Though it broke new ground for cinematic, narrative-driven video games upon its 2013 debut,The Last of Uswasn’t a wholly original project. In fact, a few differentNaughty Dog developershave talked openly aboutThe Last of Us' biggest influences, withIco, Alan Weisman’sThe World Without Us, and evenPlanet Earthall being cited frequently as major inspirations for the original 2013 game’s story and world.
But withThe Last of Usand its sequel becoming some of the most acclaimed video games of the last decade, the tables have turned, andThe Last of Usis now acting as the inspiration for new pieces of media. The recently releasedAlien: Romulusis the perfect example of this, with its own story being inspired by a keyLast of Us Part 2element. And withAlienbeing such an influential series in its own right, it might be fun to see it get a reference or two in the nextLast of Usproject.
The Last of Us Should Return Alien: Romulus' Favor
Alien: Romulus' Connection to The Last of Us Explained
Back at the end of August – about a week afterAlien: Romulusfirst hit theaters –director Fede Alvareztook to Twitter to reply to a fan asking if he’d already playedThe Last of Us. Alvarez confirmed that he was actually in the process of playingThe Last of Us Part 2while writingAlien: Romulus, and that the character of Dina inspired him to include a pregnant character inRomulus.
This connection betweenAlien: RomulusandThe Last of Us Part 2has an even more intriguing layer, as Alvarez cast Isabela Merced to play Kay inAlien: Romulus, the character directly inspired byThe Last of Us' Dina. Just a year later, Merced was cast as Dina forHBO’sThe Last of UsSeason 2.
The Last of Us Should Feature an Alien Reference
WithThe Last of UsandAlien: Romulusnow having a surprisingly deep connection, it might be nice to see the classic Sci-Fi franchise receive a reference of its own in the nextLast of Usproject. Season 2 of HBO’sLast of Usshow will be the nextTLOUproject out the door, and it’d be the perfect place for a subtleAlienEaster egg. This Easter egg could be as simple as a poster of the original 1979 movie on a wall, to something a bit more intricate, like a chase sequence that uses similar camera techniques toAlien: Romulus' standout Facehugger containment breach scene.
IfThe Last of UsSeason 2 wanted to make a much more overt homage toAlien: Romulus, then it could replicate the sequence in whichIsabela Merced’s Kayis being stalked by the Xenomorph, but replace the hulking alien with a Clicker. There are also plenty of opportunities for the nextLast of Usgame to referenceAlien, with some in-game collectibles like a Xenomorph action figure or comic book being two simple but effective Easter egg possibilities.
The Last Of Us Part II Remastered
WHERE TO PLAY
EXPERIENCE ELLIE AND ABBY’S EMOTIONAL JOURNEYS, REMASTERED FOR PS5 Play the winner of over 300 Game of the Year awards, remastered for the PlayStation®5 console. Relive or play for the first time Ellie and Abby’s story, now with graphical enhancements, new gameplay modes like the roguelike survival experience No Return, full DualSense® wireless controller integration, and more. Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure.
