Uncharted territory: 'The Last of Us' lets Naughty Dog off the leash

by Steven Mostyn - Dec 12 2011, 00:03

After being tied to the award-winning Uncharted series since 2007, acclaimed software developer Naughty Dog is finally looking to expand beyond the wise-cracking charm of adventure hero Nathan Drake.

In fact, upcoming PlayStation 3 survival horror creation ‘The Last of Us’ suggests a radical departure for the Santa Monica-based studio, which, prior to Uncharted, was perhaps best known for its kid-friendly Crash Bandicoot games.

The first official trailer for The Last of Us was unveiled this weekend during the annual Spike Video Game Awards (VGAs) and showcased a human world devastated by plague and populated by terrifying mutant creatures and desperate survivors.  

“We are excited to finally unveil The Last of Us, a project the team has been working hard on for some time,” trumpeted Evan Wells, co-president of Naughty Dog, in a Forbes report.

“We are confident The Last of Us will take a leap forward in cinematic gaming and storytelling, providing gamers with an experience unlike anything else in the industry,” he added.

Considering the eerie and tense atmosphere conveyed by the trailer, The Last of Us promises to deliver thrills and spills in keeping with the cloying dread of Dead Space and the character-reliant partnership of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.

In that sense the game certainly looks like a welcome departure from recent genre titles, including the darkly humorous Dead Rising, the trigger-happy Resident Evil 5, and the flawed discomfort of Dead Island.

And, considering the quality of storytelling and white-knuckle cinematic set pieces laced throughout the Uncharted franchise, it stands to reason that The Last of Us could well emerge as a genuine ‘old school’ frightfest.

Steal a glimpse at The Last of Us via the following trailer, which introduces us to street-smart teenager Ellie (an Ellen Page ringer) and the disheveled gun-toting Joel as they struggle against other scrounging survivors and battle something altogether more horrific.

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