Here's my impressions of THE LAST OF US demo.
It's beautiful. It's intense.
In the demo you navigate through some fallen buildings and end with an encounter with various enemies. Sounds simple enough. And it is or that's what Naughty Dog will have you believe. This is the strength of the design here, you feel safe due to the world being calm and quiet but when you encounter an enemy the mood quickly shifts to panic.
It is a wonderful mechanic that few games can manage. As I walked through the environments listening to the characters converse about their situation I was lulled into thinking that the world itself was safe. Collecting handguns, picking up bottle and bricks, crafting medkits...just a false sense of security.
The voice acting is warm, you feel you know these people already. When the lead character Joel spots some corpses and says "Oh boy" it's like a father speaking. When you hear the young girl Ellie say "Shit" you can't help but smile because a kid said a curse word. The dynamic between these two will be very interesting to follow in the final game.
When you do encounter an enemy the intensity begins, the camera tilts and shakes with movement, the serenity of the destroyed world around you is broken and there is relief when it is over. Combat is exactly how you would expect it to be. Hit square to attack/punch, shoulder buttons to fire weapons (Resident Evil style) yet the difference here is how the attacks are shown to the player. The impact of your melee attacks is visceral, you feel it in the controller, the on-screen violence is brutal but not glorified. It's ugly combat, scary but satisfying at the same time. During the numerous playthroughs I had I approached combat in several different ways against four enemies and each time was not only unpredictable but rewarding. Distracting enemies by throwing bottles or bricks, stealth take-downs, shooting enemies from a distance then taking out close-up enemies with a steel pipe or following up a knockdown with a knee to the head.
I can't wait to play the entire game as Naughty Dog have created a beautiful mood and fluidity to how you progress. Overall it feels organic, the world is alive and frightening and the atmosphere changes fast and violently, only to return to peaceful again. It is truly masterful in its execution.
-Hedge.
It's beautiful. It's intense.
In the demo you navigate through some fallen buildings and end with an encounter with various enemies. Sounds simple enough. And it is or that's what Naughty Dog will have you believe. This is the strength of the design here, you feel safe due to the world being calm and quiet but when you encounter an enemy the mood quickly shifts to panic.
It is a wonderful mechanic that few games can manage. As I walked through the environments listening to the characters converse about their situation I was lulled into thinking that the world itself was safe. Collecting handguns, picking up bottle and bricks, crafting medkits...just a false sense of security.
The voice acting is warm, you feel you know these people already. When the lead character Joel spots some corpses and says "Oh boy" it's like a father speaking. When you hear the young girl Ellie say "Shit" you can't help but smile because a kid said a curse word. The dynamic between these two will be very interesting to follow in the final game.
When you do encounter an enemy the intensity begins, the camera tilts and shakes with movement, the serenity of the destroyed world around you is broken and there is relief when it is over. Combat is exactly how you would expect it to be. Hit square to attack/punch, shoulder buttons to fire weapons (Resident Evil style) yet the difference here is how the attacks are shown to the player. The impact of your melee attacks is visceral, you feel it in the controller, the on-screen violence is brutal but not glorified. It's ugly combat, scary but satisfying at the same time. During the numerous playthroughs I had I approached combat in several different ways against four enemies and each time was not only unpredictable but rewarding. Distracting enemies by throwing bottles or bricks, stealth take-downs, shooting enemies from a distance then taking out close-up enemies with a steel pipe or following up a knockdown with a knee to the head.
I can't wait to play the entire game as Naughty Dog have created a beautiful mood and fluidity to how you progress. Overall it feels organic, the world is alive and frightening and the atmosphere changes fast and violently, only to return to peaceful again. It is truly masterful in its execution.
-Hedge.
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