Summary
Prequels can be hit or miss, especially when they’re centered on the characters audiences are already familiar with from stories set in the future. As the audience already knows their fate, a poorly planned prequel can remove any tension from the story.The Last of Usis a franchise that could work well with a prequel game, as there is a large gap of years between the first game’s prologue and the game’s first act. However, as it’s a horror game, knowing the outcomes of the characters' stories could also remove much of the tension that comes with the genre and medium.
The Last of Usalready has a prequel DLC,Left Behind, that tells the story of Ellie before she met Joel. Prequels can use audience knowledge to increase foreboding and tragedy, and knowing what’s to come doesn’t necessarily have to be bad. They do, however, need to avoid repeating themes and narrative beats.
How The Last of Us Uses Storytelling Tools
This is also an issue that has risen with the current climate in fandom, where spoilers have become the ultimate taboo. Knowing the end of the story is thought to ruin it completely. However, dramatic irony and knowing how the story ends can be a powerful narrative tool, and has been used by writers since the invention of storytelling to create heartbreaking and immersive stories. ThatTess and Joel eventually die, and that the audience knows it, won’t lessen the impact if the story is told in a way that shows the impact the characters have on the world around them, the struggles they have with themselves and others, and how relatable they are even in the worst of circumstances.
Left Behind, a prequel DLC forThe Last of Us, told the story of how Ellie was infected and was well-received.Left Behinduses the above narrative toolsto create a feeling of inevitable tragedy forLeft Behind’s story. Knowing that Ellie would be infected, and knowing that Riley would probably die, doesn’t make the prequel’s impact any less than if it had been released beforeThe Last of Us. Rather, the knowledge of the fate of Ellie of Riley becomes a burden for the audience, one that casts a shadow overLeft Behind’s story.
Building a Meaningful Prequel in The Last of Us
ALast of Usprequelcould also show important and interesting world-building. This could include following Joel and Tommy as they traveled across the USA as the world began to grapple with the outbreak of the infected, how they met Tess, and established a new life under quarantine. Because the gap betweenThe Last of Us' prologue and its act one is so long, a prequel game could take place at any point within the twenty years between the infected outbreak and the events ofThe Last of Us. This gives the developer the freedom to introduce new characters, who don’t necessarily have to die.
Theproblem with creating a prequel forThe Last of Uscomes with building a story that is meaningful without repeating the same themes and events that are inThe Last of UsandThe Last of Us Part 2. The events of the infected unfortunately become repetitive and, while the story ofThe Last of Uswas unique for its time, it can’t be repeated in a prequel.
Another problem is thatJoel would be limited in his character development. This is problematic becauseThe Last of Usis a franchise devoted to its characters, and any prequel that features Joel would need him to develop to some degree, but still realistically be the person he is at the start ofThe Last of Us.
