The Last of Us Part I

The Last of Us Part I is an action-adventure game from 2022, created by Naughty Dog and released by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It is a remake of the 2013 game of the same name, with updated combat and exploration mechanics, plus a wider range of accessibility settings. It also includes a remade version of the 2014 expansion, The Last of Us: Left Behind. Players control Joel, who must protect a young girl named Ellie as they travel across a post-apocalyptic United States, fighting off both hostile humans and creatures infected by a mutated Cordyceps fungus.

Development was overseen by game director Matthew Gallant and creative director Shaun Escayg, taking over from the original directors Bruce Straley and Neil Druckmann. The team rebuilt the game for newer hardware, creating new animations, art, and character models to match the original creators' vision. They analyzed the cutscenes and story beats to preserve the key narratives and their original intent. The engine from The Last of Us Part II (2020) was used as a foundation, expanding its gameplay, technology, and accessibility features. The remake includes audio descriptions, supports 3D audio, and uses the DualSense controller's haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

The Last of Us Part I launched for PlayStation 5 in September 2022. Critics gave it positive reviews, highlighting the improved graphics, facial animations, artificial intelligence, and the added accessibility, audio, and controller options. Opinions on the gameplay and level design were divided, and some reviewers questioned the need for a remake, particularly given its price. It won an award at the Visual Effects Society Awards and received nominations at the Game Awards and Golden Joystick Awards. The Windows version, released in March 2023, suffered from performance issues and received mixed reviews. By March 2024, the game had sold over two million copies.

In terms of gameplay, The Last of Us Part I is a third-person action-adventure title. Players navigate post-apocalyptic environments to progress the story, using firearms, improvised weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and stealth to fight hostile humans and the Infected—creatures transformed by a mutated Cordyceps fungus. For most of the game, the player controls Joel as he escorts Ellie across the country.