[This is the second article in a three-part series titled The Last of Us Turns One, which celebrates the week of the game’s one-year anniversary. You can check out the first part here. Spoilers for the main campaign and Left Behind DLC are imminent.]
Ask anyone what their favorite moments in The Last of Us are and I’m sure you’ll get lots of different answers. That’s because there are just so many enduring moments and pieces of dialogue in the game that would resonate with different people, making it hard to find one definitive answer. In celebration of the game’s one-year anniversary, I figured it would be nice to take a look at 10 of the most meaningful and powerful moments in the game that have touched me in some way or another.
Note that my picks will come from both the main campaign of the game as well as the Left Behind DLC. Listed below, in ascending order, are my choices for the top 10 most memorable moments in The Last of Us.
10. “How about something a little more your size?”
This takes place in the middle of the summer chapter of the game. Joel is of the mindset that Ellie’s just a child and that she shouldn’t be trusted with a weapon while the latter insists that she can take care of herself. She ends up proving herself capable of handling a rifle to defend Joel as he takes out a bunch of hunters, and this helps to change his mind. This scene stuck out to me because it was the first sign of mutual trust between the pair, and it was something that would only grow in strength as the game continued on.
The entire exchange between the two before this scene where Ellie tries to convince Joel that she is indeed capable of looking out for him is almost similar to that of a child seeking a parent’s approval. Ellie’s look of subtle elation in that scene says it all: she’s genuinely glad to have earned a little of Joel’s trust, and this is what sets the foundation for their relationship.
