The Last of Us Part 1has revealed interesting details about Joel’s physical and mental health that weren’t revealed in the original game or its sequel. Naughty Dog releasedThe Last of Us Part 1earlier this month, updating the critically-acclaimed game with vastly improved graphics, new PS5-centric features, and more. Naughty Dog otherwise leftThe Last of Usmostly the same as it was in the original release, but there have been some small changes here and there that fans have noticed.
For the most part,The Last of Us Part 1is a faithful remake of the original game. There are no major story changes, and while the gameplay has certainly been updated, it should still be familiar to those who played the original. Most of the changes in the game have been made to the scenery, with Naughty Dog adding things like a small building that looks likeDunder Mifflin fromThe Officeand high-resolution textures to documents.
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The latter is howLast of Usfans now knowJoel is canonically 51 years oldduring the events of the original game. It can also be credited for letting fans see specific medications Joel is taking. DuringThe Last of Us Part 1’s prologue, players can examine the medication sitting on Joel’s nightstand. It’s revealed that Joel is actively taking medication for anxiety, gastric ulcers, and high blood pressure.
It’s probable that Joel’s health struggles are linked to stress. WhenThe Last of Usstarts off,Joel is talking to his brother Tommyon the phone, clearly upset about money and developments at work. Of course, the apocalypse happens soon thereafter, and so Joel has even worse problems to deal with.
Later in the game, Joel is depicted as generally mean and hostile. It’s likely that his health problems spiraled out of control without being able to receive proper medication, compounded by the added stress of having to survive in the apocalypse, losing family members, and more.Joel softens a bit when he befriends Ellie, and by the timeThe Last of Us Part 2rolls around, he seems to be a happier, healthier person than he was during the events ofThe Last of Us Part 1.
It will be interesting to see if these revelations about Joel’s health are depicted inThe Last of USHBO seriesthat’s scheduled to premiere next year. It’s entirely possible that part of the reason why Naughty Dog added these details inThe Last of Us Part 1was because they will be featured in the series, but that’s just speculation at this time.
The Last of Us Part 1is available now for PS5 with a PC version also in development.
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