Garnering over 4.7M viewers in the first few days, The Last of Us has become HBO’s second-largest debut after Game of Thrones. Based on the 2013 video game, The Last of Us follows the story of sad dad Joel Miller transporting a young girl named Ellie across a post-apocalyptic America. And it turns out it's full of Easter eggs for gamers.
HBO has transformed the original best-selling game into an exciting yet tense live-action viewing experience that will be enjoyable for both old fans and brand new watchers. We've compiled a few of our favourite Easter eggs below (in no particular order) – but be warned that there are spoilers ahead. If you fancy playing the original Last of Us games, make sure you check out where to find the best PS5 prices.
01. The opening credits feature some hidden secrets
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The map of America to show Joel and Ellie's upcoming journey(Image credit: HBO)
Wait, is that a face? (Image credit: HBO)
The growths resemble a city skyline(Image credit: HBO)
Two fungal tendrils representing Joel and Ellie(Image credit: HBO)
As the chilling main theme plays, we see a beautiful yet haunting intro sequence. Look close enough and you'll see some hidden images amongst the fungal growths, such as the map of America to symbolise Ellie and Joel's upcoming journey as well as a face of an infected hidden away. Sneaky.
02. Did you spot the clicker at the end of the first episode?
During the final shot of #TheLastOfUs Episode One, a clicker can be spotted on the roof! 😳 pic.twitter.com/T0DyNtxKUeJanuary 18, 2023
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The first episode only featured a few shots of the Infected, and our first glimpse of the infamous Clicker was that of a shrivelled up dead (double dead?) one. However, eagle-eyed viewers on Twitter have noticed that at the end of the first episode you can see a Clicker on a roof of one of the crumbling buildings as our three main characters make their way into the city. Creepy.
03. The show features some original faces (and voices)
(Image credit: Naughty Dog/HBO)
Whilst our main protagonists have been recast, we do see some familiar names appearing within the show's cast. The leader of the rebel faction known as the Fireflies, Marlene, is played by Merle Dandridge. If she's familiar to you as a fan of the games, that's because it's the same actress! It's also been confirmed that the original Joel and Ellie voice actors, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, will be making sneaky cameos later in the series. Even the original voices of the Clickers will be making a return.
04. There are some incredible recreations of the game
When adapting a video game into a live action format, adding new content is a great way to get older fans engaged. The Last of Us show does a fantastic job of adding further world building with extra scenes and characters, but there are also some amazing recreations of original scenes that left us stunned with how accurate they were.
A good example is the car ride out of the city with Joel, Tommy and Sarah during outbreak day. The camera shots are nearly identical in parts and our trio come across the same hazards (such as a burning down farm) as they did in the original game. You can see examples of this and more in the above video.
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05. Costume design on point
(Image credit: TheLastofUsNews/HBO)
Getting the feel of the original video game was a must for HBO, and when it came to costume design the studio have nailed it. Older fans of the franchise will be very familiar with the outfits in the show as they are nearly identical to the original models, and paired with some fantastically filthy weathering the actors really look like they stepped directly out of the original Naughty Dog title.
Did you notice any other Easter eggs? These are just a few of our favourites, and we can't wait to see where the show goes in the future on HBO (which takes the second spot in our guide to the best streaming services.) The Last of Us is now streaming on HBO, Sky TV and NOWTV.
Abi Le Guilcher is Creative Bloq’s Ecommerce Writer. With a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Design for Game and Film, Abi enjoys almost anything creative and will either be found crafting or gaming in her spare time. Her previous experience as a retail assistant at CeX means she has a wide range of knowledge in both technology and media and loves to keep up to date with the latest tech. Abi is an avid cosplayer and has most recently worked with PlayStation and Santa Monica Studio on a promotional campaign for the release of God of War Ragnarök.
