The Last of Us – Idyll to apocalypse in 15 mins. Games with best beginnings and openin sequences

The Last of Us isn't just about Joel and Ellie – Sarah was an important character, too.

It turns out Naughty Dog's games are not just about Indiana Jones thrills. If necessary, they can also shock the audience by tackling difficult and serious topics. These are exactly the first moments of the first part of The Last of Us. We don't know Ellie at all at that point, there's only Joel and his daughter Sarah. In a few shots, we learn how much he cares about his job and that he's a loving, single father, despite being the only provider in the home.

On an ordinary evening, there are suddenly disturbing sounds of anarchy in the streets. Joel, Sarah and his brother end up in a car, running to a more secure location. We're with them inside the vehicle, but the scene is far from the smooth ride from Half-Life. Real mayhem is happening in the streets – buildings are burning, some people are running somewhere in panic, others are attacking everyone in some kind of amok. After a while, we find them running away on foot, with Joel carrying his daughter in his arms. That's the moment when the writers from Naughty Dog take a spade and hit us in the back of the head with it. Joel loses everything that is most precious to him, in circumstances that could have been avoided; that should never have happened. Then, we're left with Joel's pain, helplessness, and, soon after, rage – emotions that will determine the story in The Last of Us.

1. The Last of Us in our encyclopedia