How the post-apocalyptic society in The Last of Us conveys melancholy through a ruined civilization.
The zombie genre experienced a new boom in cinema in the early 2000s and ended up infecting the rest of the artistic media. Actor and screenwriter Simon Pegg attributed this phenomenon to Resident Evil, a video game that had an impact on survival horror and its narrative with characters like Jill Valentine. In digital entertainment, we have enjoyed countless action and horror titles based on this monster that appeals to one of the most fundamental fears: a predator superior to us. There are many alternative post-apocalypses that show us the decline of humanity at the hands of the living dead. And despite this, several titles have opted for a nut tour of the genre, such as The Last of Us. Far from being just another survival horror, the title of Naughty Dog carved out his personality by focusing on the narrative aspects that have contributed to this saga – whose second installment is one of the most anticipated releases of the year – a greater depth that goes beyond the rotting viscera. The Last of Us is not only going to survive a world contaminated by Cordyceps brain infection, but living with battered humanity as hope for reconstruction springs up.
The duality of beauty and suffering
The devastated world of The Last of Us is not limited to showing itself as a decadent scenario in the distant and improbable future. Its ecosystem is not only built on collapsed buildings, blood and futuristic technology, but it maintains the vestiges of our world, in which we identify ourselves and make us perceive the end of humanity as a possible from which survival and a new order world are written after a period. Of course, there are cities in ruins, blood, infectious fungi and a spiral of violence that reminds us that humans can be worse than monsters, but it is not the only thing that makes up the authenticity of The Last of Us, even within their dystopia.
Ellie before a world in ruins, where lush vegetation breaks through.
Throughout a journey in which Joel and Ellie survive —and adopt each other as father and daughter— until they reach their destination, we find a wild nature that claims its place through buildings devoured by cataclysm and abandonment. The visual effect is a strange and overwhelming beauty that, on the other hand, does not prevent us from forgetting that it is the consequence of a broken humanity. Neil Druckmann, during an interview for GameSpot, talked about how he was looking for this contrast inspired by the documentary Planet Earth (BBC): the goal was to create a beautiful world, whose splendor contrasted with the underlying human suffering.
This duality, moreover, is perceived in human civilization itself, which has adopted a primitive survival and which gives way to the lights and shadows of a new social fabric. “It is a kind of world that forces people to submit to the law of the fittest. I want players to see how easy it is to descend into that state when society, as we know it, ceases to exist, ”says Druckmann in the aforementioned GameSpot interview.
Joel and Ellie during their trip.
Thus, we find ourselves with characters with whom we empathize, but who have renounced ethical and moral standards in order to survive. Joel has led a murky life as a smuggler, in which he has forced himself to torture and murder people to move on. Despite this, we continue to empathize with him and his experiences, which include pain and loss. Ellie, for her part, was born and raised in a shattered world, where there is hardly any room for childhood innocence, as we know it. And so, from an early age, she is forced to kill to survive, to face orphanhood and the death of her loved ones. In The Last of Us: Part II, where we meet an adult Ellie, we are promised the most ruthless side of the young woman in the trailers that we have been able to see. Consumed by revenge and hatred, our protagonist will be far from the classic virtues of heroin. Halley Gross, narrative director of The Last of Us: Part II, explained to us in a recent interview how the Naughty Dog characters bet on gray morality, much more realistic than the usual Manichaeism in epic fantasy: “What we always try to To do here at Naughty Dog is to create characters with many facets. There are no heroes, there are no villains. There are no good or bad: everyone has lights and shadows. And yes, that’s why I think Ellie is absolutely the most complex character I’ve ever seen in a video game, alongside Joel. Now we are expanding our universe and I hope you can feel the same with other characters that we have included in this new installment. “
The costumbrismo between ruins
Likewise, the relief of the characters of The Last of Us is not only built through the choices they have made to survive, but from the customs of the pre-epidemic world and the new world. Joel’s nostalgia and Ellie’s curiosity provide us with a new reading of the elements they encounter during their journey, in which we observe our current world from a prism of longing and criticism through interactions that enrich the narrative beyond the shootings , ambushes and dangerous situations.
Joel and Sarah for a family night out.
At the beginning of the game, we know Joel’s background through the details that we observe in his home from the eyes of his daughter Sarah. We found out that he worked in the construction industry and later comments with his brother Tommy that he needed to keep his job with a contractor. It can be deduced, in addition to the books from his library, that he was interested in further training in the sector and starting his own business. Later, the wristwatch that your little girl gives you becomes Joel’s most beloved item.
Throughout their journey, Joel and Ellie encounter remnants of the ancient world that inspire conversations and encounters through which the girl learns of ancient society and is remembered by her adoptive father. Thus, we discover how Joel misses coffee when he finds an out of order cafeteria; What had become a trivial whim of the day to day has become a luxury buried in the past. Also, through the artifacts of the game we find everyday objects that bring moments of relaxation to the game, while cultivating the bond between Joel and Ellie. In this way, the No Pun Intended joke book provides the girl with absurd humor jokes that she shares with her partner and, in the Left Behind DLC, with her beloved Riley. The player, witnessing them, experiences a small parenthesis of relief from all the cruelty and stress that abound during the game. On the other hand, we have the collectible Savage Starlight, a comic whose booklets Joel can collect and give to Ellie, who is captivated by the space adventures of Dr. Daniela Star, another of the memories of the ancient world that has been lost in a society where there is no space for the sale of comics. On one occasion, we see how the adventures of the galactic heroine were going to be taken to a cinema that they will no longer be able to enjoy.
I take Savage Starlight in Joel’s backpack.
The Last of Us, as Polygon pointed out in his Reviews, takes us on a melancholic journey through the lost society: devastated schools, cafes and hotels are the witness of a life where comforts were taken for granted and have been taken for granted. lost to the pandemic. Bridging the gap between fiction and reality, revisiting this game and its sequel in 2020 brings us reminiscences of how our social ecosystem has changed after the pandemic, as discussed in a recent New York Times article. Within the context of the game, on the other hand, the archeology of our present from Ellie’s eyes gives us very emotional moments, such as her date with Riley in a closed shopping center.
Likewise, the costumbrismo is not only present in the ruined daily scenes, but in the very present that the characters experience. Polygon’s own Reviews reflects how Joel’s aim is not perfect, which we would expect from a trained military man, and highlights the rudimentary elements we use to survive, such as the homemade manufacture of bombs or the use of bottles or bricks to ambush our enemies: “Naughty Dog gives Joel a semi-realistic tremor [cuando apunta con el arma]”Which, when mixed with the erratic movement of the infected, keeps enemies at bay and poses a considerable challenge, but not excessively entertaining.”
Ellie and Riley enjoy the photo booth.
The naturalistic dialogue
Another element that gives a certain naturalism to the relationship between Joel and Ellie is the dialogue during the game, highlighted by the TV Tropes portal and that we have mentioned earlier in this report: “Many of the dialogues happen during situations within the gameplay itself: at being injured, when we throw a Molotov cocktail, when we are pinned to the ground, etc. The characters are almost never silent, and they keep us company both in the city and in the desert areas. There are even times when Joel and Ellie separate and we do feel lonely and uncomfortable, so much so that the character ends up speaking out loud to himself. This resource helps create the feeling that the character is alive, while also giving us a new window on his personality, as well as developing the narrative without affecting the rhythm or gameplay. In The Last of Us, several of these dialogues arise when the lead duo stumbles upon something that inspires a conversation. An example is when an incredulous Ellie discovers the beauty canons of our society, in which the aspiration to thinness leads to the voluntary restriction of food, which is incomprehensible in the eyes of a girl who has suffered from famine. And it is through trivial conversations, both during the game and in cinematics, that Joel and Ellie meet, face each other and discover each other. Ellie, when reading a teenager’s journal, does not understand her superficial concerns: boys and fashion. By reading the pornographic magazine – belonging to Bill – an awkward moment is created when the girl is amused by sexuality and the alertness of her protector. For his part, Joel shares aspects of his past life, such as his love for music, with his recently adopted daughter, although he prefers to remain reserved in the face of other intimacies, such as the breakup with his wife or in mourning for the death of his partner Tess .
The costumbrismo continues present in The Last of Us: Part II, judging by the trailers and gameplays shown. The evolution of Joel and Ellie is evident in different daily details that we observe beyond the violence that surrounds the title. The leading duo has found stability in a community that seeks to rebuild and get ahead. Halley Gross herself recounted in our interview how the collaborative spirit has matured Ellie herself: “Now she feels loved and supported by how she is. He feels part of a community and cares about others; not just for saving his own life every day. We see her concerned about protecting others and doing things without Joel seeing her. And this sum of things has allowed her to choose for the first time in a long time to have the opportunity to choose whether to pursue justice or stay calm at home and see how this world continues to grow. ” Thus, we also find different details that have survived from the ancient world and adapt to the new society. Despite death, there is room for beautiful moments, such as sharing a song, dancing at a party, finding love, and even surprising an enemy while playing on your console. Because, under the constant mission of staying alive, we do not stop being humans built by our culture and daily life.
Ellie and Dina flirt during the dance.
