A new PC mod for The Last of UsPart 1 lets players control the HBO alternate universe version of Joel as played by Pedro Pascal. HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us was a huge hit, both in terms of ratings and social media discussion. Pascal plays the game’s lead character, Joel Miller, a man whose daughter died in his arms in the early days of a fungal outbreak and must now escort a girl named Ellie through a post-apocalyptic America.
The recent release of The Last of Us Part 1 on PC went about as badly as a launch can go. The game was released riddled with a wide variety of graphical glitches and game-breaking bugs. Naughty Dog has since released a series of updates addressing the myriad issues that have been cataloged by players since launch. While Naughty Dog is doing its part to resolve the issues in The Last of Us Part 1, modders are doing everything they can to make the best of a bad situation.
As recent Hollywood trends show, the best way to instantly spice up a project is by adding Pedro Pascal. That’s exactly what a modder named Speclizer did with some help from a visual effects company called Alpha Studios. Speclizer is a creator of mods for The Last of Us and the God of War series, while Alpha Studios has worked on various film and TV productions. The two came together to create a mod that replaces the classic Joel Miller character model with Pedro Pascal.
The effect can feel eerie, at times. When viewed from the side, like at the beginning of the video clip when Joel finds Ellie reading a diary during a late-game cutscene, the model is a dead ringer for Pascal. From the front, however, the effect takes on an unsettling mashup vibe. It’s almost like there are elements of the original character model and Pascal going on at the same time. This could be because Troy Baker’s voice coming out of Pedro Pascal’s mouth creates something that feels like a parallel universe paradox wherein two versions of the same person are somehow existing in the same space. Either way, the character model itself is still quite impressive, and it's one of the few bright spots of The Last of Us Part 1’s recent PC release.
Neither Speclizer nor Alpha Studios have announced which, if any, The Last of Us Part 1 PC mods they’re going to work on next. It wouldn’t be surprising if they follow up their stellar Pedro Pascal mod with one that swaps out Ellie’s original character model for Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in the HBO series. Or toss Nick Offerman’s face onto Bill’s in-game character model.
The Last of Us Part 1 is available now on PC and PS5.
Source: PCGamesN
