The unexpected ending of The Last Of Us is among the most well-known finales in video game history, and a small exchange during the game’s introduction foreshadowed the game’s ending, although few players noticed. The strong storytelling and character development of The Last Of Us made it stand out even though there were already numerous video games dealing with post-apocalyptic themes at the time of its release. The PlayStation 3 classic has been remastered for PS4, and a remake will be releasing soon as a PS5 console exclusive. Beyond the AAA graphical presentation and its competent gameplay, which combined exploration, action, crafting and stealth elements, the story compels fans to revisit the original TLOU more than anything. Some subtext, like the intro’s foreshadowing, is only evident on a second playthrough.
[Warning: Spoilers for The Last Of Us’ ending below]Even ardent fans may debate whether The Last Of Us 1 remake is worth purchasing at $70 for a graphical overhaul to a game that’s two generations, but beyond its altered presentation and gameplay, the remake gives players another chance notice elements that might not have been evident on the first playthrough, such as the foreshadowing in the introductory sequence. Although much more of the series has focused on the relationship between TLOU1 protagonist Joel Miller and his surrogate daughter Ellie Williams, returning to the introduction of the first game brings players back to Joel’s biological daughter, Sarah. After a brief glimpse of the pair’s everyday life, the worldwide tragedy of the Cordyceps infection shatters their domestic tranquility.
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Sarah is the first playable character in the game, which could arguably be seen as a smaller bit of foreshadowing, alluding to the sequences in which Ellie is playable in TLOU1. The girl gives her father a birthday present and is sent to bed before she is awakened by an urgent call from her uncle, Tommy, another central figure in TLOU and TLOU2. The fungal infection is already turning people into unthinking monsters at that time, and Joel is forced to shoot his neighbor to defend his daughter. Joel, Tommy, and Sarah pile into a vehicle together and attempt to flee to safety. This vehicle sequence contains a clear bit of foreshadowing that gives insight into Joel’s mindset and his priorities which guide his decisions in TLOU1’s ending.
Joel Puts Protecting His Family Above The Lives Of Others In TLOU
Tommy spots a man and woman with a small child off to the side of the road, fleeing from the same pandemic, and begins to slow the vehicle to take them onboard. Joel protests, saying, “What do you think you’re doing? Keep driving.” Tommy defends his decision saying, “They’ve got a kid, Joel.” Joel remains insistent, stating, “So do we.” Sarah rightfully points out that the vehicle has room to take on more passengers, but Joel is unrelenting in his judgment, and repeats the edict, “Keep driving.” Few would have predicted, based on this simple exchange alone, that the ending of TLOU1 would cast Joel as a JRPG villain, as he ultimately shows he is willing to doom the entire world to protect a girl he loves.
This decision in the introduction scene shows where Joel’s ethics and morals lie. He is adamant in his will to protect his daughter, but the well-being of strangers is of no concern to him. Later in the introduction of TLOU1, Sarah is slain by a soldier who follows orders to terminate any possibly infected people, showing a man who is willing to act unethically if he is acting under orders. Joel showed that he is willing to be unethical if it means protecting his family. As upwards of one million players know very well, Joel goes on to befriend Ellie, who serves as an emotional replacement for his slain daughter Sarah. Joel and Ellie bond over the course of TLOU1, and in the game’s ending, Joel showed the same willingness to prioritize one life above all others.
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In interviews, Joel’s voice actor in TLOU confirmed moral ambiguity defines the character and described Joel as more villain than hero. Joel’s adopted daughter Ellie is proven to be uniquely resistant to the Cordyceps plague. This makes Ellie important because she can offer hope for all humankind, as the Fireflies, a group that includes surgeons and medics, reveal that they can harvest her immunities to manufacture a cure. To Joel, Ellie is important simply because she is his daughter. When he learns that the procedure to extract a sample of her immunity will cost her life, Joel makes the inevitable decision based on his established character traits, slaying the Fireflies so that he can rescue Ellie.
Players Discover Subtext & Foreshadowing Years After The TLOU’s Release
In the game’s introduction, Joel prioritized mitigating risks to his daughter, Sarah, over saving three other people, one of whom was also a child. In the ending, Joel made the choice to rob humanity of its hope of recovery from Cordyceps to save Ellie’s life. There are many additions new to The Last Of Us 1 remake, including use of the PS5 controller’s haptic feedback for added immersion, and new gameplay modes like Permadeath and Speed Run. For most players, these are less enticing than simply seeing the tragic story of TLOU1 presented with more cinematic fidelity than ever. Joel made questionable choices to survive in TLOU1, and each of these inform players about who he is as a person. He is willing to blacken his soul to save himself, but to protect a girl he loves, there are absolutely no lines Joel is unwilling to cross.
Despite its gut-wrenching ending, or perhaps because of it, The Last Of Us received near universal acclaim. The arguably more mature themes of The Last Of Us 2, which interrogated cycles of violence and the notion of justice, were more polarizing, but between those two games, Naughty Dog established itself as a premier storyteller among game developers. Exploration-focused games like Breath of the Wild have secrets players discover years after their release. For a story-focused game like The Last Of Us, the Easter Eggs unearthed tend to be subtle bits of characterization, literary homages, and foreshadowing, as seen in the introduction to the first game. By showing that he cares more about protecting his family than trying to help others, Joel made it clear from the start the kind of person he was.
Joel was unwilling to stop the car to help other families flee the infection because that could have put Sarah at risk. He was similarly unwilling to let Ellie die to save countless men, women, and children, while giving humanity a chance at recovery and rebuilding society. Joel’s characterization is consistent in The Last Of Us, and his arc took on the form of allowing himself to open his heart to Ellie, thereby filling the void left by Sarah’s death. At no point did Joel’s priorities change, nor did he develop any consideration for the ethics of his actions. The Joel seen at the start of The Last Of Us Codryceps infection is the same as that of the game’s ending, a man willing to leave others to die, as long as his family is safe.
