The originalLast of Usgame released in 2013 and was an immediate hit, spawning a franchise of its own that now includes a sequel, a record-breaking HBO adaptation, and more. For nearly a decade, anyone wanting to playThe Last of Usvideo games for themselves has needed to own a PlayStation console, but that’s finally changed with the PC port ofThe Last of Us Part 1.
The Last of Us Part 1is a remake of the award-winning 2013 original, bringing Joel and Ellie’s story to modern standards by upping the graphics, adding more accessibility options, and introducing new game modes.The Last of Us Part 1originally released as a PS5 exclusive last year and earned widespread critical acclaim, with many pointing to it as the definitive way to experienceThe Last of Us.
The Last of Us Part 1is nearly a 1:1 remake in terms of the gameplay, story, and general content, with some exceptions. It is missing the originalLast of Us' Factions multiplayer mode, which is a shame, because it was a genuinely strong addition to the original game back in the day. It’s possible that theupcomingLast of Usmultiplayer gameplayed a role in Factions being set aside inThe Last of Us Part 1, but regardless, it’s still disappointing that it didn’t make the jump in the remake.
One thing thatThe Last of Us Part 1has that the original didn’t is theLeft Behindexpansion built-in and accessible from the start.Left Behindwas a standalone expansionfor the originalLast of Usthat revealed more about Ellie’s backstory. Thanks toLeft Behindbeing part of the package, and enjoying the same massive upgrades as the base game, those playingThe Last of Us Part 1as their introduction to the franchise can have a more complete view of one of gaming’s greatest stories out of the gate, whereas those that played the original had to wait months forLeft Behindto drop.
The Last of Ushas one of gaming’s best stories, but at this point it’s been told, retold, remade, and adapted for television. Those that have already played through the game or watched the show recently may want to focus squarely on gameplay when playing the remake. Luckily, most of the cutscenes inThe Last of Uscan be skipped, though there are still many moments in the game where control is wrestled away from the player to show an unskippable, albeit brief, cinematic. It would have been a nice quality of life feature to be able to truly skip every single scene in the game, but at least the longer ones can be bypassed.
This can make the beginning hours ofLast of Us Part 1drag a bit for returning players, but those playing it for the first time should be hooked from the start.The Last of Usbegins with a heartbreaking prologue and fast-forwards to a post-apocalyptic world where Joel and Ellie’s blood-soaked adventure takes place. Over the course of the game, players will find themselves stealthily taking out enemies with brutal executions, fighting against terrifyingClicker monsters, and engaging in explosive shootouts that will leave them sweating.
The Last of Us' actionis second to none, with a realistic approach to violence that lends each fight more weight than one might be used to in a video game. It’s unnerving to shoot an enemy and hear them choke on their own blood, but it’s disturbing details like these that helpThe Last of Usstand out from other games. It goes out of its way to make everyone feel real, which elevates combat to a level that few games ever reach.
Of course, this was all true of the 2013 original as well. There are some tweaks and improvements here and there, but the core gameplay experience is mostly unchanged from the original to the remake. The big selling point of the remake is the graphics, which have been vastly improved. The 2013 game looked great for its time, butPart 1pushes things further, with stunning new environmental details and more realistic character models. It looks absolutely incredible when played on High or Ultra settings, but unfortunately, even PC gamers with powerful rigs are likely going to have to settle for playing it on lower graphics settings for the time being.
Despite far exceedingThe Last of UsPC recommend requirements, the game struggled with High and Ultra settings on our PC. Setting the graphics to Ultra caused the most frequent problems, with flickering textures and other graphical oddities a regular occurrence. Pushing things down to High alleviated the issues quite a bit, but did not eliminate them completely. Oddly enough, the game only seemed to outright crash when the graphics were set to High instead of Ultra.
The only way to playThe Last of Uson PC reliably was to lower it to Medium settings. Someone that has spent a lot of money on expensive PC hardware will not be happy about it, but that’s really the only option if one doesn’t want the game to suffer from serious technical issues.Naughty Dog is dedicated to fixing these problemswith future updates, but at this time, there’s no getting around thatThe Last of Usis poorly optimized for PC.
So while the PC version ofThe Last of Us Part 1technically offers gamers more graphics and performance options than its PS5 counterpart, it is currently failing to live up to its full potential. It should also be noted that while playing the game with a mouse and keyboard is perfectly serviceable, it isn’t nearly as immersive as playing it with a DualSense controller. The good news is that the PS5 DualSense controller is compatible with PC, though that is an added expense. Right now, one of the only advantages the PC version has over the PS5 release is thatThe Last of Usis cheaper on PC, but having to buy a DualSense controller to get the most out of the game nullifies that benefit.
The Last of Usis truly one of gaming’s best, but the PC port is not the ideal way to experience it. Eventually,The Last of Us Part 1on PC will be in a state where it lives up to or even exceeds its PlayStation 5 counterpart, but right now it’s difficult to recommend. Buried beneath the poor performance is still one of the best games ever made, though, so PC gamers who don’t mind playing with Medium graphics may still be able to enjoy the incredible story and gameplay if they absolutely can’t wait for everything to be fixed.
The Last of Us
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience the emotional storytelling and unforgettable characters in The Last of Us, winner of over 200 Game of the Year awards. In a ravaged civilization, where infected and hardened survivors run rampant, Joel, a weary protagonist, is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a military quarantine zone. However, what starts as a small job soon transforms into a brutal cross-country journey. Includes the complete The Last of Us single-player story and celebrated prequel chapter, Left Behind, which explores the events that changed the lives of Ellie and her best friend Riley forever.
The Last of Us Part 1is available now for PC and PS5. Game Rant was provided with a PC code for this review.
