

There's always a debate to be had about the timing of a re-release, and we wondered whether the new version would be different enough from the 2014 PS4 remaster and 2016 PS4 Pro patch to justify a purchase from newcomers to the seasons and series veterans alike. Sadly, it could not be re-created for the show.When Naughty Dog revealed The Last of Us Part 1 earlier this year, a complete visual remake of the original The Last of Us from 2013, we were a little surprised. This was a lovely, heartwarming sequence that lifted up Ellie’s head space as the center of this universe. The game tries to re-create this experience for the player with button prompts while the camera is zoomed in on Ellie’s face, as she reacts to her electronic dreams.


In the video game, the arcade machines are busted, and instead Riley asks Ellie to imagine the video game in her head. In the show, the machine just works and the two girls actually play the game. The arcade game sequence underscores a huge difference in how effective video game storytelling can be.It’s a style of gameplay sometimes referred to as a “prestige tour,” popularized by developer Naughty Dog in their efforts to tell video game stories beyond violence. This is probably also the episode that most mimics the video game version, as the “Left Behind” gameplay consisted mostly of walking and talking. It’s an important one as it confirms Ellie as gay, and lays out her foundational trauma, much like the show did with the death of Joel’s daughter. This entire episode is a retelling of a chapter that wasn’t in the original release it was released later, as downloadable content.
