The Last of Us is the only great video game adaptation. It follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across an America decimated by an outbreak of mutated fungi, which has turned half the world’s population into bloodthirsty zombies. As they travel to a hospital that might be able to create a cure with their help, they come face to face with the dangerous “infected”, and even more menacing people pushed to the edge of humanity. Over nine episodes, the series distills 14 hours of gameplay into a breathtakingly beautiful, heartbreaking and tense masterpiece of television.
Until now, it’s a feat that has never been achieved. The TV and film industry have desperately tried to capture the magic of the video game industry (and harness its $221.40bn worth for itself) for decades, with little success. The first, a film version of Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros in 1993, flopped with critics and regularly appears on “worst movies of all time” lists. It now has a cult following, which is usually an indication of something that has to be enjoyed ironically, and a dismal 29 per cent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite the mess of Super Mario Bros, the film industry didn’t give up on bringing video games to the big screen. Some of the biggest disappointments include Hitman, Assassin’s Creed, the Resident Evil franchise and Doom. The games on which they were based were hits among players (hence why they were adapted in the first place), but the movies were largely flat, unimaginative and narratively lost. The 2018 version of Tomb Raider, featuring Alicia Vikander as one of gaming’s most famous characters Lara Croft, and last year’s Tom Holland led action film Uncharted, were improvements, but hardly mirrored the longevity of their source material.
In the TV world, things haven’t been going much better. Last year, Paramount+ brought Halo – a game that takes place amid a conflict between humans and a race of aliens called the Convent – to the small screen. The bones of a good TV show were there, but the writing was derivative and the series lacked coherence. Also last year, Netflix produced zombie thriller Resident Evil, a Japanese series of video games that has achieved phenomenal success since its first Playstation release in 1996. The series was lazy and unsubtle.
So, what changed? The games did.
The Last of Us is widely regarded as the start of a renaissance for gaming, expanding the possibilities of what a video game could or should be. With fleshed-out characters, stunning and immersive art design, a bold, emotionally driven storyline and, most crucially, a central relationship to root for, the 2013 game was more an interactive movie than a traditional point-and-shoot. It was progressive, too. The female characters – historically oversexualised by the industry (see Lara Croft’s impractical skimpy outfit) – were just as tough and capable as the men. One male character is explicitly gay and, in the expansion, Left Behind, Ellie kisses a girl. As of December, the game has sold over 37 million copies worldwide.
The sequel, released in 2020, pushed the envelope even further, throwing into question the very nature of gaming. Until then, games which asked their players to kill did so without emotion or thinking attached. Part II not only gave the player’s victims personalities and feelings, but also forced us to play as the main antagonist, forcing us to see the story from more than just one perspective. It felt revolutionary.
Games with similar propulsions began to arrive. God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Life is Strange and A Plague Tale all hinged on moving storytelling alongside innovative game mechanics. Each, coincidentally, is currently being developed into a TV series. Even Assassin’s Creed, which had previously suffered a horrendous film adaptation led by Michael Fassbender, began to follow the trend with a series of standalone games set in various historical periods. That too is getting another pass, with Netflix working on a series.
The relationship hasn’t always been one way. Some of the best video games have been adaptations or spin-offs of movies and TV shows, the most famous being EA’s series of Harry Potter games. But again, they were constrained – either by the technology available at the time (2001’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was a simple platform game) or by the popularity of the movies, forcing developers to follow a strict storyline with very little deviation allowed.
That also looks set to change, with the release of Hogwarts Legacy, a sprawling open world (meaning players can travel to any point on a map) adventure set in the Harry Potter world but taking players back to the late 19th century. While many have announced they will boycott the games due to J K Rowling’s transphobia and multiple delays have made fans frustrated, Hogwarts Legacy looks to be one of the biggest and most anticipated game launches in years. Finally, the relationship between film and games looks to be symbiotic.
Of course, there’s every chance the God of War or Horizon Zero Dawn adaptations will be rubbish and that The Last of Us will remain the only great example. Only time will tell on that front, but Sky Atlantic’s new series certainly gives hope that it is, at least, possible to turn a fantastic video game into an equally fantastic TV show. No pressure.
The Last of Us is on Mondays at 2am and 9pm on Sky Atlantic. It is available to stream on Now.