent little items of worldbuilding. The scene the place Joel will get impaled is the spotlight, although, as a result of the wrestle to take down enemies in a hobbled state is a chaotic set piece, as Ellie is capturing wildly and Joel is fading out and in of consciousness. It’s one other space the place being behind the sticks heightens the attraction that permits the participant to really feel extra for the character.

Winner: Tie

Episode: “Left Behind” vs. Left Behind

Folks have known as on Naughty Canine to include Left Behind into the sport’s core marketing campaign in its subsequent releases, however the TV collection demonstrates why it’s higher as a separate story. Watching Ellie draw on her previous to assist Joel within the current makes for a wonderful twin story the place gamers get to see how a key second outlined her life in a single storyline and the way that compels her to save lots of Joel’s life within the different. The lengths she goes to acquire medical provides and defend him as David’s goons attempt to hack his head off offers gamers her perspective on their relationship, too, since taking part in solely as Joel for the opposite components of the sport tends to border their bond extra from his perspective.

Nonchalantly rummaging round one mall, whereas stressfully stalking contaminated and thugs within the different additionally makes for a fascinating and well-paced gameplay loop that yields story and gameplay in equal components. There’s a cause it’s top-of-the-line expansions in your complete medium.

Taking away that second half of the story by having Ellie simply discover the provides she wanted in the identical home she was taking refuge in is a little bit underwhelming by comparability. Her journey with Riley remains to be charming and heartwarming, as famous by their matches in Mortal Kombat II and dancing scene, however the cuts that had been essential to make it a digestible episode of TV diminish a number of the greatest takeaways from the enlargement.

Winner: Left Behind

Episode: “When We’re in Want” vs. Lakeside Resort

Lakeside Resort’s superiority can be a byproduct of slotting Left Behind into the primary storyline. The regular realization that you simply’re taking part in as Ellie after the exhausting minimize from Joel’s harm to the snowy panorama is such a well-orchestrated sequence. The swap initially implies that Joel is lifeless and Ellie has to make her personal option to the Fireflies, which is quite a bit to soak up. However it’s not unrealistic due to how one thing vaguely comparable occurs in Cormac McCarthy’s The Street, a ebook and movie that The Final of Us takes heavy inspiration from.

Understanding that you simply’re taking part in as Ellie has far more impression than shifting the main target to her within the present. It’s the place the interactivity advantages the storyline since empathy is felt extra strongly via the controller. The gameplay sections additionally assist gamers find out about David and have some stage of fondness for him, as allying with him to blast Clickers strengthens the short-term bond gamers have with him, which then makes his descent into insanity much more stunning. His flip is just not strung out fairly as fastidiously within the abbreviated runtime of the present.

The intercutting between Joel and Ellie’s views can be a strong device the sport makes use of to construct up stress. Watching Joel’s paternal instincts (and dose of penicillin) reawaken him from his grave is made much more thrilling as a result of it’s being pitted in opposition to Ellie’s wrestle to outlive in a city that desires her lifeless. They each construct splendidly and in unison, additional displaying their bond via gameplay. The TV collection mirrors loads of these scenes virtually precisely and is extraordinarily efficient due to it, but it surely’s simply one other facet the place the controller and further time play to the sport’s benefit.

Winner: Lakeside Resort

Episode: “Search for the Gentle” vs. Bus Depot, Firefly Lab, and Jackson

The season finale strikes at a breakneck tempo, which Druckmann says was deliberate, and it does hit the large beats: Ellie’s preliminary somber tone, the giraffe, the hospital slaughter, the lie, the unforgettable ending. All of that are nonetheless efficient right here, however, as soon as once more, the interactivity of the sport provides some extra nuance to a few of these beats. 

Joel attempting to spice up Ellie as much as get the ladder and her not responding is a seemingly minuscule selection, but it surely’s the repetitive nature of the sport that factors out how out of it Ellie is. Time after time, gamers go to a excessive ledge and press the Triangle button, and Ellie all the time responds. However the one time she doesn’t highlights how traumatized she is in a method related to gameplay. It snaps the participant out of their routine and fully turns a easy gamey system on its head.

The hospital scene can be very gamey within the present, as Joel goes on a bloodbath like he’s bought a five-star wished stage. It’s unhinged, but taking part in via that lengthy and arduous stage elongates that feeling and really hammers it dwelling how far gone Joel is. Having to deftly weave out and in of canopy to take out the various well-armed Firefly forces can be the final word remaining check from a gameplay and story perspective. 

These two are as soon as once more intertwined by the straightforward addition of the assault rifle. This weapon lastly lets gamers unfastened and understand Joel’s rage in a method that the sport’s array of extra deliberate semi-automatic weapons simply can’t do. Gamers nonetheless need to hunt intelligently, however this device of struggle evens the percentages only a bit extra.

As is the case with different episodes, this finale surpasses the sport in a single space the place it’s in a position so as to add to the fiction. Seeing Ellie’s mother, Anna, undergo her final moments is a strong scene, particularly as Ashley Johnson, who performs Ellie within the video games, offers such an intense efficiency. Preventing off an contaminated being whereas giving beginning each exhibits how Ellie was born into violence and gives a stable idea explaining her immunity, each of which thoughtfully inform her character.

This additionally makes the choice Marlene makes in a while much more highly effective because it exhibits how lengthy she’s been with Ellie and provides a glimpse at her friendship with Anna. It’s a disgrace that the plan for this spin-off didn’t get made right into a recreation, however this opening was nonetheless an unimaginable distillation of that storyline.

Winner: Bus Depot, Firefly Lab, and Jackson