A game that took both the action-adventure and survival horror genre by storm, The Last Of Us and its sequel have gone down as the one of the most popular games in recent times. With fans really getting invested in the story with excellent mechanics to help it along the way.
For a game that's been out for so long, The Last Of Us still has many tricks and details that remain hidden to the casual player. From hidden items and locations to weapon upgrades that make the entire game a little easier, making an already great game a little more interesting.
Updated April 13, 2023 by Ritwik Mitra: The Last of Us Part 1 is enduring one of the roughest PC launches in quite some time. The port is marred with issues and has besmirched the name of The Last of Us quite a bit, which is a shame since the game is an absolute treat otherwise. The game is full to the brim with cheats to make things easier, features that are fun to play around with, and locations that players should explore to make the most of their playthrough. Here are just a few more details that players may not know about.
15 Optional Conversations
The Last of Us Part 1 features several optional conversations that players can engage with throughout their journey. It's advised to not miss out on these discussions, since they hold important details and help strengthen the bond between certain characters.
Given how great the game's performances, it's easy to see why the optional conversations are also a veritable treat in their own right. It's a simple thing to keep in mind, but players who are hurrying through the environments of the game may miss out on these moments.
14 The Five Toolboxes
There are many weapons in The Last of Us, and all of them need to be upgraded to unlock their full potential. This mandates the need to find a total of five toolboxes in the game to achieve the same, with the kicker being that these upgrade materials are easily missable. To avoid losing out on the opportunity to upgrade a weapon to its max potential, players should check out these areas and get the toolboxes hidden there:
- Under the church in Bill's town
- The first garage in Pittsburgh
- The sewer tunners in the suburbs
- The science building in the university
- The triage tents in the bus depot
13 A Malleable Permadeath Mode
Permadeath can sound like a challenge that may be too much to bear, but there are actually some great ways to make this run doable for players. The Last of Us Part 1 allows players to choose the nature of permadeath in the game.
Upon dying, players can either be booted to the start of the game, act, or chapter. The final option is a good one for players to take if losing more than an hour of playtime is unbearable to think about.
12 Photo Mode
Photo Mode is one of the best features to mess about with in The Last of Us Part 1, and it's easy to see why. After all, the game looks absolutely gorgeous, and players would want to show off these visuals as much as possible.
Photo Mode lets players do the same, capturing both Joel and Ellie in casual and combat poses as they click some cinematic pictures. Players who want to prove just how beautiful The Last of Us Part 1 is should look no further than this feature.
11 Mirror World
Naughty Dog has implemented some great ways to make their title fresh and engaging even on a repeat playthrough. The best example of is the Mirror World feature, which — obviously enough — reverses the perspective of the game in pretty much every way.
The world rendering is flipped horizontally with this mode and can be toggled upon death if players really want to switch up their playthrough quite a bit. Perhaps the biggest thing to get used to in this mode is that the playable character appears on the right-hand side of the screen instead, which can be disorienting.
10 Infinite Shivs
The first thing players will need is an upgraded melee weapon, grabbed on the roof of a short building before entering Bill's Town. It's needed to upgrade all other melee weapons, something integral to creating unlimited shivs. Once players have the weapon, simply trade it for one lying around in the area and then swap it back, this will replenish the shiv materials.
This will come in handy when things aren't looking too good, guns aren't useful if there's no ammo to shoot. It also lets players keep their bag empty without feeling the need to fill it up with blades for hard times. Finding the materials any time a shiv door needs to be unlocked is a waste of time when you can just switch out weapons.
9 Easy Ammunition And Supplies On Hard
A feature that lets the player switch difficulties in game doesn't sound like a good one, making the experience a little cheaper than being locked in to the drama. However, players can switch back to easy mode for the gathering of supplies and ammo before jumping back into the action if they just want the combat experience.
Turning a scurvy feature into a useful one with a little self control, players can take the benefits without cutting any serious corners in the game. Scouring for ammo and resources isn't an impressive skill anyway and can prove to be a taxing challenge when every wandering infected can take you out with a couple of hits.
8 O'Sullivans Irish Pub
Anyone who's a fan of Naughty Dog will see references littered throughout the game, especially when it concerns Uncharted. When Joel goes to Pittsburgh and hits the bridge, he'll stumble across O'Sullivan's Pub, one that looks very similar to the one at the beginning of Uncharted 3.
Not only is the pub a reference but the name O'Sullivan is a call back to Victor Sullivan, Drake's partner throughout the game. Inside players can pick up little shout outs and escape the infected future for a little while, instead inhabiting a chaotic treasure hunt that somehow seems a little better.
7 Abandoned Territories
The first DLC for the multiplayer mode of the game, the Abandoned Territories include 4 separate areas that have been left empty after the outbreak. Going through a Bookstore, the Suburbs, a Bus Depot, and the Home Town.
Each area provides a unique layout and will challenge players in different ways, without the constant fear of mushroom infested zombies sneaking out at any moment. Ranging from up close, tight spaces to sprawling areas that will require a little more long range ability.
6 Load Screen
One of the more unique features in the game, even the loading screen had some effort put into it. As players wait for the chaos, they're lulled into a false sense of security by the floating spores that drift across the screen. What some fans missed was the control they have over them, being able to change the direction when moving the controller.
Whether it's a nice, relaxing way to calm down after the hair-raising story or preparing for what's to come, the loading screen is a subtle touch that puts a simply cherry on top of one of the best games of the decade.
5 Shiv Doors
These doors are located throughout the game, filled with all the goodies we spend the whole game worrying about, ammo, parts, and supplies. However, they do require a shiv to get inside, one that will break once the door opens.
While this isn't the steepest price for what's behind the doors, many players will focus on the big guns and leave their shivs behind. A cost that players will find annoying if they don't have the above cheat to get them through. If players come prepared then they have access to 13 treasure troves of supplies that will help in the worst of situations.
4 Reclaimed Territories
The final DLC that was released for The Last Of Us, Reclaimed Territories not only gives maps but another difficulty level for single player, Grounded Mode. The hardest possible way to play the game, this mode will make the enemy AI ruthless and strips away almost all ammo and resources for the player.
On top of that, players get 4 extra maps to take down the opposition, providing a unique set of challenges. Blending indoor and outdoor combat, these maps also tighten down on the advantage areas. Not only are the mechanics harder to navigate but they add some harsh weather to cap things off.
3 Naughty Dog References
All the references in the game would take more time than most players have, planted in almost every random room or building that Joel can walk through. From subtle to blatant, the creators have managed to squeeze most of their big titles into the experience.
Naughty Dog fans will love the shout outs to games that came out almost 2 decades ago, proving that the classics will not be forgotten. Putting them in one of the most successful games on the market was a great way to keep the catalogue in the limelight while giving players a few laughs along the way.
2 Safes
Another surefire way to get supplies is to discover one of the 4 safes located in areas throughout the game, each one containing supplies that people stored away, never to return. It's not free though, each safe will require a combination that has to be found somewhere in the general area and they're not always the easiest to find.
The Outskirts, Bill's Town, Pittsburgh, and The Suburbs, these are the areas you have to search before unlocking the supplies. Usually in a secluded area that has to be searched for, players that tend to run low on supplies will have to put in the extra effort, even earning a trophy if all are found.
1 Collectibles
Probably the biggest task you can take on in the game, having a total of 140 collectibles in total. This includes artifacts, pendants, manuals, comics, and tool upgrades. The best part about the collectibles in this game is that they actually have a use, making weapons stronger and upgrading items.
It also provides a break from the heavy tone that makes this game great, every chapter having multiple items to find without the dramatic flair that runs through the rest of the game. As players get closer to the finish line that rare trophy starts to look mighty fine, one that few put the effort in to claim.
The Last of Us Part 1 is available now for PC and PS5.