The Last of Us HBO review roundup: here’s what critics are saying about the video game adaptation

The Last of Us HBO series has got a lot of positive feedback from critics just days ahead of the official release.

• By Kshiteej Naik -
Published On: January 11, 2023

HBO's The Last of Us series adaptation is set to release in the coming days. Created by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, the first season explores the terrifying and dramatic journey of Joel and Ellie as they try to survive against zombies in a post-apocalyptic world. Several critics and reviewers have watched the series and it has received a lot of positive feedback. This is quite surprising as many video game adaptations have not gone well with viewers as well as critics in the past. Check out what the critics are saying about The Last of Us HBO series:

The Last of Us series review roundup

• IGN: "HBO's The Last of Us is a breathtaking adaptation of one of the most impactful stories told in video games and brilliantly brings Joel and Ellie's journey to a whole new audience. Taking the essence of what made the original tale so enduring, it builds out the world of the game while also switching up some aspects to an almost entirely stunning effect. Anchored by two outstanding lead performances from Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, it delivers an enriching show for fans of the PlayStation hit, while also managing to stay welcomingly thrilling to newcomers."
• Variety: "That isn't intended as faint praise — but what works about "The Last of Us" works well enough that one sees the near future in which the show winds up among television's best. The raw material, including a poignant and thoughtful curiosity about what it might be like to live through catastrophe, is there. But for all that the fall was not the fault of humanity in this telling of our demise, I hope, in seasons to come, to see still more of the world beyond our heroes' relationship. "The Last of Us," at its core, argues that the world is worth fighting for; showing us more of it will only strengthen that case."
• Gamespot: "The HBO adaptation doesn't need to be better than the 2013 game, nor does it need to be better than The Sopranos or Six Feet Under. It stands proudly as one of the best video game adaptations ever, and a clear signal that PlayStation is right to pursue a future where its already reputable video games are reborn on TV. The show is brought to life by a cast and crew that seems hellbent on living up to its name and their own already-glowing reputations. That's a formula that can be repeated in some other instances, and I'm eager to see how those turn out down the line. For now, though, I'm most excited to see The Last of Us find new life in ways that are similarly haunting and gorgeous, while still being importantly unique in ways I'll never forget."

The Last of Us series release date in India

The Last of Us series is set to premiere on January 15th in the US, and the Indian release date is reportedly set to be January 16th on Disney Plus Hotstar. The Indian release time is currently unknown, but it is expected to debut right after the US premiere. According to a report, a new episode will drop each week for a total of nine episodes, with the season finale airing on March 12th in India.

The Last of Us Season 1 story

The Last of Us season 1's story is expected to follow the first Last of Us game. However, game and series creator Neil Druckmann has said that the show may occasionally deviate from the game. In an interview with IGN, Druckmann said, "Things sometimes stay pretty close. It's funny to see my dialogue there from the games in HBO scripts. And sometimes they deviate greatly to much better effect because we are dealing with a different medium."

Druckmann added, "In the game, there's so much action you have to have to train the player about mechanics. You have to have more violence and more spectacle to some degree than you would need on a TV show because you don't need to train people on how to use a gun. So that's something that's been really different, and HBO's been great in pushing us to move away from hardcore action and focus more on the drama of the character. Some of my favourite episodes so far have deviated greatly from the story, and I can't wait for people to see them."