Chapter 760: Joel and Ellie
The combat system in *The Last of Us* was also very unique.
Although Chen Mo hadn’t advertised special zombies or special weapons like he had with *Survive the Apocalypse*, players quickly discovered after playing that this game’s combat system was vastly different from traditional zombie games, and completely unlike any of Chen Mo’s previous games.
In simple terms, *The Last of Us* had a more realistic combat system, better portraying the true state of human-zombie combat in a post-apocalyptic environment.
In *The Last of Us*, fighting humans and fighting zombies were two different combat styles.
When fighting zombies, their best sense was hearing, and their vision was poor, so players had to walk slowly and quietly.
"Listening" and "stealth kills" were the most commonly used combat methods. "Listening" was a special ability of the protagonist. In this state, the protagonist’s movement became very slow, almost silent, while he could use his hearing to locate zombies and humans behind walls.
The game featured both regular zombies and special zombies. Regular zombies could be dealt with by sneaking up and strangling them, but some special zombies, like the Clickers, couldn’t be killed by strangulation and required a shiv.
Moreover, zombies had extremely sharp hearing. As soon as a gun was fired, nearby zombies would swarm in. If the protagonist was bitten, the game ended immediately. So, in combat, stealth kills or simply sneaking past enemies were the most cost-effective strategies. Trying to shoot one’s way through was unrealistic.
This was different from other zombie games, which often gave the protagonist a bunch of overpowered weapons, like chainsaws or gatling guns, letting players enjoy the thrill of mowing down zombies. But if you thought about it, in a real post-apocalyptic world twenty years later, finding even a few bullets would be lucky, and items like chainsaws and gatling guns would be nearly impossible to obtain.
When fighting humans, it was a different combat style.
Humans had good vision; as soon as the protagonist showed his head, he’d be spotted. However, their hearing was slightly worse, making stealth kills a bit easier.
Humans were often heavily armed, so this type of combat was somewhat similar to *Uncharted*, involving stealth kills and cover-based gunfights. But because the player had very limited bullets, it was impossible to just blast through everything like in *Uncharted*’s easy mode. Guns could only be used as tactical weapons. In most situations, the protagonist’s weapons were bottles, bricks, or even just his fists.
The brick-throwing combat style, in particular, felt very grounded.
So, while *The Last of Us*’s combat and resource systems seemed stingy at first glance, upon reflection, they were actually much closer to a real post-apocalyptic ecology.
If there was any combat resource that was unlimited twenty years after the virus outbreak, it was probably just bricks.
Furthermore, although this combat system seemed like the same old stealth, assassination, and cover shooting, combined with the special zombie apocalypse setting, the "listening" ability, and the complex weapon system, it felt completely fresh. It was clearly distinct from other games and had its own unique combat experience.
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Zhao Lei was completely immersed in the story of *The Last of Us*.
Joel and Tess tracked down Robert to investigate their stolen goods, encountered Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies, and took on a special deal: escort a 13-year-old girl named Ellie out of the city in exchange for a large cache of weapons.
But during their escape from the city, they ran into soldiers and discovered that Ellie was actually infected, though she was an immune carrier. This little girl might hold the key to creating a vaccine for the zombie virus.
However, after enduring countless hardships and reaching their destination, the State Capitol building, the story took another twist.
The Firefly members in the Capitol had all evacuated, but Tess insisted on continuing to find the Fireflies because she had been infected and had little time left. In this post-apocalyptic world, someone like Joel survived not because he was strong, but because he was lucky, and luck would eventually run out.
Tess hoped Joel would deliver Ellie to the Fireflies to develop a vaccine, while she chose to stay behind and hold off the pursuing soldiers.
Joel and Ellie went through great trouble to evade the soldiers’ pursuit, and at this point, the story reached a crucial turning point.
What should they do next?
Zhao Lei could empathize with Joel’s situation.
In twenty years of a desperate life, Joel had experienced too much, grown accustomed to deceit and the cruelty of the apocalypse. This was evident from how calmly and unhesitatingly he killed soldiers and enemies who threatened him.
Joel’s attitude toward Ellie was also very cold. The reason he escorted her wasn’t out of sympathy, but merely to get those weapons—it was just a transaction.
It had to be said that Joel’s mindset perfectly matched the rules of survival after the apocalypse. If Joel weren’t this kind of person, he wouldn’t have survived for twenty years.
At this point, making Joel risk his life for a vague goal was clearly something he was unwilling to do.
But no matter what, Joel couldn’t just abandon Ellie, so the story continued, and Joel pressed on toward the next destination.
During the game, Zhao Lei noticed some very interesting details.
First, Joel’s attitude toward Ellie was quite dismissive. Compared to the warm father he was twenty years ago, the current Joel was like a cold, ruthless egoist. He barely responded to Ellie’s jokes and sometimes even scolded her harshly.
Of course, this was largely due to a self-protective mindset. Joel had clearly seen many examples over the past twenty years, as he himself said: "The only thing you care about is the one thing that gets you killed." Joel wanted to survive and didn’t want to take risks for an illusory goal.
This kind of character portrayal felt very real and fitting to Zhao Lei. In the apocalypse, Joel wasn’t a good person, but he hadn’t become a bad one either. He had simply put on a protective shell, becoming a gray figure better suited to surviving in this harsh world.
Second, as partners, the relationship between Joel and Ellie was completely different from that between Joel and Tess, and this difference was reflected in the gameplay.
Tess was a tough woman, so when encountering high places, Joel could lift her up, and she could then pull him up. But Ellie was just a little girl who couldn’t pull Joel up, so after Joel lifted her over, she could only look for keys to open doors or find special tools.
Moreover, Tess was usually heavily armed, while Ellie was unarmed. When they found a bow, Ellie eagerly asked to use it, but Joel refused. No matter how much Ellie begged, he wouldn’t give her any weapons.
Even so, Ellie would pick up items like bottles or bricks from the environment, often helping Joel out.
The dynamic between Joel and Ellie was full of drama, conflict, and tension, making Zhao Lei very curious about how the story would unfold.
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