Entre o controle e a câmera: Adaptação e impacto emocional no jogo e na série em The Last of Us

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the intersemiotic translation process involved in adapting the game *The Last of Us Part II* (Naughty Dog, 2020) to the television series *The Last of Us* (HBO, 2023–), focusing on the scene of Joel's death and on the reconstruction of the character Abby. Grounded in the concepts of agency (Ryan, 2001), ludonarrative (Hocking, 2007), and adaptation as recreation (Hutcheon, 2013), the research adopts an interpretative comparative analysis of editing, sound design, framing and acting. The analysis demonstrates that the series does not attempt literal replication of the game but seeks to recreate the equivalence of the original’s core emotional effects — such as powerlessness, grief and moral complexity — shifting from the game’s motor agency toward audiovisual and performative strategies on screen. The conclusion is that the success of the adaptation lies in its ability to recreate affective effects in another medium, thus constituting an autonomous creative work.