The Last of Us

The Last of Us

Systems:

• PlayStation 3
• PlayStation 4
• Releases:
  • Original Release: 2013
  • PlayStation 4 Release: 2014

Publisher:

• Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer:

• Naughty Dog

ESRB Rating:

• Mature (M)
• Reasoning:
  • Blood and Gore
  • Intense Violence
  • Sexual Themes
  • Strong Language

The Last of Us is a survival horror game that follows Joel, one of the last survivors of an outbreak of a fungus that turns people into dangerous monsters. Twenty years after the outbreak, Joel is tasked with escorting a young girl, Ellie, through the wasteland that was once the United States. Divided into four seasons, the game shows the horrors and challenges that Ellie and Joel must overcome to survive.

General Comments

This review contains some tags for the Left Behind DLC.

Incomplete Tags for this Game

Avians

Bones

Dolls

Felines

Alcohol

The Player Character uses alcohol to create molotov cocktails and health kits for himself.

Animal Death

In Fall, the Joel and Ellie gain a horse named Callus. During Winter, Callus dies after taking a fall.

Bigoted Language

Some gendered slurs, such as ‘bitch’, are present.

Blood

Blood is present throughout the game.

Body Horror

The Cordyceps, i.e. the main enemies of the game, qualify.

Cannibalism

The Cordyceps are cannibalistic.

Towards the end of the game, the characters unwittingly run into a group of cannibals and one character must escape from the grasp of the group and its leader.

Darkness

The hotel level is very dark. There are sections where the level is dark and the Player Character only has a small flashlight to see with.

Dead Bodies

Dead bodies are prevalent throughout the game.

Death of Family/Friends

Prevalent throughout The Last of Us and the Left Behind DLC. Significant examples include the protagonist's daughter being killed by a soldier in the campaign and, in both the campaign and the DLC, the protagonist's companion dies by an Infected.

Depiction of Disaster

The game revolves around the effects of a parasitic pandemic.. Society seems to be mostly destroyed with only small pockets of survivors still alive. Lawlessness is also shown.

Depiction of War

A central conflict of the game revolves around the government and a group of rebels known as the Fireflies.

Disease

The Infected outbreak in this game is caused by an outbreak of a mutant fungus which transforms its hosts.

Drowning

During the penultimate level, Ellie and Joel get swept away by a strong current. Ellie nearly drowns, but is safely revived.

Emotional Abuse

David taunts Ellie throughout the fight with her.

Explosions

Within minutes of beginning the game, there is a news broadcast interrupted by a soldier trying to get the reporter out of danger. Afterwards, the game has the player watch the explosion out of the window.

Fire

When the Player Character throws a molotov cocktail, it explodes into flames. This, however, cannot be avoided as enemies may also throw molotov cocktails.

Gore

Gore is prevalent throughout the game.

Graphic Violence

Graphic violence is prevalent throughout the game, both against Infected and characters.

Guns

Characters throughout the game use guns as weapons against Infected and other antagonists.

Heights

On many occasions the Player Character must walk across a plank to get from one rooftop to the next. At one point they encounter a giraffe and the player can see the ground far below.

Jump Scares

Infected and other enemies can sometimes appear suddenly and without warning.

Kidnapping

Towards the end of the game, a character is kidnapped against her will and must escape.

Murder

The Player Character must kill many people along the way in the game in order to survive, including people who mean well.

Needles

During Winter, Ellie acquires Penicillin and some syringes, which she later uses on Joel.

Offensive Language

Almost every character in the game uses profane language at some point, some more often than others.

Parental Abandonment

Ellie mentions that everyone who she cared about her either died or left. This presumably includes parental figures.

Joel briefly attempts to abandon her during Fall as well.

Psychological Trauma

Ellie is traumatized throughout the game, particularly by the end of Summer and throughout Winter.

Rats/Rodents

Rats may be seen running around throughout the game, especially in abandoned houses.

Sexual Assault

Towards the end of the game, a character nearly is raped. She, however, kills her attacker before this can happen.

Marlene implies that sexual assault is not uncommon in this world.

Stalking

During Winter, David stalks Ellie.

Suicide

One character commits suicide-by-cop early in the game.

Another character commits suicide later in the game.

Torture

During Winter, Joel tortures someone.

Undead/Zombies

Although not technically undead, Cordyceps behave in ways common to most zombies in popular culture.

Vehicular Trauma

During Summer, the car Joel is driving is crashed into by a truck.

Verbal Abuse

Characters sometimes casually insult one another.

Violence Against Children

This is prevalent throughout the game; bandits and Infected do not care about age and will attack children.

Weapons

Weapons are prevalent throughout the game, as weapons are used against Infected and other antagonists constantly.

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