For all the fidelity, the adaptation of The Last of Us has made several changes to the game’s story and even major reveals
One of the main compliments heard during the first season of The Last of Us it’s the fidelity of the game’s adaptation to the source material. From the reconstruction of the sets to the entire construction of certain things, a lot of things felt like they were taken straight from the game and put into live action.
However, that doesn’t mean the HBO extension it didn’t take some liberties to change some points of the story and the very personality of its heroes when taking this universe to another medium. Under the supervision of the creator of this plot in video games, Neil Druckmann, we have seen many changes that have changed both the dynamics of some events and given new depth to dialogues and events.
Some were more noticeable, but others went unnoticed by much of the audience, which just goes to show how much these changes have served to show how much a good adaptation only improves on what’s already good. Therefore, check out 8 differences between the series of The Last of Us and the video game.
Attention! This text contains spoilers for the entire season of The Last of Us!
8. Operation of the mushroom
The first major change in the series is the most obvious and uniform we have already talked about it here. The Last of Us greatly influenced everything related to the fungus responsible for the epidemic and which ended humanity as we know it. Starting with the fact that the plot went deep into the biology of the cordycepsin their behavior and in their very origins.
In the game, the mushroom works in much the same way as a zombie virus or any other invisible threat that turns people into monsters. It has its nuances, but nothing too deep, contrary to what HBO presents.
In addition to making the cordyceps much more evident, with the filaments coming out of the mouth of the infected and which make it clear how the contamination occurs, the series showed how the fungus takes possession of the victim’s body. The games suggest something along these lines by showing the different levels of infection, but the series has shown that people are literally moldy inside and this generates a new impact.
Not to mention that the initial episodes in which we see scientists discover the mutation and the terror it causes them both serve to explain how the disease spread so rapidly and also demonstrate that the end was inevitable.
7. No spores
Also in this change in the behavior of the cordycepsthe adaptation of The Last of Us made some changes that generated a lot of complaints from fans even before the series premiered, but no one paid much attention to after the episodes aired. This is the case with the lack of spores.
In the games, there are areas where the fungus has spread so much that the entire environment has been overrun with spores, forcing characters to wear gas masks to move around. But this ended up being left out of the plot for one obvious reason: if that actually happened, these spores would have spread all over the world and no one would have escaped.
Therefore, the solution found by the series was to ignore this detail of the games and create a new dynamic for the infected. This is when the script determined that the cordyceps it has physically spread to some area and that all infected within that perimeter are connected. It’s something that generates a new kind of menace and urgency, as well as explaining how they always know where to find Joel and Ellie.
6. Alternative 2023
Another change we mentioned earlier is the event history. In the original game, the outbreak of cordyceps takes place in 2013, and the events of the main storyline take place two decades later, in 2033.
But series showrunner Craig Mazin said he believes this idea of a story set in the future takes away impact and urgency from certain events. Here because, The Last of Us on HBO has had a significant change to its calendar and all the events we see take place in an alternate 2023.
It may seem like just a detail, but it’s a change that should have more serious implications in season two.
5. Wallpaper for Henry and Sam
Although they only appeared for two episodes, the participation of brothers Henry (Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard) in the series is much more complex than in the games. In the storyline of the games, they are just two survivors who cross paths with Joel and Ellie and help them for a while. It’s basically two people who end up taking a ride with the heroes because they’re going in the same direction.
The series was concerned with giving the duo a little more depth, placing them not only as survivors, but as fugitives as well. The brothers’ story is linked to the popular uprising that took place in Kansas City and brought an armed militia to power.
The whole story of Henry being an informant for the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA) and helping kill the rebel leader to get medicine for Sam was made for the show and made it all the more interesting.
4. The people against FEDRA
Incidentally, no storyline involving the revolution in Kansas City is featured in the game. In fact, Joel and Ellie don’t even go to town in the game. The entire sequence involving the looters trap takes place in Pittsburgh and boils down to a group of criminals preying on passing survivors.
Therefore, HBO wanted to give a new look to this piece of The Last of Us to convey a message that was not in the original: when there is no liberation, the dream of the oppressed is to become the oppressor. In this way, the population that has suffered horrors at the hands of the FEDRA agents establishes an equally tyrannical government.
3. Ellie is much tougher
There is no doubt that Bella Ramsay spectacularly brought to life the Ellie we know from the games. However, there are some subtle differences in both her portrayal and small script details that make the series’ version of the character much tougher than her in-game counterpart.
The most obvious of these takes place in Jackson. The whole sequence where the girl walks through Jackson next to Maria (Rutina Wesley) in the series makes it clear how she is not interested in anything the woman has to say and it gapes in her eyes how disgusted she is by the to be there.
A little later, when she hears Joel asking Tommy (Diego Luna) to take her to the Fireflies, this is another divergent point that gives the adaptation much more weight. In the games, she gets angry and runs away from the camp, which leads to a whole stretch of searching for the girl full of infected.
Already in the series, Ellie swallows tears and does not hide her disappointment in Joel. Instead of running away, she agrees to leave without her mate and lets her hatred feel in her eyes. At the same time, she generates one of the best scenes of the entire adaptation: Joel realizes the mistake she has made and asks the girl to choose who she wants to go with – and she immediately replies that she is with him.
2. Bill’s story
Perhaps the most beautiful change that The Last of Us has done all season, Bill’s (Nick Offerman) story is proof that even a the script so acclaimed in games can be improved when it is taken to another medium.
Instead of just presenting him as a crazy survivor that Joel and Ellie find at some point in their journey, the series explored the character’s entire past to bring a message that enriched the script too much, much more than being the guy who gives the car for heroes.
So, let’s see how this survivor who has always had an aversion to humanity transformed when he found someone to spend the apocalypse by his side. It is from meeting Frank (Murray Bartlett) that we understand his change in behavior and worldview.
In addition to producing very beautiful scenes and with a beautifully written script, the entire storyline only enhances Joel’s journey, paving the way for him to break down his defenses and grow more and more fond of Ellie.
1. Ellie’s immunity
The big reveal of The Last of Us on TV was why Ellie was immune cordyceps, information that has never been presented in games. As shown in the final episode, the protagonist’s mother — played by the same Ashley Johnson who plays the character in the game — is attacked by an infected shortly after giving birth and before cutting the umbilical cord.
Although the idea that the mother’s body produced such rare antibodies and passed them on to the baby in seconds doesn’t make the slightest sense, we accept it. Especially since it’s the answer to the question games have never asked, and it opens up new possibilities for the franchise as a whole.
Because of this, it seems fair to say that Ellie’s immunity origin is the boldest change the series has come up with. It remains to be seen what the manufacturers intend to do for the future.
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Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
