Last of Us Director tells his original ending

[OniBlackMage]

*Spoilers, in case you have not played the game*

You know, I think this brings up an interesting bit of polish that was left out of The Last of Us. The Director had his original idea shot down, sure, but what if his idea was an alternate ending? I think the Last of Us would gain a few points in my book if it feature branching paths and alternate endings. Nothing extravagant, but maybe 3 or 4 unique resolutions to pivotal choices along the way. The game can still be linear as it was, just feature a different ending based on decision points.

Maybe in the museum, you could choose to let Tess take the lead, and you stay behind with Ellie, so she never gets infected? Then maybe she becomes more of a beleiver, takes over the fireflies, and turns on Joel for his rebellion like how the director wanted. Or maybe when Joel is out of action and Ellie gets the antibiotics, its possible to not get to him in time, fail, and Joel dies. This would harden Ellie and the game now progresses as she survives based on what he taught her, and she can choose to rebel against the Fireflies.

Lots of intriguing options, its a missed opportunity, almost.

Source

 

[Esperahol]

Sometimes the only ending is the best ending. That is in some ways the point that Bioshock Infinite was trying to make. Not everything needs to be different because of a set turn. Sometimes it's great to just have an ending that results from events. It is also likely to lead to a rather sorry overall game - this isn't Silent Hill after all where the story ending can be only tentatively attached to the story.

 

[Amazon XD]

The Last of Us would've probably suffered from multiple endings. I think the writers had a very set story they wanted to tell, and any deviations or player input would've damaged that story. Unlike "The Walking Dead", The Last of Us is a very developer driven story, and is better off that way. That being said, I felt the ending was decent, but lacked the closure I would've liked. They built up pretty interesting characters, but there was never a decent amount of closure on Ellie's end.

They have said they would like to do another game in The Last of Us' universe, but they will not return to Joel and Ellie. So, I guess we'll never know if Ellie finds out the truth or not.

 

[nonsiccus]

The Last of Us would've probably suffered from multiple endings. I think the writers had a very set story they wanted to tell, and any deviations or player input would've damaged that story.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who feels this way. The game played as if I was a part of an interactive movie and to be honest, it was one of the first times that I actually enjoyed that type of storytelling. In many other games, I would feel overly restricted and feel as if I was being forced down a linear path to an obvious conclusion. I think the major factor that allowed for the Last of Us to surpass that linearity obstacle was the extremely powerful storytelling.

If they had allowed for multiple endings, I would think the experience would be cheapened, because you wouldn't have true closure knowing that it could've ended in an entirely different way. My two cents.

 

[Mudgee]

Sometimes the only ending is the best ending. That is in some ways the point that Bioshock Infinite was trying to make. Not everything needs to be different because of a set turn. Sometimes it's great to just have an ending that results from events. It is also likely to lead to a rather sorry overall game - this isn't Silent Hill after all where the story ending can be only tentatively attached to the story.

I agree with this comment. Though I didn't entirely approve of the ending, I don't like games with multiple or varied ones.