The Last of Us Part II Remastered – SURELY WE DIDN’T ACTUALLY NEED THIS?
Whether you love or hate The Last of Us part II, there is no denying that it was a bit of a surprise when Naughty Dog announced that it was getting a remaster! I mean, the title is not even four years old and is already accessible on current hardware. So I am sure that you, like me, would have thought to yourself, is this remaster really necessary? The first thing to note is that this is mostly the same experience that you would have had with the PS4 release. The same disappointing story, the same excellent gameplay, and the same jaw dropping visuals.
The Minor Changes
There are a few changes that have been made in The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a couple of new inclusions. On the playstation store the game is stated to have “increased texture resolution, increased Level-of-Detail distances, improved shadow quality, animation sampling rate, and more”. To be honest, the visuals seem to have barely changed. What you saw in 2020, is more or less what you will see now. Most of these differences are very subtle. Even putting footage side by side with the PS4 gameplay doesn’t seem to show much difference! There might be a slight colour change at most, but that is about it.
The New Additions in The Last of Us Part II Remastered
The remaster features new outfits for Ellie and Abby, as well as other characters in the new survival mode as well as some “lost levels”. These three new levels are early development versions that were not included in the original release. Whilst they can be decent, they don’t add much to the overall progression of the game.
There is also developer commentary to listen to as you play through the game. This is a pretty neat feature, if you like that sort of thing. You can also now pick up and strum a guitar whenever you wish in the new Guitar Free Play mode. Strumming chords to your heart’s content, whilst attempting to bring out your inner John Mayer or Ed Sheeran may seem appealing to some. But honestly, that part of the game felt a bit tedious to me. But hey, it’s there if you want it!
One noticeable difference is the inclusion of the haptic feedback and adaptive trigger features. They add that extra level of immersion as you take down infected, fight back against the WLF and explore the game’s stunning landscapes. It’s a nice touch, but doesn’t dramatically change the feel of the game. Also, if you don’t like these features of the dualsense controller, you can always turn them off in the menu!
The New No Return Mode in The Last of Us Part II Remastered
The biggest new inclusion, and probably the main reason for this remaster, is the new No Return mode. Honestly, this new roguelike-esque game mode is really awesome! Throwing you into a variety of enemy encounters and allowing you to choose your path that culminates in a final boss battle was heaps of fun. Each mission gives you a variety of rewards which allows you to upgrade your arsenal, purchase new weapons and crafting recipes, as well as unlock new characters to play as. There are also many mission types and mission modifications to unlock as well. So each new run will look vastly different to the last!
Each new run will look vastly different to the last!
One strange element of this game mode was the partner AI. Sometimes when you would have an ally join you in the missions, they will randomly decide to walk out right in front of you and the enemies that you are hiding from. Somehow they are surprisingly invisible to your foes, so at least they aren’t getting you caught in tricky situations. However, this is just a small part in what is an extremely intense and addictive mode. I would still like to see the online multiplayer mode make a comeback. But for now I will happily settle for No Return! As a whole, it has a tonne of replay value! So don’t be surprised if you find yourself sinking hours into this game mode!
Final Thoughts
Overall, whilst I believe that this title might have been unnecessary, The Last of Us Part II Remastered does offer a variety of new features for you to enjoy, with some making more of an impact than others. The cosmetic additions are welcomed and having the option to strum a guitar endlessly may be a bit of fun. However, I believe it will come down to whether or not you want to experience the extra dual sense features or if you are interested in a Last of Us Part II themed roguelike mode, that’ll determine if you play it or not. The new survival mode was definitely the selling point for me, but was it for you?
By Samuel Incze – Played on PlayStation 5
Unscored
Whilst I believe that The Last of Us Part II Remastered might have been unnecessary, it does offer a variety of new features for you to enjoy. The cosmetic additions are welcomed and having the option to strum a guitar endlessly may be a bit of fun. However, I believe it will come down to whether or not you want to experience the extra dual sense features or if you are interested in a Last of Us Part II themed roguelike mode, that’ll determine if you play it or not.
This game was reviewed using a download code provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment and Naughty Dog. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.
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