With the success of HBO’s The Last of Us, interest in the games it’s based on grew substantially. This was evidenced by the huge jump in sales of The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us: Remastered following the show’s debut. While 2023 has been a landmark year for The Last of Us franchise, it is also notable as it will be the first year since 2010 without a new episode of The Walking Dead. The long-running post-apocalyptic zombie drama came to end last November in a largely forgettable series finale. But The Walking Dead lives on as Rick Grimes is now in The Last of Us by way of a mod.
Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) was the lead character of The Walking Dead from its pilot episode to his apparent death in season nine. He returned to the show last year in its series finale “Rest in Peace”. The character will feature in upcoming spin-off The Walking Dead: Rick & Michonne.
The Walking Dead received its own video game adaption in 2012. It was critically well-received and won numerous Game of the Year awards. However, it did not star Rick and was based on the comic book series rather than the TV show.
But fans can now play as Rick Grimes in The Last of Us Part I thanks to a new mod by YouTuber Speclizer. The Last of Us Part I is a remake of 2013’s The Last of Us. It was first released in September 2022 on PS5 and a PC port followed in March 2023.
The PC version of The Last of Us Part I can be modded. This allows players – like Speclizer – to make significant changes to the game and its characters. And it appears they have has done just by replacing Joel Miller with Rick Grimes.
In a video posted by Speclizer on 5th May, Joel’s character model has been switched with Rick. The clip shows Rick (in full sheriff’s deputy attire) with Ellie overlooking a group of enemies before handing her a rifle and instructing her on how to use it. However, Rick speaks with Joel’s voice presumably because Speclizer’s mod doesn’t include replacement audio.
The video also shows gameplay footage of Rick in action. He can be seen taking out a number of enemies using different weapons.
While the switch is jarring, it’s certainly amusing to see one post-apocalyptic legend trade places with another. The Walking Dead and The Last of Us have similar settings after all, so Rick fits right in alongside Ellie.
The Last of Us Part I Rick Grimes mod can be accessed via Speclizer’s Patreon.
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