# Analysis of The Last of Us
**URL:** https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674
**Category:** Analysis and Review
**Created:** [July 12, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674 "2016-07-12T13:49:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@bobRaskoph](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/bobRaskoph)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/1 "2016-07-12T13:49:54Z")
It wouldn’t surprise me if **The Last of Us** had a similar storyform to **Fury Road** , just with an Outcome of _Failure_… Change, Stop, Do-er, Linear, Action, Optionlock, Failure, Good(/Bad?), Physics, Obtaining, Self-Interest, Avoidance… or Change, Stop, Do-er, Linear, Action, Optionlock, Failure, Good(/Bad?), Universe, Future, Delay, Avoidance… with Joel being the Main Character and Ellie being the Influence Character… but that’s my immediate impression.
I just did a youtube search for “last of us all cutscenes” and got some videos that are over 2 hours long. And what happens between the cutscenes is rather important, I believe. The problem with video games in general is that they take much longer to get through than most movies. The short length of movies is (as far as I know) the reason why the User Group Analyses are about films (and sometimes TV Pilots), and not novels and such.
Other than that, I wouldn’t mind trying to analyze certain video game stories, and not just **The Last of Us**. Though I imagine most would fall under the usual “OS Domain Physics, MC Domain Universe” template.
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### Author:  [@Sean](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Sean)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/2 "2016-07-12T14:37:56Z")
Yeah, I totally get why most people stay away from exploring longer form storytelling in general, but nevertheless, it’s nice to see someone else taking an interest in game stories.
I haven’t explored it deeply either, but I agree with most of your options, except I personally see Joel as remaining steadfast and Ellie changing, and I’m leaning more towards a judgement bad ending. I may be wrong of course, and am eager to figure out this storyform either way, as I’m quite sure it has one. Shall we start a new topic to discuss this in greater detail?
On a side note, what other game stories do you feel are worth exploring? I think **Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End** , from the same writer, has a great storyform as well.
EDIT: Also, **Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture** might be an interesting story to explore. I think it has OS Domain Universe, MC Domain Physics. Other ideas: **Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy IX, X, XII**
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### Author:  [@bobRaskoph](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/bobRaskoph)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2016, 11:19am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/3 "2016-07-13T11:19:27Z")
> [@New films for analysis?](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/new-films-for-analysis/11/126):
>
> On a side note, what other game stories do you feel are worth exploring?
I was mostly thinking of various narrative games. **Mass Effect** , **Metal Gear Solid** , **Final Fantasy VII-XIII** , Visual Novels (e.g. **Fate/Stay Night** , **Steins;Gate** , **Katawa Shoujo** , …)
> [@New films for analysis?](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/new-films-for-analysis/11/126):
>
> I think Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, from the same writer, has a great storyform as well.
>
> EDIT: Also, Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture might be an interesting story to explore. I think it has OS Domain Universe, MC Domain Physics. Other ideas: Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy IX, X, XII
I’m not very familiar with the Uncharted stories. But **Silent Hill 2** would definitely be interesting.
> [@New films for analysis?](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/new-films-for-analysis/11/126):
>
> Shall we start a new topic to discuss this in greater detail?
I don’t know if I have the time to delve too deeply into anything, but I’m sure the mods won’t have a problem with a new thread, especially since we’d stop hogging this one.
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### Author:  [@Sean](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Sean)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2016, 12:07pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/4 "2016-07-13T12:07:52Z")
> [@New films for analysis?](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/new-films-for-analysis/11/127):
>
> I don’t know if I have the time to delve too deeply into anything, but I’m sure the mods won’t have a problem with a new thread, especially since we’d stop hogging this one.
In that case, let’s just keep this in view for now, as I’m also not sure it’s something I’m up to tackling at the moment, also taking into account my inexperience. Let’s wait and see if anyone else is interested before we visit this in detail.
> [@New films for analysis?](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/new-films-for-analysis/11/127):
>
> Silent Hill 2 would definitely be interesting.
I’ve always felt this was the most focused of all the **Silent Hill** narratives, and definitely the best of the series in many ways. Developers of future entries tried to replicate its success, but I think most would agree that it remains unmatched. Perhaps it’s because of a functioning storyform.
l[quote=“bobRaskoph, post:127, topic:11”]
I was mostly thinking of various narrative games. Mass Effect, Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy VII-XIII, Visual Novels (e.g. Fate/Stay Night, Steins;Gate, Katawa Shoujo, …)
[/quote]
1. I’m not certain the **Mass Effect** series has a storyform. Perhaps some of the DLC, like **Citadel** , or **Lair of the Shadow Broker.**
2. I suspect MGS 1 and 3 might have some pretty…solid structures.
3. About the FF series, I feel **Final Fantasy X** is the strongest, structure wise, followed by **XII** , then **IX** (my personal favourite), and then **VII**. I admit I haven’t played **VI** till the end.
4. ‘Fate’ Route of **Fate/Stay Night** seems like it has potential, structure wise. So does **Steins;Gate** , though I haven’t played it, only watched. Can’t say about **Katawa Shoujo** , though it does look…interesting.
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### Author:  [@LunarDynasty](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/LunarDynasty)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/5 "2016-07-16T19:31:04Z")
I imagine there might be a number of SCUMM-style point-and-click adventure games that have a storyform, as they tend to be more plot-centric. I played _Gemini Rue_ a couple of years ago and it was definitely working with Memory as an MC Concern.
_Undertale_ definitely has throughlines going on, but at the same time it plays so much with meta-narrative and shifting perspectives that it kind of undermines itself.
> [@Sean](#):
>
> I suspect MGS 1 and 3 might have some pretty…solid structures.
Oh wow, I hadn’t thought to try analyzing any of the MGS series. That’d be a trip. I can at least say assuredly that MGS3 is an `Outcome:Success` and `Judgment:Bad` story.
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### Author:  [@bobRaskoph](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/bobRaskoph)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/6 "2016-07-16T22:25:06Z")
> [@Sean](#):
>
> I’m not certain the Mass Effect series has a storyform. Perhaps some of the DLC, like Citadel, or Lair of the Shadow Broker.
I’m honestly not too familiar with the franchise. I thought that maybe each individual game might have one or two storyforms, depending on your choices?
> [@Sean](#):
>
> About the FF series, I feel Final Fantasy X is the strongest, structure wise, followed by XII, then IX (my personal favourite), and then VII. I admit I haven’t played VI till the end.
I’m most familiar with Final Fantasy X, and I agree that it probably has the strongest story form.[quote=“Sean, post:4, topic:674”]
‘Fate’ Route of Fate/Stay Night seems like it has potential, structure wise. So does Steins;Gate, though I haven’t played it, only watched. Can’t say about Katawa Shoujo, though it does look…interesting.
[/quote]
_Steins;Gate_ is great. I’ve seen the Anime and only skimmed over the visual novel, but as far as I know, the visual novel is only more detailed in the route the Anime takes. Who Main Character and Influence Character are is pretty clear, I think, but I don’t know if their throughlines are developed enough? And I’m worried that the real story doesn’t actually start until Episode 13 or so, where Goal, Stakes and Limit are established.
Have you heard about _Narcissu_? It clearly has the subjective throughlines, though I’m not sure how challenging the Influence Character is, let alone how strong the overall story might be.
I find _Katawa Shoujo_ interesting on a meta-level. It is fascinating to me how it even came to exist. Something to keep in mind: each route was written by a different author. So the quality is rather inconsistent. And while I would not call any of these routes ‘great’ by any means, they are all way better than you would expect. Rin and Hanako’s route especially.
While each route would have its own storyform, I think only one or two be something close to a complete story. Most of them don’t have a clear Overall story, and I have trouble finding any story limit. In addition, how well defined the Main Character is depends on the route as well. Again, Rin and Hanako’s route are probably the strongest in this respect, followed by Lilly and Emi, and lastly Shizune.
… Yeah, I’ve read through this thing recently. Unfortunately, like many Visual Novels, it takes a while to complete a route, 4-9 hours depending on how fast you read and such. Although its wiki describes the routes in enough detail that one might be able to determine the storyform from that? I tried, but I couldn’t really decide.
> [@LunarDynasty](#):
>
> I imagine there might be a number of SCUMM-style point-and-click adventure games that have a storyform, as they tend to be more plot-centric. I played Gemini Rue a couple of years ago and it was definitely working with Memory as an MC Concern. [/quote]
> Yeah, later Point-and-Click Adventures are generally more plot-centric (as opposed to being just about the puzzles), though I’m certain that most of them have neither Influence Character nor Relationship throughlines. _Gemine Rue_ could work though. It’s been a while since I played it.
> Now that I think about it, Telltale’s _The Walking Dead_ (with Lee and Clementine as MC and IC) and _The Wolf Among Us_ might be complete stories.
>
> [quote=“LunarDynasty, post:5, topic:674”]Undertale definitely has throughlines going on, but at the same time it plays so much with meta-narrative and shifting perspectives that it kind of undermines itself.
In this case I think looking at the three/four play styles (genocide, no-mercy, ‘normal’, true/pacifist) individually would lead to better results. I could imagine the pacifist route having its throughlines like this: OS Situation (Monsters are stuck underground and want to get out), MC Manipulation (dealing with monsters through persuasion of some kind), IC Activities (monsters consistently attack you), RS Fixed Attitude (humans/monsters are evil), with MC Resolve Steadfast and IC Resolve Change.
* * *
So, here are the games I’m most familiar with / wouldn’t have to replay/rewatch to try and figure out a storyform: The Last of Us, The Walking Dead, Katawa Shoujo, Steins;Gate, Undertale (Pacifist), Final Fantasy X, Silent Hill 2
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### Author:  [@Sean](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Sean)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2016, 10:29am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/7 "2016-07-19T10:29:14Z")
> [@LunarDynasty](#):
>
> I imagine there might be a number of SCUMM-style point-and-click adventure games that have a storyform, as they tend to be more plot-centric. I played Gemini Rue a couple of years ago and it was definitely working with Memory as an MC Concern.
Haven’t played any of those, but I’ll look into it. Seems interesting.
> [@LunarDynasty](#):
>
> Undertale definitely has throughlines going on, but at the same time it plays so much with meta-narrative and shifting perspectives that it kind of undermines itself.
I tried playing _Undertale,_ but I found the bullet hell mechanics and the overly self referential/meta/postmodern nature of the plot rather off-putting, not that I am opposed to such things in general. I feel something like _Adventure Time_ strikes a better balance. However, I intend to give _Undertale_ another shot sometime.
> [@LunarDynasty](#):
>
> Oh wow, I hadn’t thought to try analyzing any of the MGS series. That’d be a trip. I can at least say assuredly that MGS3 is an Outcome:Success and Judgment:Bad story.
MGS3 is my favourite of the series, and I feel it has the strongest storyform. I agree with that outcome and judgement.
> [@bobRaskoph](#):
>
> I’m honestly not too familiar with the franchise. I thought that maybe each individual game might have one or two storyforms, depending on your choices?
Having played through the series, multiple times for 1 and 2, I’m not quite convinced it’s presenting an argument of any sort, beyond the two DLC I mentioned. It seems to me that Shepard is more of a blank slate type of MC, and though there are perhaps some relationship subplots with the companion characters, it doesn’t add up to any overall message. I’d welcome an alternative perspective, of course.
> [@bobRaskoph](#):
>
> Steins;Gate is great. I’ve seen the Anime and only skimmed over the visual novel, but as far as I know, the visual novel is only more detailed in the route the Anime takes. Who Main Character and Influence Character are is pretty clear, I think, but I don’t know if their throughlines are developed enough? And I’m worried that the real story doesn’t actually start until Episode 13 or so, where Goal, Stakes and Limit are established.
To be honest, I’m not that big a fan of _Steins;Gate_, as I tend to stay away from time travel/alternate universe centric stories in general, though there are exceptions I have enjoyed, like _Madoka_ and _The Girl Who Leapt Through Time_. It was however, a fun watch, and I think it has one of the strongest story forms I’ve seen in anime, which tends to be rather heavy handed in general. I think it was certainly an interesting narrative choice to begin the ‘real story’ at Episode 13, and to keep it _‘slice of life’_ until then.
> [@bobRaskoph](#):
>
> … Yeah, I’ve read through this thing recently. Unfortunately, like many Visual Novels, it takes a while to complete a route, 4-9 hours depending on how fast you read and such. Although its wiki describes the routes in enough detail that one might be able to determine the storyform from that? I tried, but I couldn’t really decide.
I’m hesitant to attempt visual novels in general because of the time investment required. I tried _Fate_ and found it underwhelming. I think the strength of the _Nasuverse_ lies more in its creative worldbuilding than its storytelling.
I’ve heard good things about the writing in _Katawa Shoujo_, which is intriguing, considering its outlandish premise. Perhaps I’ll give it a shot sometime. I’ll look into _Narcissu_ as well.
Some other anime titles I’ve enjoyed and would be interested in exploring - _Shin Sekai Yori, Psycho Pass, Texhnolyze, Moribito, Shouwa Genroku_, certain _Mushishi_ episodes, _Terror in Resonance_, _Phantom_
Games mentioned previously I would be interested in exploring - _The Last of Us, Telltale Games, Uncharted 4, Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy Series, Metal Gear Solid 3_
However, I would be more comfortable with at least 3 perspectives involved in an analysis.
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### Author:  [@Khodu](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Khodu)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/8 "2016-12-21T00:24:57Z")
Hi Sean. Recently finished FFX HD and also watched the entire video of XII. You’re right on the storyform. The Characters however are another matter. For me, XII had better realised characters. They were not your standard archetypes, and this was what made me realise that I now prefer XII. Glad to see some gamers in the house.
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### Author:  [@Khodu](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Khodu)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2016, 12:26am UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/9 "2016-12-21T00:26:59Z")
And I think we should definitely do a The Last of Us and Uncharted 4 analysis. They have very strong storyforms and they’re not long at all.
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### Author:  [@bobRaskoph](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/bobRaskoph)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/analysis-of-the-last-of-us/674/10 "2016-12-21T15:37:43Z")
@Sean 's last post was in July, so I don’t know he would be still around to participate. I agree with him that three perspectives are a good minimum for an analysis. So unless he or someone else joins us, I don’t know if we should get this started at this moment. If we did, I would suggest starting with _The Last of Us_, since it annoys me less than _Uncharted 4_.
The four throughlines of _The Last of Us_ are pretty clear, though we get to see things from the IC’s POV quite a bit. I would recommend anyone to watch [this Literary Analysis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDEQzOpRCa8) of the game, even if you disagree with some of the interpretations. It puts some focus on the relationship between Joel and Ellie, which is nice for a Dramatica Analysis.