Playing The Last of Us with friends made my favorite PlayStation game feel brand new again

The Last of Us is an institution of modern media – Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic zombie shooter escaped the confines of its PS3 game case almost immediately after its initial release in 2013, and has since spanned live events, comic books, remasters, a full-on sequel, and even a TV series on HBO.

When a franchise becomes this popular, not to mention this critically acclaimed, it can be a little surprising to find that there are people who haven’t engaged with it. Until recently, one of those people was a good friend of mine – let's call him Ralph, because that's his name – who, despite having The Last of Us Part 1 installed on his PS5, had never really got into it.

As a lover of story-driven single player games, but decidedly not a horror fan, he had found himself stuck in the early chapters of the game, wherein main characters Joel, Ellie, and Tess find face off against the terrifying infected for the first time.

I'd never played the remade PS5 version of The Last of Us myself, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to see my favorite PlayStation game through a new pair of eyes, as well as a chance to turn this exclusively solo title into a more social experience.

So, for a few weekends, me, Ralph, and whoever else wanted to join us put our gaming skills together to guide Joel and Ellie through their journey across the post-apocalyptic United States – here’s what I found out along the way.

Re-remastered

Before anything else, I need to take a moment to appreciate just how mind-blowingly good The Last of Us Part 1 looks.

My first playthrough of The Last of Us was on the PS3 way back in 2013. I remember it being one of the best-looking games I had ever played, even back then, until The Last of Us Remastered released on PS4 the following year, sharpening up the visuals even further.

However, The Last of Us Part 1 is simply a different beast.

Throughout the entirety of our 12-ish hour playthrough, I was continually blown away by how incredible this game looks. From the verdancy of the outskirts of Bill’s Town to the spore-addled dormitories of the University section, The Last of Us Part 1 has effectively reset my imagination on what’s even achievable when it comes to video game graphics.

Just as I was seeing the game in a new light through Ralph’s first playthrough, I was also seeing it in a new light through the updated textures, expressive new character models, and ray-traced reflections bouncing off each pool of water.

This is all stuff our The Last of Us Part 1 review describes, but it still blew me away to play through it all myself.

As for performance, I can hardly remember seeing a long loading screen or a single dropped frame during our playthrough. That might not be surprising for a game that is coming up to 15 years old under the good, but it went a long way in making the game as enjoyable to watch as it was to play.

It’s The Last of Us, not The Last of Me

On that note, The Last of Us has always been a pretty great game for spectators. Its outstanding performances and expertly-directed cutscenes give it the atmosphere of a prestige TV show, and the brutality of the combat encounters keeps adrenaline high and eyes glued to the screen.

Even as someone who gets on well enough with horror games and movies, the newly updated visuals and realistic character models had me feeling grateful to not be playing alone – and for Ralph, my friend who’s not so hot on horror, being part of the group unlocked a pathway through the game itself. The sewer section directly after the Pittsburgh escape was especially frightening, thanks to new enemy models and realistically dimmed lighting.

It was really grounding to play through Joel and Ellie’s story with someone who had no experience of the game. I gained a new appreciation for the highs and lows of the story – I felt new fear when battling clickers outside Boston, felt new shock at Joel’s injury in Colorado, and felt new hope at that oh-so-iconic giraffe scene.

I’d also forgotten how challenging some of the sections of the game can be, like Ellie’s escape through the blizzard in David’s town and the iconic hospital firefight right at the end of the story. As a group, we found ourselves stuck on particularly tough segments, but being able to crack a few jokes or make some conversation went a long way in keeping our morale (and DualSense controllers) intact.

Something that the other experienced player in our group and I really appreciated was the improved combat mechanics and enemy AI, both of which take some influence from the more sophisticated systems in The Last of Us Part 2. On the other hand, it was interesting to hear Ralph – who’s most recently played Ghost of Yotei and has pushed through other action games like it – comment on the slowness and gritty realism of each gunfight as he became immersed in the game's survival-focused world.

“Singleplayer” is only a recommendation

As we finished our playthrough, our humble group of gamers came to a few key realizations.

The first is that The Last of Us is still one of the best video games ever created – honestly, if any game deserved to become an icon of modern culture, it's this. From the writing, to the gameplay, to the visuals, The Last of Us Part 1 is airtight (to keep all those spores out, obviously).

The second is that our experience of playing this single-player game had been made measurably better by playing as a group – so much so that we immediately started planning our next playthrough.

So, if you have a game that’s held pride of place in your catalogue for a few years, I’ve got a suggestion for you – the next time you feel like recommending it to a friend, see if they feel like playing it as a duo or in a larger group, especially if there’s something about it that might typically push your friend away.

That social element is how I ended up having my best gaming experience of the year so far on a horror-inspired game with my friend who can’t stand them, finding a whole new perspective on my favorite PlayStation game along the way. And as for my new gaming crew, something tells me Ralph’s PS5 hasn’t seen the last of us (sorry, not sorry).

The best PS5 games going right now

➡️ Read our full guide to the best PS5 games
1. Best overall:
God of War Ragnarok
2. Best soulslike:
Elden Ring
3. Best superhero:
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
4. Superb open-world:
Horizon Forbidden West
5. A Kojima banger
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
6. Best multiplayer:
Helldivers 2

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