Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us episode 2.The Last of Us episode 2 introduced iconic monsters from the game, Clickers, that make distinct sounds when hunting their prey. In The Last of Us episode 2, the Clickers are encountered by Joel, Tess, and Ellie when the trio is traveling through abandoned Boston to reach the State House. Upon entering a museum and finding signs of dead fungi yet fresh human kills, the Clickers make themselves known.
Outside of their specific, different look from The Last of Us' regular Runners, Clickers exhibit certain adaptations that come from years of infection. While Runners are regular humans in the first stage of infection from The Last of Us' fungi Cordyceps, Clickers are human hosts that have been infected for longer than a year. Due to the extended period of infection, Clickers have several differences that lead to the clicking sound that gives them their name.
The Clicker’s Sound Is Used For Echolocation
With the Cordyceps infection taking hold for over a year, Clickers are blind due to the fungi growing outwards. This causes hardened fungal plates to cover the host's head, giving the Clickers their distinct look in comparison to Runners. This blindness means the Clickers have evolved, using their unmistakable clicking sound as a primitive form of echolocation. While Clickers can still hear and often use that sense to find their prey, clicking allows them to navigate their environments.
The Last of Us episode 2 showcases the Clickers in a very confined space, yet each of them seamlessly navigates the museum floor while searching for Joel, Ellie, and Tess. This is a direct result of the echolocation they have adapted. The clicking sounds send sound waves out to their surroundings, which bounce back to the Clickers and alert them to their surroundings.
How Similar HBO’s Clickers Are To The Last Of Us Game
This begs the question of how similar HBO's Clickers are to the original game, and whether these elements were adapted or created for the show. In the game, Clickers were shown as a considerable threat, often depicted as a second-tier enemy. Runners were the most prominent creatures fought in the game, with certain sections including Clickers for added challenge. Clickers required a greater deal of stealth, as any sound caused them to attack. With The Last of Us also having Clickers be much more powerful than Runners, they often cause players a great deal of trouble.
Clickers were unable to be killed with unarmed melee combat in The Last of Us, unlike Runners. The best way of dealing with Clickers was with ranged weaponry, obtainable melee weapons, or crafted items such as shivs. Their increased strength meant they were much more dangerous to Joel, with that strength on display in The Last of Us episode 2. From taking multiple gunshots, disarming Joel, and pinning both he and Ellie to the ground, The Last of Us episode 2 perfectly adapted one of the game's most iconic creatures as well as their specific traits and strengths.
New episodes of The Last of Us release every Sunday on HBO.