The Last of Us - Opening Sequence

A tearful beginning

I am a crier. I feel no shame in stating that. If a story is so expertly crafted that I start bawling like a baby, kudos to the production team. Usually this cascade of emotion comes near the end of a story. After spending hours with characters, they meet their demise in meaningful ways and drive the emotion home. But the real master craftsmen find a way to tug at your heartstrings early on. As far as videogames goes, The Last of Us is the only game to fall into this category with a brilliant beginning. Hit the jump for more.

The Last of Us features the Up of opening sequences (if this reference is lost on you, watch this now). In the first 15 minutes of the game, you don’t actually play as the main character, Joel. You play as Joel’s daughter, Sara. During this time, you’re introduced to their touching father-daughter relationship. During this time, a fungal outbreak begins infecting the populace and driving them insane. The game gives you control of Sara on the first night of this outbreak.

While playing as Sara, you have a sense of defenselessness. You’re a tiny girl who stumbles around the house looking for your father. It gives a sense of urgency to the whole scenario. When Joel finally shows back up, the whole town has gone to hell, and it is time to escape. After a car wreck, player control switches to Joel. You are forced to carry Sara away while being chased by swarms of infected. It’s a struggle as you watch a father do everything he can to protect his little girl.

When you finally feel like you’re about to escape, a soldier shoots you and Sara as you approach a quarantine zone. The game fades to the opening credits as Sara dies in Joel’s arms. Seeing a child die in her father’s arms is material that most stories steer clear of. It’s needs to be dealt with gently without feeling manipulative. The reason this works in the Last of Us is because it sets up the main themes of the game. Themes of loss and reclamation become the driving element that guides the player’s actions through the rest of the game.

The Last of Us is a grim world and the game makes sure to establish this quickly. By dealing with touchy subject matter like the loss of a child right of the bat, it elevates itself above most other video games and emotionally hooks the player. The rest of the game is the story of Joel trying to survive and reclaim the life that he lost. It truly is one of the best narratives in videogames. 

Checkout the video below for the opening of The Last of Us.