The last of us puts players through a rollercoaster of emotions. As Joel, players guide a young Ellie through a post-apocalyptic United States. Along the way, they see what happens when a Cordyceps-type fungus infects humanity and spreads across the population.
Compared to his previous work on games like not mapped and the Jak and Daxter series, Naughty Dog’s The last of us can be gloomy. Now that a good part of humanity has been transformed into Infected, the remaining population is fighting for survival. While some maintain their humanity, others reject diplomacy in favor of more violent methods. Joel and Ellie encounter multiple human groups on their journey, each with their own way of survival. Still, there are lighter moments that even out the story, with perhaps the most iconic of these having to do with Joel, Ellie, and a pack of wild giraffes. Spoilers for The last of us forward.
Set the scene
As players approach the game’s finale, they see Ellie traumatized and exhausted from her and Joel’s encounter with a man named David and his group of cannibals; the worst that humanity has to offer. It is at this point where her doubts in their journey to reach the Fireflies reach an all-time low. Aside from the fact that every discovery she and Joel have made leads to mediocre results, Ellie begins to wonder if her immunity to the Cordyceps fungus will help humanity find a cure.
Then, after being propped up on a ledge by Joel, Ellie sees something players can’t see. She drops the ladder intended for Joel and runs towards the unknown anomaly. Players’ minds probably immediately turn to thoughts of Infected or Hunters thanks to the events of the previous season. But when they catch up with Ellie, they discover a herd of wild giraffes roaming Salt Lake City. Due to the city’s antiquated barriers and wildlife reclamation, giraffes now roam the once populated city.
The discovery of the giraffes brings a glimmer of hope back into the two survivors. Joel eagerly tries to get close to a giraffe grazing on nearby leaves as Ellie perks up. After a moment’s hesitation, Ellie strokes the giraffe, and the two watch as the herd makes its way through town. This final moment of watching the giraffes can last forever, as long as players choose not to leave the edge of the roof that Joel and Ellie are sitting on. Once they’ve had their fill of the scene, they can take off and watch Joel and Ellie continue their journey with renewed vigor.
The secret ingredient to the success of The Last of Us
After a tough winter season, going into the summer with the giraffe scene helps calm players down. There’s no fighting during the first part of the season, and Ellie’s reluctance to open up to Joel means there’s relatively little dialogue. This lull in the action inevitably creates a reflective pause in both players and the pair of survivors as they reflect on what they’ve been through and what’s yet to come.
The arrival of the giraffes helps break the tension Joel, Ellie and the players have been feeling. The animals bring a sense of wonder that many people feel when they were children. Ellie, who has been locked up in a FEDRA quarantine zone all her life, has most likely only seen giraffes in books. Joel, on the other hand, has probably never seen a giraffe up close outside a zoo. Their presence shows that life goes on even without humanity. Much of the animal kingdom doesn’t care about the infected or people in general, so they just keep living.
After Joel and Ellie look at the herd of giraffes, they begin to talk about what they will do when their journey is over. The pair are thinking about moving back to Jackson, and Joel plans to teach Ellie to play guitar (both happen before the events of The last of us 2). They set their sights on continuing their lives in the same way as the giraffes. There is still some doubt in Ellie’s mind about the success of their quest, but the encounter with the giraffes helps her soldier through. The last of us‘ closing act.
The last of us part 1 is slated to launch on September 2, 2022, on PS5, and a PC release is also in development.
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