A weird The Last of Us Part 1 clip shows an infected crouching to avoid a trap. The implications of this self awareness within the context of the game's narrative, which could have something to do with the updated enemy AI for the remake, presents a terrifying reality regarding the infection and its hosts within the world of The Last of Us.
The parasitic brain infection known as cordyceps, fungi that exist in real life and are known to only affect insects, exists within the game and wipes out humanity, leaving the characters of The Last of Us in a post apocalyptic world. One of the main characters comes across an infected entity known as the Rat King in The Last of Us Part 2, which suggests an even more sinister and evolving nature to the cordyceps infection than originally thought. To contrast this, one of the questions that The Last of Us Part 1 poses to the player is whether there is any trace of the person still alive once the infection takes over. Players may have further insight into this haunting question thanks to a clip that has surfaced of an infected displaying levels of self awareness to avoid a trap.
This clip produced by Reddit user u/Naderium shows an infected enemy crouching to avoid a trip wire trap. The player was so startled by witnessing this that they ran straight into the trap that they produced in hopes of getting away, after initially being attacked. There have been further developments on cordyceps after the release of The Last of Us Part 2, so if a third game ever comes to be, then there may be a future to explore the evolution of the infected in more depth.
Comments of the Reddit post show players adding their own experiences of the infected displaying signs of intelligence, such as climbing ladders. In the game, there are certain story elements that show forms of intelligence until the clicker stages of the cordyceps infection, because, as one Reddit user points out, at that point of infection the host has lost their frontal cortex completely.
The Last of Us Part 1 updated its enemy AI for the remake, which further supports The Last of Us Featurette that comments on the infected as "suffering human beings," rather than just mindless zombies. The lingering sense of self at this initial stage of infection would be necessary to avoid traps in the manner presented.
The Last of Us Part 1 is available now on PS5, and is in development for PC.