Universal Halloween Horror Nights Orlando 2023 is in full swing, and essentially the most thrilling new addition is a haunted home based mostly on Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us online game. Naughty Dog co-president and The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann and Universal Orlando Senior Director Mike Aiello took IGN on a walkthrough of the home simply hours earlier than its grand opening, after which as soon as evening fell, we obtained to stroll by means of it ourselves. Druckmann and Aiello shared how this collaboration got here to be, the largest challenges they confronted, and the way they captured The Last of Us’ signature tone.
It All Started With a Tweet
Having grown up in Miami, Florida, Druckmann would typically make the trek to Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights every year. After a go to to Universal Studios Orlando in December 2021, Druckmann tweeted out, “I’d like to do a TLoU Halloween Horror Nights attraction! Who do I want to speak to?!” As it seems, he wanted to speak to Aiello, the person at Universal who may make it occur. And after seeing the tweet Aiello excitedly despatched him a message to get the ball rolling. The relaxation is historical past.
“There’s all the time that story of like, ‘Okay, if we simply discuss as soon as and now it will occur.’ You all the time consider that, however oftentimes it by no means equates that manner. But this totally did. Literally, it was a few days earlier than Christmas, Neil tweeted out and I responded, and a day or two later was the Zoom name,” Aiello recalled.
“You do not fairly know if the deal phrases will all work out,” Druckmann mentioned. “I wish to say on our aspect, PlayStation has been unbelievable companions, they actually allow us to curate and choose and select these sorts of initiatives. Because they know it will be an enormous funding of time for us, and likewise, it looks as if in your finish every little thing was easy, that it is simply we’re in a position to hit the bottom working immediately.”
Striking the Right Tone
Halloween Horror Nights is an occasion designed to entertain visitors with all method of spooky enjoyable and violent delights, however the tone of The Last of Us is a harrowing and somber one which feels unhappy and bleak. Not precisely the most effective match on paper. Yet, they had been in a position to bridge the hole to make the haunted home enjoyable whereas staying true to the vibe of the sport.
“I believe that is what makes the sport, and in flip, this expertise, so layered. And that could be a problem. How do you repay all of these layers?” Aiello mentioned. “I believe it is about recognizing these issues, but in addition being very particular with what you need the expertise to be. In adapting, there’s that filter you need to placed on the expertise. So I’ll say there’s an depth to this that we wish to keep as a result of it’s a haunted home expertise. However, the cases the place you’re partaking, Joel and Ellie sort of deliver you again to that core worth of what this story is about.
“There’s a second we do a projection gag the place there is a Runner actually going to city on a sufferer, and the audio for that’s the notion of they’re doing this horrific act they usually realize it. So, it is this cross between the savagery of that motion and the cries of unhappiness that they are doing it, which is one thing we implanted into the audio design to sort of present either side of the turmoil that a few of these victims are going by means of, realizing that they are uncontrolled now at this level.”
Joel and Ellie are featured all through the maze, popping as much as warn you in regards to the contaminated and assist combat them off. The Last of Us followers particularly will recognize that every one their dialogue is by the unique Joel and Ellie voice actors from the sport, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. All-new dialogue was written and recorded only for this expertise.
Although, staying true to the characters did require some artistic considering. Druckmann mentioned, “One of the attention-grabbing constraints was like, ‘We cannot drop f-bombs.’ I’m like, ‘Well, how can we do Ellie’s dialogue if we will’t?’ But you then get a extremely intelligent concept. So we brainstorm. There’s a component once more the place Ellie’s defending you and she or he has a rifle, lifted straight out of the sport, and she or he’s like, ‘Die mom…’ Bang! And she shoots the rifle and you realize precisely what she’s saying, and it is sort of like gallows humor. I believe followers will get a kick out of that.”
A Rare Distinction
Over Halloween Horror Nights’ a few years since its inception in 1991, there have solely been a handful of homes based mostly on video video games. (It’s essential to notice that this 12 months’s Last of Us home is customized from the sport, not the TV present starring Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie.) The Last of Us home now joins this unique membership, alongside Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Biohazard, and Nightmare Creatures II, the latter of which was HHN’s very first online game adaptation.
“It nonetheless blows my thoughts how large the sport has develop into and the way the those that like it, actually like it. Sometimes slightly too far,” Druckmann mentioned. “But, it has afforded us to do one thing as cool as this. This dream of like, ‘I wish to be within the recreation.’ Some individuals may argue, ‘Well, you are already within the recreation. You’re taking part in Joel, and also you flip the digital camera on, you’ll be able to select the place you wish to go.’ Yes, that is true, however you are seeing it on this two dimensional display screen in your wall. What if we break these borders and it surrounds you 360 levels and you’ll really feel it, you’ll be able to contact it, you could possibly scent it? Just it hits you slightly bit in a different way.”
The Last of Us at Halloween Horror Nights. Photo by Joshua Yehl, IGN.Bringing the Game to Life
When first deciding what The Last of Us maze ought to include, they thought-about doing a “jukebox” strategy the place they featured a wide range of totally different moments from all through the sport, however they in the end selected to adapt a selected, linear part of the story as a substitute.
“What we selected to do was, ‘Let’s inform a narrative as in the event you’re transferring with Joel and Ellie in actual time.’ Through an expertise from the second they crash the truck, throughout Pittsburgh, by means of the shops, and this finale within the suburbs, it is lifted straight from the sport, till you exit with them, and you’re feeling like, ‘I went on a journey with Joel and Ellie.’” Druckmann defined.
The Last of Us at Halloween Horror Nights. Photo courtesy of Universal.
Choosing this stretch of the sport additionally allowed them to function a wide range of The Last of Us’ signature monsters.
“One of the explanations we picked Pittsburgh particularly is since you get to run the gamut of all of the belongings you combat within the recreation, from Hunters, from the human menace, all the way in which to Runners, then to Clickers, and eventually to Bloaters,” Druckmann mentioned. “To make certain every a kind of is genuine, we lifted audio straight from the sport. The actors which might be doing the contaminated, that they had an contaminated bootcamp the place they’re learning the sport and studying to maneuver like what our animators have created within the recreation”
Aiello was particularly jazzed about bringing the enduring sounds of The Last of Us to the home.
“The audio design is so essential to the expertise,” he mentioned. “For me, that is certainly one of my favourite components in regards to the expertise, as a result of, as a gamer, that’s so essential to the way you’re taking part in the sport. You’re listening to Clickers within the distance, you are getting a way of setting simply based mostly on the audio. So, to have the precise sound results from the sport to have the ability to make use of on this expertise, solely furthers the authentication. Beyond all of the scenic and the costumes, that audio expertise is so, so, so essential.”
There are different parts acquainted to followers of The Last of Us online game all through the maze, such because the workbenches used for crafting.
The Most Challenging Part
A majority of The Last of Us haunted home is filled with damaged down buildings and horrifying undead monsters, which is par for the course of Halloween Horror Nights. But there was one part, particularly, that proved extremely tough to create: “Molotov hallway.”
“We needed to expertise a component the place Joel or Ellie has thrown a Molotov [cocktail] and there is contaminated on hearth,” Druckmann shared. “It went identical to within the recreation, we wish them to expire, then they’re smoldering. I’m like, ‘That sounds superior. How are you going to try this?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, we’ll determine it out. We do not know but.’ How they pull it off is actually spectacular.”
“Some costume lighting, inner lighting across the supply materials the place, as an example, a Molotov cocktail was thrown straight on the chest of certainly one of these Clickers. How can we create that burning and that sort of embering, burning that exists in that time of origin? We constructed a fancy dress that illustrates that. You’re going to see Clickers on hearth throughout the expertise,” Aiello mentioned.
Speaking of Clickers, and the remainder of the contaminated, each monster costume from The Last of Us is exclusive with no repeats, they usually had been all customized for this attraction.
“The costumes are actually difficult,” Aiello mentioned. “These are amazingly detailed characters all through. It’s simple to say, ‘We’re going to place a Bloater in a haunted present attraction expertise.’ The problem is, how do we have now it look appropriately, transfer appropriately, but in addition be snug for the performer over the time period that they are in it? This is totally different than being on a TV present or a movie the place you’ll be able to yell, ‘Cut,’ and also you’re getting out of that costume. These performers are wonderful. They’re the blood of this attraction, and to make them snug and be capable to transfer and be these characters is an enormous problem. But we determine it out. It’s what we do.”
What the Future Holds
The Last of Us franchise has a lot extra to supply. There’s the remainder of the primary recreation, a sequel, and a TV present with its personal distinctive parts. So what are the chances that he’ll make a return to Halloween Horror Nights someday?
“I will not say sure or no to that query,” Aiello mentioned. “I believe the probabilities are limitless.”
Druckmann added, “I’ll say from my aspect of issues, it has been such a pleasure working with the Halloween Horror Nights crew. Given the chance, I’d do it once more in a heartbeat.”
