Although seven years have passed, The Last of Us’s story still has many unanswered questions in gamers’ minds.
Perhaps there is nothing to criticize in the story of The Last of Us. This is one of the best games of the decade. However, even though it was over, The Last of Us still left me with many memories and unanswered questions. It kept me thinking and thinking. Even if I searched dozens of Wikipedia pages, I couldn’t find the answer. In the end, I had to play the game a lot of times, trying to track down every clue to string, trying to answer my long-standing questions. However, all are hopeless.
Seven years have passed, and we are about to welcome The Last of Us Part II, but my questions for the first part have yet to be enlightened. Naughty Dog also did not give any explanation to the fan community. For the second part, I hope that my following questions will be adequately answered.
Why did Joel choose to live in Boston?
Maybe this you didn’t notice, Joel and Sarah live in Texas, located close to Austin’s capital in the first segment. About 20 years after Sarah died, the whole world was ravaged by Cordyceps Mushroom. Joel seemed to have a stable life in Boston. Of course, we all know that 20 years is a long time, so many things must have happened to Joel.
But this is the problem that makes fans headache for an explanation. Why did Joel choose to go to Boston, which is close to 3200km from Austin? In the game, we see too many dangers from infected people to hunters who kill without mercy and wild animals if choosing to cross-country. Even in the early days of the outbreak, Joel had the opportunity to board a plane to some isolated area for human safety.
Joel’s 20-year period made fans curious. Why did Joel choose to travel a distance of 3200 km? And how could Joel make such a dangerous journey?
How exactly is Riley dead?
When The Last of Us: Left Behind ends, we know what kind of relationship Riley and Ellie have, the guilt, and where Ellie’s bite comes from. However, what TLoU fans do not know is precisely how Riley died.
We all know Riley was bitten, but she didn’t know what happened after that. Riley is a firefly member, which the organization does when its youngest member is bitten or missing. Did Ellie even tell them what happened to Riley and me? I hope in The Last of Us Part 2. Naughty Dog will have a more detailed segment of this incident because this is a turning point in Ellie’s life, affecting her later personality.
What was the argument between Tommy and Joel?
We all know Joel has a younger brother, Tommy. When witnessing the death of her grandson, Sarah, Tommy is equally sad as her brother. Initially, when the whole world fell into great calamity, the two had to rely on each other to survive. But the fact that Tommy and Joel had a severe conflict caused them not to see each other’s faces for 20 years. And, of course, Naughty Dog did not mention this disagreement.
When the world began to be devastated by Cordyceps Mushroom, Tommy and Joel chose violence to survive. Joel has become a dangerous hunter. He pretends to be ill to cheat passers-by, while Tommy will ambush them when the enemy is off guard (That’s why Joel does not fool by this trick from the other hunters). However, when the two went to Boston to smuggle for a living, Tommy realized that his brother’s lifestyle was utterly inappropriate. Convinced by Marlene, Tommy left his brother to join Fireflies. Joel and Tommy had a fierce argument about this, and Tommy ended with: “I never want to see your damn face again.”
Details of how the game did not mention the controversy. But it must have been so heavy that Tommy never wanted to see his brother’s face again.
Why does Marlene so trust Joel and Tess?
When Joel and Tess were in Boston, the first thing the player could easily see was that the two of them always chose to be as cruel as possible, especially not trusting anyone in this lonely world. Their motto of life seems to be a scam, just to their advantage without knowing anyone else.
However, why did Marlene trust the two people to entrust their responsibilities to protect Ellie? Marlene knew Ellie was critical to the future of the world. Her immunity can turn into a gold mine for any bad guy to exploit. Or suppose Ellie was destined, that would be the end of hopes for the world’s survival. In the end, Marlene still chose two superlatives to entrust an important girl to the world.
It seems Tommy is why Marlene trusts Joel so much, but that doesn’t mean Joel or Tess won’t have any other ideas along the way. Besides, with the dangers lurking, Joel also can not guarantee 100% for Ellie’s safety. Gamers can also see this while playing. Ellie has often campaigned on her own or fall into dangerous, deadly situations wholly overwhelmed with a 13-year-old girl.
Why did Marlene have to ask Tess and Joel to take Ellie away while she was the queen of Fireflies?
How did giraffes survive?
The giraffe scene was voted as the most impressive segment in The Last of Us by gamers. It gives players peace and relaxation. Giraffes’ image gives people more hope to survive in a destroyed world, leaving only death. However, it also makes players wonder: Why giraffes exist?
Food is not a problem because giraffes are leafy. When the world becomes dead, plants thrive. The problem lies with people infected with Cordyceps Mushrooms. They will attack any living creature that moves. So why aren’t giraffes shot? If we can say that this fungus only attacks humans, it may explain why animals are not infected, but why do those infected do not attack large animals that are not as agile as giraffes?
What is the end of Fireflies?
When I played The Last of Us, I also had a bit of a final wonder that Fireflies’ fate would be like when the “queen” Marlene died? The answer will probably lie in The Last of Us Part II. However, assuming Fireflies made the antidote from Ellie, I wonder what they would do with that antidote? What is the next step for Fireflies?
I believe that if the world becomes as chaotic in The Last of Us, people will always act for their own sake rather than for their own sake. We all know that Fireflies still confronted the army, and when they got the antidote, Fireflies went one step ahead of the army. This is a better opportunity for them to take power in the world. I never believed the noble cause Marlene tried to cram into Joel’s head. The real purpose of Fireflies to Ellie remains a mystery, and Joel’s actions are not unreasonable.
After all, we still can’t see which is best for both Ellie and humankind’s fate.