The Last of Usscooped up a ton ofGame of the Yearand other awards when it released in 2013. It won over critics and fans alike for its solid gameplay, and probably more so, the story it told about protagonists Joel and Ellie as they made their way across a post-apocalyptic United States.
But what if the journey fans ofThe Last of Uswent on with Joel and Ellie would have actually been with Tess and Ellie? That’s what one modder has put together in this video, showing what the game would look like with Tess swapped in place of Joel. (This video does contain major scenes from the whole game, so for anyone who hasn’t playedThe Last of Us, consider this a spoiler warning.)
The animation and modding done here is extremely impressive, which is one of manyThe Last of Usmods done by the user Freako on YouTube. The mod involves using the assets of Tess to replace those of Joel but still uses Joel’s animations. Fans will likely recognize some of Joel’s heavy movements still being present. What’s really cool is that in scene where Tess falls on the pipe and is bleeding, Freako went in and added the blood texture on Tess’s torso and hands.
The mod even caught the attention of Tess’s voice actress, Annie Wersching:
Those who played the game will remember that Tess dies early on in the game, not long after Joel and Tess first come across Ellie and try to get her out of Boston. Interestingly, in an early version ofThe Last of Us’s story, Tess would not have died in the starting sections of game, but would have instead taken on a villain role, following Joel and Ellie across the country trying to hunt them down. It was a revenge story that never really worked out, according to Naughty Dog, and instead she remained an ally and motivating factor for Joel.
Nevertheless, Tess is a great character fromThe Last of Usand it is really fun to see her get some more screen time, even if it is just a mod.
The Last of Usis available on PS3 with aRemasteredversion also on PS4.
