The remaster brings refinement, playable scrapped levels, and a roguelike mode.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered is almost upon us, bringing refinement and an array of additions to Naughty Dog’s sequel. Releasing exclusively for PS5, this version tackles not only a graphical update across the board, but also expands the original. The standout features include accessibility settings, playable levels that were scrapped from the official release, as well as a roguelike survival mode called No Return.
Despite the original release’s patch for the PS5, which unlocked the framerate to aim 60 FPS in Performance mode, The Last of Us Part II Remastered introduces itself as a more complete package for Sony’s current-gen console. It currently has a metascore of 90 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. This rating is the result of 76 critic reviews by the time of publication.
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Now Playing: The Last Of Us Part 2 – All Lost Levels Gameplay
The remaster takes cues from Naughty Dog’s revisit to the first game with The Last Of Us Part I. Mainly, featuring accessibility settings that were only introduced in said release, including cinematic audio descriptions and speech-to-vibrations, the latter which plays spoken dialogue through the DualSense controller using vibrations. The use of haptic feedback and adaptive triggers of the DualSense have been improved as well.
Elsewhere, Lost Levels is a playable gallery of unfinished sections that weren’t included in the original release. There’s also from the game’s developers as well as voice actors. No Return, as well as reimagining the combat for a roguelike structure, also allows you to take control of previously unplayable characters, such as Dina and Lev, to name a few.
GameSpot also has a preorder guide for the upcoming remake by Naughty Dog.
Game: The Last of Us Part II Remastered
Platforms: PS5
Developer: Naughty Dog
Release Date: January 19
Price: $50 for the Standard Edition, $100 for the WLF Edition, or $10 if you already own The Last of Us Part II and just want to upgrade to the remastered version
Check out more reviews for the game below:
NME — 4/5 stars
“It feels odd to be playing a remaster just four years after a game’s release and visually, improvements are minimal. Lighting and textures are a little softer but it’s nothing groundbreaking, though native 4K support and near-instant loading screens offer more marked upgrades.” — Andy Brown [Full review]
Destructoid — 9/10
“They also provide a peek into just how difficult to wrangle a game with a story of this magnitude. Ultimately, I’m glad these lost levels were axed, as they would have subtracted more than they added to TLOU P2. Nonetheless, discovering just how far developers were willing to go to achieve lofty goals like making Jackson feel immersive or highlighting Ellie’s trauma does trigger greater appreciation for the final product.” — Smangaliso Simelane [Full review]
VGC — 5/5 stars
“No Return is the biggest new addition to The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered. The roguelike mode sees players move through combat arenas from the game, between which they’ll upgrade their weapons, crafting abilities, and more. On the surface, this is a puzzling addition to a game that is literally about escaping a cycle of violence, but in practice, it’s far more engaging than we expected.” — Jordan Middler [Full review]
Variety — 10/10
“For diehard fans of the series, pulling back the curtain like this will only serve to deepen their understanding of the beautifully tragic story – and make the game feel new again. Instead of simply watching a cutscene they’ve already seen, they can hear from the creators about exactly what the intent of the scene was.” — Katcy Stephan [Full review]
Inverse — 7/10
“While I did dedicate a handful of hours to this mode, it didn’t exactly blow me away. The stages started to feel same-y, and upgrades are inconsequential unless you’re playing at a harder difficulty. Ultimately, No Return feels like a slice of what could be a more extensive roguelike mode, and one that could maybe keep players entertained for more than just a few play sessions.” — Kazuma Hashimoto [Full review]