The Last of Us Part 1 fan discovers hidden secret 10 years after release

Ten years after the release of The Last of Us, a sinister hidden secret has been discovered that you may have missed.

When Naughty Dog first released The Last of Us in 2013 on the PlayStation 3, it not only pushed the boundaries of what the Sony console was capable of but it also became one of the greatest video games of all time adding to the developer's already impressive library of franchises which includes Uncharted.

Check out The Last of Us Part I trailer below!

Since its release on PS3, the original The Last of Us has seen a remaster on PlayStation 4 in 2014 and more recently, a PlayStation 5 remake in 2022 with The Last of Us Part I. Naughty Dog also released the sequel in 2020 with fans now eagerly awaiting the arrival of The Last of Us Part III.

If you’re willing to search every corner of The Last Of Us in the PS3 version, there are some interesting details to be found. Such as documents and recordings in the Salt Lake Hospital which imply that there were others like Ellie who died at the operating table, perhaps adding some justification to Joel’s actions. Though I swear those documents were removed in later versions of the game.

Another added detail that some of you may have missed is in regards to the heartbreaking prologue of The Last of Us Part I. It’s common knowledge that the premise of The Last of Us is inspired by the cordyceps fungus which featured in a 2008 episode of Planet Earth narrated by Sir David Attenborough. In this terrifying episode, it’s documented how the cordyceps fungus takes over the minds of ants, essentially turning them into zombies. In The Last of Us, it asks the question, what if cordyceps fungus evolved to take over human hosts?

With that lovely story embedded in our minds, a Redditor has discovered a cool but creepy easter egg related to the cordyceps fungus that takes place in the prologue that seemingly pays homage to that Planet Earth episode.

Before we proceed, it has to be said that the heading of the Reddit thread reads “Creepy secret found after seven years!” I assume, this secret was discovered by the Reddit user seven years after they first played the game because obviously, the maths doesn't add up to with any of the versions of The Last of Us release dates.

“I found this passphrase recently. To get it, you need to perform several simple actions at the very beginning of the game when we play as Sarah. Right after the opening cutscene, pick up the phone Tommy called and listen to Sarah's line,” explained arqmrqm609.

“Read the newspaper in the bathroom. Go to Joel's room and watch the explosion. Go down to the first floor, go to the kitchen and take Joel's cell phone. Wait for Sarah to read all the text messages,” they continued. “Look at the note on the refrigerator. Exit the game to the main menu and then click 'Continue' and go back to Joel's room. The TV screen will now show a picture of a cordyceps-infected ant. Such a small but creepy paschal.”

So there you have it, there’s a cool secret that you may or may not have known about. I’m intrigued to see if this secret appears in the PS3 version of the game. Many claim that it's a glitch more so than an intentional easter egg but either way, I think it's pretty cool. The Last of Us Part I is out now on PC and PlayStation 5.