There are many reasons that makes The Last of Us so great and worthy of its countless awards, but what really stands out, aside from its incredibly complex character development, is the music. The picking of only a few strings on composer Gustavo Santaolalla’s traditional Argentinian instrument, the ronroco, not only produces moments of fear and tension but also love and loss, and without it, The Last of Us wouldn’t have that unique and spellbinding ambiance we have all come to recognize and love.

Gustavo Santaolalla’s ability to hone in on The Last of Us character’s story, especially Joel, Ellie and Abby, not only made the gameplay come to life audibly but also how the Argentinian composer became a silent mediator who brought the game’s score into the heart of the player.

The Last Of Us Composer On Creating Characters With Meaning

Speaking with The Guardian, Gustavo Santaolalla tells the story of how his first music teacher gave up on him when he was a child in Argentina because there was nothing more they could teach him, giving us a first look into the incredible musical talents Santaolalla already acquired at such a young age. After initially joining a band for several years, the composer set off on his own by releasing solo albums and composing TV shows, commercials, and movie soundtracks, leading him to win Oscars for Brokeback Mountain and Babel.

After showcasing his musical skills in popular films, and of course, the Oscars helped too, Santaolalla was headhunted by an unnamed gaming studio for its upcoming game, but the composer didn’t feel like this was the right move for his career to take next.

“After winning the Oscar, I was approached by several companies to make music for video games. One company in Europe wanted me to work on a western video game that would have been a huge project – both financially and in terms of visibility and what it could represent.” said Santaolalla, “But it was more of the same, you know? I wanted to do something that connected what you do in the games with the heart – more than just the gymnastics, the shooting, the fighting, the surviving.”

Thankfully, Naughty Dog became the chosen one and a place where Santaolalla could express more freedom with his soulful Argentinian-inspired music. Not only this, but the composer could also offer a unique individual story about all three of The Last of Us characters, providing a narrative without words and solely through music. “That six-string bass, absolutely, is the masculine side of the story,” Santaolalla says, meaning Joel. “And the ronroco, the fragile side of the music, is Ellie’s side of the story. It was not something I knew I was doing when I wrote the music, but hearing it back, I could see so clearly.”

In taking on Abby’s character, Santaolalla says that he used the banjo as a musical backdrop for the labyrinthine elements of her complicated narrative. “I got out of bed one day, I picked up the banjo, and it came out of me,” he expressed. “Some of the character themes are almost magical in the way they happen. They come when I’m not really thinking at all. I grab the instrument, and it’s like somebody else is playing.”

The Last of Us season 2 is expected to arrive in 2025, but an exact release date has yet to be confirmed. Although there are hopes that since season one was released in January 2023, we could see the HBO show spring onto our screens in the same month next year, so let’s keep our fingers crossed.