The Last of Us' Message of Morality and How It's Ending Sets it Apart - Nick Ventresca

Well, it's hard to believe that yet another month of Corona-cation has gone by. I mean, it feels like just yesterday I was about to try and study for an entire math unit that I didn't understand the night before a test. Good times. Anyway, due to the sheer amount of free time we have, I was able to sit down and finish a PS4 classic, The Last of Us (2011). 

The Last of Us is a video game that follows the story of Joel and Ellie, two survivors of a zombie outbreak that happened twenty years ago. It tells the story of their survival in a world completely barren of the civilization that we so comfortably live in today. Now, me being a huge Walking Dead fan, the premise of a zombie apocalypse third-person shooter video game, notorious for its incredible story, seemed too good to pass up. I was finally able to finish it and it was incredible.

Now in order for me to really get into what makes this game so special, I will, unfortunately, have to go into heavy spoilers. If you are thinking about playing this game, stop reading, play it, and come back. Trust me, it's worth it. 

[SPOILERS FROM HERE ON IN]

As mentioned before, the main plot of the game focuses on the two main characters, Ellie and Joel. Joel is a middle-aged man who lived through the apocalypse but could not save his daughter, Sarah from being killed. Twenty years after the initial outbreak and Joel meets Ellie. Ellie is a fourteen-year-old who never known life without the infected. However, there's something special about her. Ellie was bitten by one of the zombies and while that usually kills those that it happens to, Ellie was immune. A woman caring for Ellie named Marleen tasks Joel with finding a group she is a part of called the Fireflies so that they can derive a cure for the virus from Ellie. 

As the story continues, Ellie and Joel meet several survivors that, through their stories, show just how influential a cure for the virus would be. First, there's Tess, a friend of Joel's. Tess and Joel were initially bringing Ellie to the Fireflies together, but in the process, Tess was bitten. Tess's dying wish is for Joel to get Ellie to the Fireflies so that her death would not be in vain.

Then there's Sam and Henry, two brothers that accompany Joel and Ellie for a leg of the journey. Like Tess, Sam is bitten along the way. After he turns, Henry takes his own life in grief. This segment of the story again emphasizes the importance of the virus; not only can it save the infected, but it can spare countless people from unnecessary grief.

Despite their losses, Ellie and Joel continue with their mission. As nearly a year goes by, Ellie and Joel become closer. Joel begins to see Ellie as he once saw his daughter Sarah, and Ellie sees Joel as the protector that she never had. The two, forming a parent-child bond, eventually just make it to the Fireflies and once again meet Marleen.

Then, there's a plot twist. Ellie is drugged and prepped for surgery while Marleen explains that the only way for a cure to be derived from Ellie would be to remove the infection from her brain which would kill her. Joel is enraged and demands that they stop but Marleen insists that they have no choice. Joel is supposed to be escorted out of the building but instead, he storms through the hospital, slaughtering dozens of Fireflies and bursts into the operating room. At this moment, the player is forced to shoot the doctor guarding Ellie's body and escape the building with the unconscious girl in his arms.

Just as it looks like they're about to escape, Marleen stops them. Holding Joel at gunpoint, she argues with him about the necessity of Ellie's sacrifice. If she doesn't die here and now, then there will be no chance for a cure. Joel protests, but eventually Marleen points out that if Ellie were awake, she would choose to give up her life. Joel considers but eventually shoots and kills Marlene in order to allow Ellie to live the life that she otherwise wouldn't. When Ellie awakens, Joel is driving away from the hospital, and lies to Ellie, explaining that there are others like her immune to the virus but it hasn't done any good. Joel finished stating that they have stopped looking for a cure. 

The final segment of the game takes place weeks later as our pair nears a safe compound. Ellie talks to Joel about the guilt she feels over the deaths that got her to the Fireflies and asks Joel to swear that he wasn't lying to her. Joel looks her in the eyes and tells her that he swears, committing to his lie that keeps Ellie safe but damns countless to death. Then, the game ends.

When I first arrived at this conclusion, I got chills. I was angered by Joel's insistence to keep Ellie alive, even though countless lives would be saved by Ellie's sacrifice. Yet, would it really be right for Ellie to die? It's shown throughout the game in the many bands of thieves and soldiers you fight that humanity might not even be worth saving. Why should Ellie die for a species so determined to destroy itself? 

The end of the story ultimately is a question of morals, and leaves its players with the question of, "Was Joel right?" I've grappled with this question and the best thing that I believe can happen is Joel reveals the truth to Ellie and she herself decides. It is her life after all. Whatever you think the right answer may be, this story stands out among many others for the lingering questions of morals that it leaves you with. The truth is, there is no right answer. Either way, someone is being evil, whether it be Joel or the Fireflies.

Recently, it was announced that HBO would be developing the game as a TV series. This has me very excited as the story is perfect for that medium. Yet, the game has a sequel coming out in June of this year. This has me so excited because I feel like it will build upon this murky concept of right and wrong and ultimately stand out as one of the best games in the past decade. These developments have me feeling like the future of The Last of Us franchise is bright and deservingly so.