The Last Of Us no doubt has some of Gustavo Santaolalla's best work.
- The emotional score for the cutscenes is of course fantastic, but the real brilliance of this game's soundtrack lies in the way dynamic music is implemented during core gameplay segments: if the player is incognito they are either treated to silence or a few ambient pulses to keep up tension, but once they're detected the music becomes either frantic,
primal percussion pieces or dark and extremely threatening acoustic and/or industrial tracks best described as "musical encapsulations of a Cormac McCarthy thriller." The styles vary depending on the enemies the player is currently facing (Infected and humans, respectively), but both will often employ something of a Recurring Riff in the form of the OST's iconic ragged, menacing "twang" notes. - Look no further than the main theme.
- "Vanishing Grace (Childhood)" which plays during the iconic giraffe scene.
- The game's sad theme "All Gone" has two main versions, "Aftermath" for the beginning where Joel's daughter dies and "No Escape" for the ending where Joel is escaping the Fireflies while carrying an unconscious Ellie. Major Tear Jerker warning.
- "Reunion" playing when Joel and Ellie reunite at the end of winter."Oh, baby girl."
- "Home", an incredibly soothing and nostalgia-inducing score playing at the very end when Joel is lying to Ellie and drives them back to Tommy's town.Joel: I'm taking us home... I'm sorry.
- While technically not actually in the game at all, the song featured in the reveal trailer for The Last of Us: Part II features a now grown up Ellie playing and singing Shawn James' "Through the Valley."
Left Behind
- The DLC offers another great main theme.
- The beautiful "Together" playing when Ellie rides the Merry-Go-Round.
- While not part of the game's soundtrack, Etta James' "I Got You, Babe" playing when Ellie and Riley dance and kiss certainly deserves a mention.I got flowers in the spring, yeah ~
I got you, I got you to wear my ring
And when I'm sad, you're a clown
And when I get scared, you're always around
