How does The Last of Us game end?

Naughty Dog’s Last of Us may be one of gaming’s biggest blockbusters, but it’s safe to say that HBO’s Last of Us TV series introduced the zombie epic’s acclaimed, contentious story to a whole new audience. And at least some of that audience is wondering: “How does this all end?”

In 2013, it was possible to get the feeling that you had gotten if you were less than five meters from a video game. Last of UsTells a story that spawned considerable debate. Perhaps you’re curious about where all that drama comes from. Or maybe, after watching the first episode, you’re not sure whether you want to sign up for something that might involve, say, Joel’s new surrogate kid dying. Or maybe you just like to know what you’re getting into, and you devour spoilers as a matter of course.

Let’s just say that we will tell you the ending of this article. Last of Us (2013), let’s talk about the reasons why you might actually want to go in cold.

The reasons why you shouldn’t spoil the ending of The Last of Us. Explained without spoilers

Image by Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive Entertainment

The end of We Are The Last Of Us is not ambiguous in its contents, containing a crystal clear succession of events and motivations — and at the same time, it leaves room for every player to form their own opinion on it. It demands reaction, and discussion, and “X was right” essays and “No, you psychopath, X was wrong” rebuttals.

It is unclear if the end of Last of UsIt is possible to argue that this is a twist ending. It is a twist ending, however. Last of Us is. Polygon staff who’ve played the game can attest: Knowing the ending beforehand definitely colors how you respond to the show.

If you don’t already know the ending of Last of Us and aren’t completely set on knowing what happens, we’d advise you not to look it up. You should experience the story in its entirety and take the time to ask questions.

It is up to me now to determine if Joel and Ellie will die.

Yeah, that’s legit. Sometimes you just need to know what you’re signing up for — parental-figure death and child death, especially in such a violent story, are heavy emotions! Und Last of Us There is plenty of child murder to be had (not just in the first episode). Scroll past the image, and we’ll let you know.

[Ed. note: The rest of this piece contains incrementally increasing spoilers for The Last of Us (2013).]

Image by Alison Sullivan

Joel, Ellie and their children do not die in the final days of Last of Us (2013).

Could you please tell me what the ending will sound like?

You just wanna know if it’s an upper or a downer? Continue scrolling.

Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO

This element is one of most controversial aspects of ending the story. Last of Us (2013). You may have different feelings, but you can expect mixed emotions.

Please tell me what the end of “The Last of Us” is.

You got it, boss.

Image courtesy of HBO

Final act Last of UsAfter many terrorizing adventures in the wilderness, Joel and Ellie finally arrive in Salt Lake City. Ellie is taken immediately to the hospital for treatment. Marlene, who had not considered that Joel might develop paternal feelings for the child he was hired to smuggle, tells Joel that the only way to make a cure is to excise part of Ellie’s brain, which will kill her. It is then that the ball starts rolling for Last of Us’ finale combat sequence.

Joel beats up everyone at the Firefly laboratory and then carries Ellie out of the building. The player kills many characters through Joel during the game. However, the final takes care to emphasize. ThisAs a matter of fact, rampage is a possibility beyond. And to be clear, unlike more role-play-leaning games, Joel’s actions are not left to player choice — the only way to continue the game is to pilot Joel as he executes doctors who are begging for their lives, shoots Marlene in cold blood, and then lies to Ellie about it.

When Ellie eventually wakes up and asks what happened and why they’re traveling away from the Firefly base, Joel feeds her a complete fabrication, convincing her that the Firefly scientists had already discovered that individual immunity couldn’t produce a cure, and so he had taken her away without incident. Joel and Ellie walk back to refuge together as the game comes to a close, leaving the fate of humanity, and the morality of Joel’s choice, to the player’s imagination.

It’s an ending that recolors Joel and Ellie’s game-long journey from a hopeful quest to save the world to something darker and more personal. It’s a twist in the sense that unexpected things are revealed (Ellie would have to die for a cure; the cure doesn’t get made) but the reveals were not what fueled the discussion. You can feel many different things about the end of Ellie. Last of Us — that Joel was wrong, and his acts reprehensible. That Joel’s acts were reprehensible, but he was doing it out of love. That the game’s roping of the player into his rampage was egregious, or bad game design. It could be that everyone was reacting too strongly to this video game, which had an interesting story that involved killing zombies or cultists.

But it’s the execution of the end of Last of UsAll of these feelings should be felt strongly. And where there are strong feelings, you get endless conversation, and eventually, people who want to Google around to see what everybody’s talking about.