2013’s The Last of Us is one of the most influential modern video games on the market. It serves as a powerful example of the strength of video games as a storytelling medium. To this day, the game still stands up as a testament to the idea that video games are art. Thanks to the recent HBO adaptation, the popularity of The Last Of Us is even apparent outside of the video game industry and its fans. That popularity fueled the 2022 release of The Last Of Us Part I. This game is a complete remake of the original title, enhancing its combat and adding expanded accessibility options. Given how recent the original game was, many critics and fans questioned the necessity of such a project. However, in spite of this confusion, the remake still received high marks. Here’s what you need to know about the game.
The Last of Us Part I Premise
The story of The Last of Us Part I has been left virtually unchanged from the game it’s remaking. It’s a post-apocalyptic journey through an America ravaged by a mutated fungal infection that turns humans into cannibalistic, zombie-like monsters. You play as Joel, a smuggler, who must escort a teenage girl named Ellie across the country. Her unexplained immunity to the infection could lead to a cure for everyone, granting the journey exceptionally high stakes.
The basic gameplay remains unchanged as well. It is still a third-person action game with an emphasis on shooting and stealth. Revised and updated NPC AI allows for more tactical and aggressive foes, however. The game also adds a permadeath mode for players seeking a heightened challenge. An overhauled photo mode gives fans more opportunity to enjoy the upgraded graphics. The Last of Us Part I also includes updated accessibility features. These include audio descriptions for cutscenes and fully customizable controls.
The Last of Us Part 1 Main Characters
Much of the acclaim for The Last of Us comes from the strength of its story and characters. This holds true in the remake too. It retains the strong character work and powerful voice acting performances from the original game. If you’re unfamiliar with the original, here are some of the most important characters you can expect to meet in The Last of Us Part I.
- Joel: The main player character of the remake is Joel, a former father who lost his daughter during the initial outbreak. Following the collapse of society, he turns to smuggling. This job brings him face to face with Ellie, his new charge.
- Ellie: Ellie is an orphaned teenager who has never known life before the fungal infection destroyed society. An anomalous strain of the cordyceps virus in her system grants her immunity from the disease, and because of this, a military group known as the Fireflies want to use her to create a cure. Joel and Ellie’s burgeoning relationship is the heart of the game, and a major reason the story has endured as well as it has.
- Tommy: Tommy is Joel’s estranged brother. He reunites with Joel during the latter’s adventure, and the two reconcile. He then provides a supporting role in Joel’s mission escorting Ellie.
- Marlene: Marlene leads the Fireflies, a militia trying to restore law and order in the wake of the fungal infection. She is the driving force behind Joel’s mission, as she’s in charge of the effort to turn Ellie’s mysterious immunity into a cure.
- Tess: Tess is Joel’s friend and smuggling partner, and she accompanies him on the first leg of his journey to escort Ellie to the Fireflies.
- Bill: Bill is a survivalist and business partner to Joel. During his mission escorting Ellie, Joel pays the man a visit in order to cash in a debt and secure transport to the Fireflies’ base.
The Last of Us Part I Titles In The Series
The Last of Us franchise is not a particularly large one, in spite of the influence it exerts on popular culture since its initial 2013 release. In addition to the aforementioned HBO series, there have only been a few Last of Us games released to date. Here’s the full list of games in the series at the time of this writing.
- The Last of Us (2013)
- The Last of Us Part II (2020)
- The Last of Us Part I (2022)
The Last of Us Part I Cheat Codes
Unfortunately, there are no cheat codes available in The Last of Us Part I. Even worse, developers have patched out gameplay exploits like the original game’s infamous infinite shiv glitch. Another exploit from the original game still remains unchanged, though. If you’re playing on hard, you can switch difficulties at any time. Lowering the game to easy will unlock supply stores that are unavailable at hard difficulties, letting you stock up before returning to the highest difficulty. Since resources are scarce and inventory management is key, having an exploit like this to get you through the toughest challenges can be a godsend.
In addition to this little cheat, you can unlock gameplay modifiers to further customize your game. This copies the experience of cheat codes by granting boons like infinite ammo and one-shot kills. If you’re mainly interested in the game’s award-winning narrative, and don’t have patience for the tense, survivalist challenge presented by the gameplay, these unlockable options can be a major boon for you. While not cheat codes in any official sense of the word, the aforementioned accessibility options can also majorly shake up the experience of The Last of Us Part I, further allowing you to enhance your game. The remake might not have cheat codes, but it’s customizable enough that it arguably doesn’t need them.
The Last of Us Part I Cheats FAQ
Is The Last of Us Part I A Remake?
VIdeo game terminology can get very complicated sometimes. Words like “remake” and “remaster” can be used largely interchangeably. The Last of Us Part I, however, is definitively a remake. The visuals and design of the game have been rebuilt from the ground up, making it essentially a brand new title that just rehashes the events of the original 2013 release. This can be contrasted with The Last of Us Remastered, which launched in 2014 as a remaster of the original game for PS4. While that game enhanced the original title, it was just an upgrade of the pre-existing framework.
Is The Last of Us Part I The Complete Game?
While the title may be a bit confusing, The Last of Us Part I does cover every bit of the story from the original game. The addition of Part I just serves to differentiate the game from the 2020 sequel. Furthermore, the remake also contains the DLC prequel chapter Left Behind, which explores Ellie’s backstory and sheds more light on the origins of her mysterious immunity to the fungal infection that’s ravaged the United States. The only thing missing from the remake is the original game’s multiplayer mode, which is unfortunately completely absent.
What Year is The Last Of Us Set In?
Both The Last of Us and its remake Part I begin in 2013, with the initial outbreak of the infection. You control Joel and his daughter Sarah as they flee the initial wave of zombie-like monstrosities, along with the dangerously overzealous response from the United States military. The main bulk of the game picks up twenty years later, in 2033. This allows the player to explore Joel’s response to the trauma suffered in the game’s chaotic prologue, which in turn informs his behavior toward his new charge, Ellie.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©The Last of Us Part I gameplay.