HBO's The Last Of Us having less violence than the game was the right call, fans agree

HBO’s The Last of Us has been hailed as the greatest video game adaptation of all time. Fans have praised the show for being faithful, but that doesn’t mean that the series is afraid of change.

In fact, episode three - which focused on Bill and Frank - was a major departure from the game, but it was also the series’ most triumphant episode with fans saying that Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett deserve awards for their performances. In the latest episode, we saw a new side to Joel. Pedro Pascal’s Joel is much more vulnerable and it’s all to do with a promise that showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin made several weeks ago. They teased that the TV series would feature less violence than the game.

The Last of Us Part I releases on PC on 28 March. Check out the remake compared to the original game.

Fans are all in agreement that this decision was the right call for the show. Reddit user zdbdog06 perfectly summed it up. They wrote, “Right now, every TV battle feels so much more impactful than the game. The man in episode four begging for his life, rolling through every idea he can think of while calling for his mother is so much better than just Ellie's ‘I shot the hell out of that guy, huh?’ And I know people want more Infected, but look how imposing they've all been in small doses. They are all major threats, not just cannon fodder.”

The user pointed out how just two Clickers posed a major threat in the museum scene. “People are more dangerous too,” they added. “Joel coming out of [the truck in Kansas City] and winning a 10-on-one gun battle like the game [would’ve been] unrealistic. This time he had a three-on-one and lost. Personally, I think it's done wonders for Joel. He's 56 and he's gone through some s**t. He struggles up 30 flights of stairs, has bad knees and an ear he can't hear out of. [...] It makes every scene feel like there's very real stakes and consequences that can happen in the wrong situation at any point.”

I quite agree. HBO’s The Last of Us is a masterclass in adapting gameplay. It’s clear that the latest episode teased the imminent arrival of a Bloater. I’m curious to see how ferocious he is on screen.