However, The Last of Us stands out from Naughty Dog’s other releases - thanks to a storyline that’s more mature and a world that’s more unforgiving in nature. However, the biggest departure that the two games make is in the endings department. Both The Last of Us and its follow-up The Last of Us Part 2 feature endings that are intentionally vague, and that’s something that speaks very well to the game’s themes and longevity.
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The Last of Us: The Art of Intentionally Vague Endings
The Last of Us games feature well-written plots starring characters that have suffered extreme emotional trauma. The relationships that these characters share and how they evolve over the course of the story takes center stage as opposed to an overarching plot concerning higher stakes. Ellie, Joel, and most others are all morally ambiguous characters, having motivations that can best be described as realistic.
Naughty Dog does these mature plots justice by not overtly relying on expository dialogue. Instead, the story lets the silence speak instead. The awkward pauses and sighs taken by characters amidst important scenes subtly hint at their mental states, which gives fans a moment to soak in all that’s happened and what might come next.
This is best portrayed by the endings of both The Last of Us games. The first game ends with an awkward conversation between Joel and Ellie, where the two confront each other about what went down at the hospital. It’s clear that Ellie doesn’t really trust Joel’s narrative, but she still hesitantly agrees upon his version of the truth just out of love. The best part is that all potential conclusions are one’s personal interpretation of the game, which bestows a sense of personal connection to the narrative. Suffice to say, it’s a feat that very few games manage to achieve.
In a similar vein, The Last of Us Part 2’s ending is also vague - albeit to not such a degree. When Ellie returns to her home after the final showdown with Abby, she picks up the guitar to play something. Of course, her severed finger makes it impossible for her to play - stripping her away of the only thing that reminded her of Joel. Ellie is, understandably enough, painfully silent throughout this entire period - seemingly staring into the void. She then gets up and starts walking out into the unknown, seemingly without any intent or motivation. Where she ends up going and what thoughts must have been prevailing inside her head all remain a mystery, with the answer sure to differ from player to player.
Again, it’s a masterful narrative device that allows fans to be deeply invested in a narrative and hold some personal stakes in what happens. Leaving intentional gaps in important parts of a story is easily one of the best parts of Naughty Dog’s approach, especially when the lead-up to the ending is a tightly-scripted thrill ride filled with numerous obstacles and set-pieces galore. Perhaps this is why The Last of Us and its follow-up are considered to be two of the best games of the last generation. A TV series adaptation based on The Last of Us is also in the works, and with game director Neil Druckmann reprising his role for a few episodes, it seems fair to expect it to recapture the same charm of the series. Hopefully, The Last of Us on HBO is able to maintain some ambiguity in certain moments as well.
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