Watch This: Sony posts feature-length YouTube video about the making of The Last Of Us

Yesterday, Sony published a feature-length documentary on YouTube that chronicles the making of The Last Of Us,
the post-apocalyptic drama from Naughty Dog (and The
A.V. Club readers’ choice for the best game of 2013). The behind-the-scenes
look, titled Grounded: The Making Of The
Last Of Us, was previously available only as a paid download on the
PlayStation 3’s digital store. It was made by Area 5, the production crew
behind 1UP.com’s The 1UP Show
and the upcoming Outerlands,
a 6-part documentary series about video game culture.

The most remarkable thing
about the documentary is the extent of the access Area 5 was given. Because they worked
hand-in-hand with Naughty Dog, the game’s development studio, Grounded offers extended looks into nearly every facet of the blockbuster
game development process, starting with the trepidation that comes with the
task of creating a wholly new setting and cast. From there, we catch glimpses of
acting sessions, the conception and evolution of the game’s fungus-based zombie
outbreak, composer Gustavo Santaolalla creating the game’s phenomenal score,
and more. One designer even explains the thinking behind the game’s many, many puzzles that involve moving a ladder from one place to another. (It
isn’t a very satisfying explanation.)