The Last of Us: Will it be like the video game?

The Last of Us is a new show on HBO Max based off of the video game of the same name from 2013. It follows the story of Joel, a gangster who according to collider.com “steal(s), deal(s), smuggle(s), and intimidate(s)” to stay alive in the harsh conditions after a pandemic which caused a zombie apocalypse. He must smuggle a young girl named Ellie out of a quarantine zone. In the video game, set in 2033 Boston, we watch as Ellie and Joel move from city to city and make alliances, and enemies, along the way. However, there has already been some buzz about what had been kept in and what was left out from the original gameplay. Prepare for spoilers!

For one, they are changing the importance of the character of Sarah, Joel’s daughter. In the original story from the game, Sarah’s death was important because when Joel meets Ellie, they develop a father-daughter bond. I even remember a cut-away scene where Ellie finds a broken watch that Joel gave to Sarah. However there is more positive news to make a better story as well. The role of Sarah will be played by Nico Parker who is POC, compared to in the original game, where Sarah was white. Also there has also been news that Storm Reid from Euphoria will be playing Riley, Ellie’s love interest. 

I remember watching people play the video game on Youtube back when it first came out. When discussing the cut-away scenes, the acting and storyline is just so dramatic that it feels like you are watching a movie and not playing a video game. From Marlene to Ellie, to even Sarah and Joel, each character has their own story and adds something to the plot. What I can tell from the trailer, and what I hope to see, is that they stick to the original scenes and script from the gameplay. There is such a level of nostalgia with this game, I think it would break hearts if they change too much and create new scenarios. Now, I know they can not probably keep everything from the game in the new show, but I hope they keep a lot. 

I’m really excited to see what HBO Max does with The Last of Us because it had such a strong fanbase with the original video game when it was released in 2013. And just like any reimagining of something that holds great nostalgia, it will attract those fans that remember it, but bring on some new ones as well. I can’t wait to see what they do with this show. Will you be watching?