The Last of Us: Part I: The Review

*Note: Updated in June 2025 in an effort to remove AI-generated content from the blog.

Overview

Little is left to be said about The Last of Us: Part I. It's a game that broke the world by telling an engaging story, one of the best in gaming, while also being a near-perfect gameplay experience. It's a modern-day masterpiece and one of the pinnacles of the entire gaming industry.

Score: 10 out of 10

The Positives ✅

I finally went back and revisited The Last of Us: Part I and, oh boy… it’s just as memorable as I remember. The character models, environments, and animations – pretty much everything – have been rebuilt from the ground up. It still feels like the same game, but it looks incredibly good now. I actually found myself stopping a few times just to take it all in because, yes, it looks that impressive.

And the story? It still hit me right in the gut. Joel and Ellie’s journey is, without a doubt, my favourite video game story, and replaying it made me go through the exact same emotions as I did on my first run of the game—maybe even with more intensity now, with how real everything feels. Some of the big moments somehow felt even more intense this time around, which I didn’t think was possible. The PS5’s haptics and adaptive triggers make combat and exploration feel way more immersive than ever before.

It’s the same game at its core, just way more refined: smoother gameplay and smarter AI – it all just clicks (pun intended).

Also, massive respect to Naughty Dog for the accessibility features. There’s a ridiculous amount of options now, which makes the game way more inclusive and approachable. Not something every studio gets right, but they really went above and beyond here. And yes, that opening scene still absolutely wrecked me. This whole remake honestly feels like a proper tribute to the original. You can tell they cared deeply about doing it justice, and they absolutely did.

The Negatives ⚠️

As much as I love The Last of Us Part I and can admit it looks absolutely stunning on the PS5, I have to be realistic: it's hard not to talk about the price. Don’t get me wrong, the visual upgrade and the attention to detail (a Naughty Dog staple) are super impressive, but aside from minor gameplay tweaks and the addition of some accessibility options, it’s still the same game at its core. For people who already played the original, it kind of feels more like a really pretty remaster than a full-blown remake, which makes that full price tag feel a bit steep.

The Experience 🎮

The Last of Us: Part I is one of those rare games that just lingers with you long after the credits roll. It’s, without a doubt, a masterpiece from start to finish, and even after all these years, it still is one of the best video games ever made. It took us about 15 hours to snag the platinum, but this is one of those rare games that we genuinely don’t mind going back to again and again. And yes, we also covered The Last of Us: Part II, so check it out.