It's difficult to contest that Naughty Dog is in a top-class when it comes to storytelling and the weaving of unique worlds. This is seen most recently in The Last of Us Part 2, a thrilling survival narrative where the traditional zombies of death and decay are replaced with humans mutated by a fungal infection that targets the brain. One fan shared a particularly gruesome cosplay of a Clicker with Naughty Dog, which then opted to share the cosplay with the world.
The Clicker is one of the more formidable enemies within the series, a result of the third stage of infection that takes roughly a year of exposure. The fungus, known in-game as the Cordyceps Brain Infection, was partially inspired by a BBC documentary that showed a multitude of insects infected by a fungal spore that slowly killed its host.
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Fans got a bit of a surprise as a Clicker came to life through the cosplay of a user identified as Donttouchmymilk. The bloody cosplay brought a startling realization that a live-action The Last of Us is likely going to be a horrifying ordeal. This certainly isn't the first Clicker cosplay that has graced Naughty Dog's social media, but the enemy is easily one of the most unique opponents across the franchise thus far. With aptly presented fungal annuli dominating the cosplayer's face and extending down to her shoulder, it gives viewers a startling realization of what Ellie faced on her own in The Last of Us Part 2.
The cosplayer is well-versed in the lands of horror, self-identifying as an "SFX makeup enthusiast" on her Instagram. The Last of Us franchise is similarly defined as a horror survival, yet the fear seems to come less from environments and presented enemies. Instead, the horror comes more readily from a relatively quick time to kill and the oppressive atmosphere. Understanding the narrative, and the horrors that come with it, is left to the player as characters rarely have the opportunity to reflect on the chaos of the titles. This is true more so in the second than the first, where Ellie and Joel consistently offered narrative sounding boards towards each other.
The grotesque Clicker cosplay is carried to perfection and offers a startling look at what fans could possibly expect from the upcoming The Last of Us series on HBO. Whether it will be able to retain the same conversational depth of humanity at its worst, however, is another question entirely.
The Last of Us Part 2 is available now for PS4.
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