Post-apocalyptic action game The Last of Us is one of the outstanding games of the last decades. Not surprisingly, the story has received a film adaptation from HBO — right now, a once-a-week episode of The Last of Us is airing. What to do if both parts of TLOU have long been completed, and waiting for new episodes is unbearable? It remains to study a selection of games that are somewhat reminiscent of The Last of Us. The creation of the Naughty Dog studio is unique, but similar atmosphere, setting and mechanics can be found in other developments. What games are worth a closer look – Izvestia tells.
Character interaction and emotional attachment
The connection between the two protagonists of The Last of Us, Joel the smuggler, and Ellie, the teenage girl, is the most important mechanic in the game. It is she who allows you to feel sympathy and become more attached to the characters.
Similar gameplay is used in many games where co-op or synchronous hero control is story-driven, such as Bioshock Infinite or Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. However, few manage to make a person on the other side of the monitor, clinging to the keyboard or gamepad, worry about the ward with all their heart. Adventure Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons it worked out. Per a fairy-tale plot (two brothers go to the source of life to save a sick father) and simple puzzles hide a powerful immersive experience and drama. It’s impossible to talk about it without spoilers, but the game definitely makes it clear what the feeling of loss is on a physical level.
Something similar allows you to experience the Japanese platformer Ico. Despite the vintage graphics of 2001 and the simplicity of the plot (the user “only” saves the princess from a terrible castle), the game also makes you feel the connection between the characters and take responsibility for the life of a defenseless girl.
The gameplay combines elements of platforming and puzzles. The brothers complement each other: the older one is strong, and the younger one is small and dexterous.
Photo: 505 Games
Ico. Japanese adventure game from the distant 2001, which became a hit of its time and inspired many modern game designers
Photo: Sony Computer Entertainment
Although the gameplay is a familiar platformer even for its time, it impressed players with interesting design and technical solutions and unique emotional involvement.
Photo: Sony Computer Entertainment
Resident Evil 4. Another game from the 2000s that has become a cult, survival horror from the Resident Evil series. She inspired the creators of The Last of Us
Photo: Capcom Production
A remake of the original game is scheduled for March 2023. But in the remakes of the two previous parts, which the players rated extremely highly, you can play right now
Photo: Playstation
Less drama but more gunplay and stealth can be found in Resident Evil 4. Periodically in the story, the player interacts with a temporary partner, Ashley, who needs to be protected from zombies at all costs. The girl can be asked to hide in a shelter while the hero deals with enemies. Monsters will try to grab Ashley, and a stray bullet can instantly kill her, so you have to be extremely careful and attentive.
Cinematic
There is an opinion that modern games, where much attention is paid to cutscenes (episodes in which the user has little or no influence on what is happening), are not games at all, but films in which the hero is occasionally given control in order to advance the plot. But often cinematography is the main advantage: without a masterfully written script and directed videos, talented voice actors and animators, there would not be an exciting story that you want to immerse yourself in. The Last of Us is an example of a great cinematic game. In terms of the quality of the cinematography and screenwriting, the Uncharted series is perhaps the closest to The Last of Us. about the new Indiana Jones – hereditary adventurer Nathan Drake, as well as a fantastic story about androids Detroit: Become human.
If in the movie aspect of TLOU you are most attracted to the ability to tickle your nerves, then a good horror component can be found in interactive survival horrors. The Dark Pictures Anthology and Until Dawn. In the first, the player is waiting for real horror films about a ghost ship, a mysterious village, a dungeon teeming with monsters, and maniacs. Until Dawn combines the best of slasher and monster movies.
The Dark Pictures Anthology – a series of games in the genre of interactive horror cinema
Photo: PlayStation
Graphics and narrative come to the fore here
Photo: PlayStation
Four stories have already been released in the anthology – the first “season” of the interactive “series”. A release date for the second season has yet to be announced.
Photo: PlayStation
Until Dawn. Another interactive horror movie
Photo: PlayStation
The game received a lot of positive reviews for the unusual plot structure and deep immersion
Photo: PlayStation
Detroit: Become Human. The adventure game set in the near future was especially notable for its careful use of motion capture technology, which made it possible to convey all the intricacies of acting
Photo: PlayStation
Immersion in the gameplay and here contribute to the elements of interactive cinema
Photo: PlayStation
UNCHARTED. A series of action-adventure games that has become a classic of console games
Photo: PlayStation
In 2015, the first three parts were re-released (these shots are from there), and the last part, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves, was released last year, including on PC
Photo: PlayStation
The Walking Dead from Telltale Games also received a re-release at the time. A must for fans of The Walking Dead universe
Photo: Telltale Games
Not to mention The Walking Dead: The Game quest from the American studio Telltale Games, which is very close to TLOU in spirit. Set in the famous universe of The Walking Dead, the game follows Everett Lee, a former history teacher. He is trying to survive the zombie apocalypse and meets little Clementine. Overcoming trials and mortal dangers, Everett becomes a second father for Clementine, and the girl has to make difficult adult decisions in the terrible reality of carnivorous corpses.
End of the world and creepy monsters
Universe “Walking Dead”, like the universe of The Last of Us, is a post-apocalyptic world in which a catastrophe happened that turned most of the people into monsters and put humanity on the brink of extinction. Some survivors try to save the centers of civilization and find hope for the future, while others stray into groups and begin to commit atrocities that zombies and mutants could not dream of.
Photo: Techland
The action-adventure Dying Light has a very similar setting and post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The game takes place in the fictional metropolis of Harran. The city is filled with hordes of zombies. The protagonist, Agent Crane, goes undercover to Harran to find data on the virus. Crane has to survive, fight zombies and bandits, and even try to overtake time – because of the bites, the clock counts.
Photo: Sony Interactive Entertainment
In another action-adventure game, Days Gone, a global pandemic turns people into freaks, bloodthirsty cannibalistic madmen with an off-scale level of cruelty. Users will play as biker Deacon St. John, who loses his wife in the early days of the apocalypse and is trying to survive in the harsh new reality.
