Ed Boon Says That Seeing Mortal Kombat In The Last Of Us Is A "Huge Thrill"
Last night’s episode of The Last Of Us was a trip down memory lane, and not just for folks who played through the first game’s Left Behind DLC. There were Naughty Dog and Uncharted 4 references when Ellie and Riley started walking around an abandoned mall, and there was an entire scene in the arcade where Riley whupped Ellie’s ass at Mortal Kombat 2.
It’s clear from the get-go that Ellie has no idea how to play the classic fighter, and Riley didn’t instruct her beyond “smash the buttons” and “use the joystick more.” Riley, meanwhile, is apparently a Mortal Kombat pro, as not only does she know how to perform most of Mileena’s moves, but she also still remembers Mileena’s fatality too.
Related: The Last Of Us Doesn't Care About Realism And Neither Should You
Even in defeat, Ellie admits, "Okay, that was pretty cool." Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon also thought it was pretty cool, and he said as much earlier today on Twitter.
"I don’t remember the last time I was hooked on a show as much as THE LAST OF US," wrote Boon. "So seeing Mortal Kombat featured as prominently as it was last night was a huge thrill."
It looks like Ellie and Riley weren't playing a standard version of Mortal Kombat 2. One eagle-eyed fan noted that the arcade box they were playing didn't have the usual round timer, which was instead replaced by the Mortal Kombat logo. This could mean a custom version of the game was provided for the girls to play, or more likely it just made the job of editing the episode easier as no there's no timer to worry about.
While the video game callbacks were cool, the episode was still a tragic look at Riley and Ellie's relationship. Be sure to bring a box of tissues if you didn't watch the episode live as it aired.
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