Introducing Endless Mode: A New Games & Anime Site from Paste
Though HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama has not yet premiered its second season, it is nevertheless not much of a surprise that the cable network announced The Last Of Us was renewed for a third. For one thing, it’s a critically acclaimed, Emmy-baiting hit, and the second season reviews rolling in remain positive. For another, creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have long stated that their vision is a multi-season arc. (That is, more than two seasons, but less than seven, they’ve said.) But let’s not let the inevitability stop TLOU fans from celebrating the good news!
“We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew,” Mazin said in a statement via HBO press release. “We look forward to continuing the story of THE LAST OF US with season three!” Druckmann added, “To see The Last of Us brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans’ enthusiastic and overwhelming support. Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast, and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We’re thrilled to bring you more of THE LAST OF US!”
The Last Of Us is a high-water mark in an era quickly becoming defined by video game adaptations (for better, like Fallout, or worse, like Borderlands). The second season enters storytelling territory from Druckmann’s sequel game, The Last Of Us Part II. As The A.V. Club‘s Saloni Gajjar notes in her B+ review, there are obvious points in the upcoming episodes that set up the third season, including “a couple of tacked-on storylines meant to lay the groundwork for the future.” However, the adaptation remains “exceptional,” she writes: “By altering certain aspects of the game, TLOU is able to nevertheless honor its source material while charting a uniquely brutal, heartbreaking, and poignant path, cementing its status as the most effective video-game adaptation, warts and all.”
