The Last Days
June 19, 2020
The seven year wait is over… The Last of Us Part II is out today! In celebration, I wanted to put my own spin on this week’s preparation for the game the only way I know how, Days Gone style. On Monday I started a little series called The Last Days combining Days Gone and The Last of Us together for one ultimate crossover. Each day I posted photos, fun questions and comparisons on Twitter for people to join in on the discussion. Thank you all for participating, it was a lot of fun! To end The Last Days series, I wanted to dive a little deeper into the comparisons of both games and reveal the winners you answered for the questions during the week.
*Major SPOILERS ahead for both games*
They’re Not Zombies
First and foremost, both games do not include the term zombies. This is a similarity between the two games, but also a difference. The word zombie is casually thrown out by people in regards to any dead or undead human that has formed into a cannibalistic creature in media. Both games took the sense of a zombie, and spun the genre to fit their own creative story.
In Days Gone, the infected humans or animals in this case are called Freakers. The Freaker Virus was developed from research done at Cloverdale Lab. The virus was spread across the world by one person who unknowingly was infected by trying to expose the corrupt Cloverdale at an environmental convention. At the convention held in Portland, Oregon the infection spread from person to person where they then traveled back home all over the world. Freakers have multiple stages including Swarmers, Bleachers, Newts, Screamers, Reachers, Breakers and an Intelligent type. Freakers are not dead in the way you think of zombies. The virus also crossed species infecting different animals including wolves, bears, crows and bats.
In The Last of Us, a parasitic fungal infection or commonly known as the Cordyceps Brain Infection is what devastated humankind causing the fungus to grow while the host is still alive. The infection grows in multiple stages with each stage more dangerous than the last. If infected, a host begins as a Runner. If the host continues to “survive” it can move on to a Stalker, Clicker or Bloater. It all depends on the length of infection.
Quick Points:
- Both games use the term “Runners” as a type of infected. Both are dramatically different.
- Both games use a “heavy” class for their infected. The Last of Us – Bloater. Days Gone – Breaker.
- The Last of Us infected is classified as classes based on the duration of infection. Days Gone is classified as types depending on how the virus infected a person based on structural DNA or evolution of the virus.
Story Beats
If you examine any story close enough to another you will find some similarities most of the time, especially in a post-apocalyptic setting. Looking at the story alone, here are some of the story beats I found that relate to each other in some way.
Let’s start at the beginning. In both games, the story begins pre-apocalypse as we start to see the world go into chaos. Deacon and Joel both lose someone (in some capacity) they love very much. As a player, we are then connected to those characters because we feel their grief; we are invested on where the story goes, what happened to the world and how does this character move on from here? The title of each game then pops up onto your screen, giving you goosebumps knowing that these stories are going to be emotional. Days Gone pushes you 2 years later from that opening scene and The Last of Us pushes you 20 years later. Right away, we learn who Deacon and Joel have become in this new world; Deacon a drifter and bounty hunter, and Joel a smuggler. Both men also have a companion in Boozer and Tess. We begin to put our thumbs on the sticks and experience what life has been for both pairs in the apocalypse. Deacon and Boozer begin a chase with Leon, and Joel and Tess head to see Robert for their guns.
Now, let’s fast forward a little further and go back to the infected, more specifically the “heavy” class we talked about earlier. The first boss fight in each game involved the big brutes, the Breaker and the Bloater. The Breaker and the Bloater interrupted Deacon and Joel’s missions to gather an item; Deacon the antibiotics and Joel the car battery.
Fast forward even more to see the relation of the importance to the school missions. In Days Gone, Deacon and Sarah go to Chemult Community College to find a centrifuge for her research. In The Last of Us, Joel and Ellie went to Eastern Colorado University (Go Big Horns!) in search of the Fireflies. Each story beat to a school was a critical moment in both stories.
The last story beat I wanted to hit was the ending to each game. In Days Gone, Deacon shoots his way through a heavily fortified camp to rescue his wife Sarah. In The Last of Us, Joel shoots his way through the hospital to save Ellie. Both endings included a lot of casualties with two men determined to reach their goal of saving someone they love. In the end, Deacon and Joel went through a lot more than any man can bear, but they survived and they moved on with the person who they love and who changed them as a man.
Character Match
Days Gone and The Last of Us have an incredible cast of characters making each one just as memorable as the next. With strong women characters, to a great display of diversity, villains and original characters, it shows why these stories are so well received. Below, I have put together a list of some of the characters from both games to show how each character relates to their counterpart in the other game.
Deacon — Joel
Survivors, seeking redemption
Sarah — Marlene
Stubborn, focused, aimed at the greater good
Boozer — Tommy
When you need them, they will be there for you
Iron Mike — Bill
They’ve seen it all. You want these men on your side if you can
Lisa — Ellie
Innocence turned into survivalist
Rikki — Tess
Tough, independent, will take care of business
Twitter – The Last Days
If you missed anything regarding The Last Days short series, you can look back at all the tweets here. Also, the winners are revealed from each question that you answered during the week. I was very happy to see all the love for Days Gone!
Winner: Deacon St. John
Winner: People would rather face the Runner in The Last of Us
Winner: Breaker
Winner: Colonel Garret
Winner: Freakers
Winner: Boozer
I hope you all enjoyed The Last Days crossover series! Somehow, I always find a way to sneak Days Gone into something. Have fun this weekend, don’t post spoilers and endure and survive. Those Days are Gone waiting for The Last of Us Part II!
Holiday Specials
Twas the Night Before Christmas: Days Gone Edition
December 24, 2019
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through Lost Lake
not a Freaker was stirring, not even a crier.
The bounties were hung by the merchant with care,
in hopes that Deacon St. John soon would be there.
The campers were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of hordes danced in their heads.
And Rikki in her ‘kerchief, and Addy in her cap,
had just settled their brains for a long winter’s nap.
When out at the gate there arose such a clatter,
Iron Mike sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window he flew like a flash,
tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave the lustre of another time to the bikes below,
when, what to his wondering eyes should appear,
but a drifter bike with lots of gear.
With a bounty hunter, so desperate and foregone,
he knew in a moment it must be St. John.
More rapid than eagles, his enemies they came,
and he shot and shouted and threw molotovs with aim:
“Now Runners! Now Rager!
Now, Rippers and Screamers!
On, Breaker! On, Reacher!
On, Newts and Swarmers!
To the top of the mine!
To the top of the distractor!
Now kill ‘em! Kill ‘em!
Kill ‘em all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild Oregon weather fly,
when he meets with an obstacle, mount to the broken road nearby
so up and around the beaten path he flew,
with the bike full of ears, and St. John too.
And then, in a twinkling, Iron Mike heard
The rumbling and roaring of the engine that could.
As Iron Mike drew his head and was turning around,
through the gate St. John came with a bound.
He was dressed as a drifter, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with muck and soot.
A bundle of guns he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a villain just opening his pack.
His eyes-how they scolded! His chin, how manly!
His cheeks cut-up, his nose seemed untouched!
His upper lip was covered with hair,
and the beard on his chin was as black as the smoked air.
The handle of his bootknife he held tight in his hand,
and the smell on the blade encircled his head.
He had a defined face and a little bandana,
that waved when he ran, like the fields of a savanna.
He was skinny and fit, a right badass drifter,
and Iron Mike laughed when he saw him, in spite of the bitter.
A heroic deed and a plea for help
soon gave Iron Mike to know he had nothing to dread.
He spoke not word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all his ammo, then turned with a jerk.
And flipping his finger to the side of Skizzo,
and giving a nod, he decided to go.
He sprang to his bike, to Boozer gave a whistle,
and away he sped like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Santa Claus is Coming to Town: Days Gone Edition
You better watch out, you better not run
Better not shoot, Im telling you why:
Deacon St. John is comin’ for you.
He’s fueling his bike and revving it twice
Gonna find who he needs to take out
Deacon St. John is comin’ for you.
He sees you when you’re hidin’
He knows what camp you’re at
He knows if you’ve stole or killed
So be good for goodness sake
Oh! You better watch out, you better not run
Better not shoot, I’m telling you why:
Deacon St. John is comin’ for you.
Happy Holidays from The Broken Road!
The Broken Road 