Next Sunday (12), the series The Last of Us will reach the end of its first season. The work produced by Sony and distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery – broadcast on HBO and HBO Max – adapts the well-known history of the video game franchise to audiovisual.
And like every adaptation for the TV world, several additions and removals were made by the authors. Do you know what are the main differences between the series and the game? Detective TC went back and tells you now.
SPOILER ALERT
Although the context is maintained from the game to the series, the location in time has suffered from some differences. In the game, the Cordyceps background begins to be spread in the year 2013 – when the title was launched –, with the plot of Joel and Ellie starting only in 2033 – 20 years after the beginning of the events.
The HBO series made some changes here. The spread of the infectious agent took place in 2003, with the journey of the protagonists situated in 2023 – the year of the production’s debut.
If Pedro Pascal had already acted with his face covered in The Mandalorianthe situation is not repeated in The Last of Us. This is because the series has not replicated the electronic game in the way Cordyceps is propagated.
In the game developed by Naughty Dog, the background spreads through its spores, which are released in the air. Therefore, the characters end up needing to always wear masks, to avoid contamination.
In the television storyline, the infection does not occur that way. The fungus ends up appearing in people only when there is an orifice – be it the mouth or even wounds on the body. In this way, no facial accessory is needed.
After all, how is it possible to communicate with other people in an apocalyptic world, where there are no smartphones or computers? The television series decided to create a solution that does not exist in the video game.
In the history of TV, quarantine zones come into contact with each other through radio frequencies. Depending on the decade of the music played – the 1960s, 1970s or 1980s – it is possible to know the situation of the place.
The game characters were also adapted for the TV series. An example is in the Miller family. The game depicts Sarah as a white and blonde girl, while the series depicts the girl with Latino descent.
Another change within the family is in the relationship between Joel and Tommy. While in the Naughty Dog title, there is no information about Tommy’s brother’s past, the series shows more about their relationship since the first episode.
Another change is in young Ellie. An important figure for containing the possible cure for the fungus in her blood, she is escorted by Fireflies commanded by Marlene both in the game and in the television plot. The difference is that, in the latter, the girl gets to be trapped in one of the refuges for a few days.
Another difference is present in episode 8 – the penultimate of the first season. As in the game, Ellie faces David alone. However, the ending of this clash takes place in a different way.
In the series, Joel does not take part at the end of the confrontation to stop the girl, as happens in video games. He just hugs her when she leaves the restaurant alone.
So, do you remember any other difference between the series and the game of The Last of Us? Tell us in the space below.
