There is a ‘deeply disturbing secret scene’ in The Last of Us that most people miss.
It’s a subtle scene that not everyone catches on the first watch but it shows the inspiration behind the game.
The video game creators Naughty Dog, who are the brains behind the likes of Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Dexter, and Uncharted, found an unlikely muse for the apocalyptic game.
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The Last of Us first came out back in 2013 and was originally released on PlayStation 3.
But it became an instant hit and has since gone on to become a successful TV series.
In the synopsis for The Last of Us Part I, which is a remake of the original game, it reads: “In a ravaged civilisation, where infected and hardened survivors run rampant, Joel, a weary protagonist, is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a military quarantine zone. However, what starts as a small job soon transforms into a brutal cross-country journey.”
What many might not know is that the concept of the video game originally came from an episode of Planet Earth which aired back in 2008.
In the footage, the show depicts how the cordyceps fungus infect ants that take control of its host.
Luckily, the likelihood of this grisly fate happening to humans is practically impossible due to our naturally high body temperature, which would quickly kill the fungus.
That being said, it still leaves an intriguing question of ‘What if?’ and that’s a concept that Naughty Dog explored.
Fair warning, the next bit contains some mild spoilers for the opening moments of The Last of Us, so consider yourself warned.
During the prologue of The Last of Us, we see the opening moments of when the Cordyceps virus truly begins to cause havoc turning humans into savage, uncompromising monsters.
Sarah, the daughter of the protagonist Joel, wakes up to find that the house is empty and her father's whereabouts are currently unknown. At this moment, if you walk into Joel’s bedroom, his TV is on but is playing nothing but static.
However, the YouTube channel GameRiot shows us that if we then leave the room. Exit to the main menu and then restart the checkpoint save, when you re-enter Joel’s room it will show a still image of the aforementioned Planet Earth episode. This, however, will only occur in the original game and not the remake.
The Last of Us Part I remake is out now on PC and PlayStation 5.