With the sun-drenched (and body-filled) beaches of Sicily and the White Lotus hotel in the rear vision mirror, today HBO drops its newest offering — The Last of Us.
And while TV fans might be in the dark about exactly what to expect, gamers have been waiting and watching to see what the prestige TV giant will do with one of the most critically and commercially successful video games of the past decade.
If you have no idea what the difference is between a Firefly and a Clicker, here's your quick, spoiler-free guide before diving in.
Alright, what should I expect here?
The Last of Us began as a video game series developed by Naughty Dog. First released for the PlayStation 3 in 2013, it got a sequel with The Last of Us Part II in 2020.
The first game (which this season of HBO's adaptation will cover) is set in a post-apocalypse United States. The world as we know it is gone, devastated by a pandemic caused by the cordyceps fungus which takes root in its victims brains and turns them into zombies with no purpose other than to infect more people.
The zombies are known as Clickers, for the unsettling noises they make that have been haunting the dreams of gamers since 2013.
I'm going to hate the Clickers aren't I?
Absolutely.
Even more when you find out that scientists have said the game developers did a "phenomenal job" replicating how the fungus takes over insects in the real world.
Trying to survive amongst the ruins of civilisation is Joel — a grizzled, emotionally broken 50-year-old smuggler — who ends up being tasked with escorting Ellie — a teenager who's never known the world as it once was — across the United States on a mission that could save the human race.
Ellie, or "cargo" as Joel describes her, was bitten by a Clicker, but for some reason didn't turn into one. Expect to follow the pair as they try to make it to a surviving group of doctors who can figure out why Ellie is immune to the cordyceps infection.
Aren't video game adaptations normally terrible?
They're so bad.
From the legendary 1993 stinker Super Mario Bros, to the 2005 bomb DOOM, through to 2022's Uncharted (another of developer Naughty Dog's properties to get an adaption) … video game adaptations have a famously terrible track record.
For every surprisingly enjoyable adaption like Sonic the Hedgehog, there are a dozen flops like Warcraft, Assassin's Creed, Monster Hunter and Max Payne.
So why will The Last of Us be any different?
There were already plenty of positive signs before reviews started dropping.
With its incredible motion-capture performances, emotionally gripping narrative and stellar character development, The Last of Us was considered a masterpiece on release in 2013, that quickly made its way onto the best games of all time lists.
It's a game fans of the medium point to and say "THIS is what games can be" when convincing those who believe video games are only capable of Pacman and Tetris.
HBO, known for its prestige, appointment-worthy television, seemed the perfect place to bring The Last Of Us' memorable, affecting narrative to TV audiences.
And with Chernoybl creator Craig Mazin joining the game's original creator Neil Druckmann as showrunner, things were looking good.
And then there's the cast.
Who's starring in the big roles here?
It's a Game of Thrones reunion of sorts!
Taking the reins of Joel is Pedro Pascal (also of The Mandalorian and Narcos fame), who charmed the pants off every Thrones watcher as Oberyn Martell. Joining him as Ellie is Bella Ramsey, who has a special place in the hearts of Thrones fans for their iconic performance as Lyanna Mormont.
Aussie Anna Torv (also from Fringe and the ABC's The Newsreader) will play fellow smuggler Tess, and Storm Reid (from Euphoria) portrays Ellie's friend Riley.
You're going to want to keep an eye out for Nick Offerman (Parks and Rec) who will play fan-favourite Bill, one of the many fascinating characters Joel and Ellie meet on their journey.
With a HBO budget, the original creators on board and a strong cast, it's no surprise critics are already calling it the "best video game adaption ever" and "HBO's next big hit".
Got it. Where can I watch?
The nine-episode season of The Last of Us is streaming on Binge in Australia.
The first episode premieres today at 1pm AEDT
