The Last Of Us Part II Remastered Review - Worth The Return
A lot was conspiring against The Last Of Us Part II when it first launched in 2020. From a game about a pandemic, released at the time of a pandemic in the real world, to hacks, leaks, spoilers proliferating both real and fake, people with backward ideologies screaming at anyone who’d dare express positivity toward the game, and atop all of it, the game was a follow up to what was considered by some to be the greatest game of all time – The Last Of Us Part II had a lot working against it. Despite everything, the game was widely considered a serious Game Of The Year contender, winning many. Now, in 2024, the pandemic has passed, as has 3.5 years since the game’s initial launch, with PS5 owners now being recipients of a remaster. The Last Of Us Part II Remastered is here, boasting technical improvements, vast new modes, behind-the-scenes content, and more, but in 2024, will the game be received better or worse than it was several years ago?
For many the plot of The Last Of Us Part II was either one that you loved or hated, but for myself, I was torn. Certain notable beats were difficult to handle, but each I could appreciate for what they were and what they served for the broader narrative that Naughty Dog was looking to build. Years removed, and of course, returning to The Last Of Us Part II already knowing how the story plays out places an interesting filter atop the narrative experience. Certainly playing the game whilst not being cooped up in my own home makes a large difference, but with years to have chewed on the events of the game, a repeat playthrough allowed me to think more critically about Naughty Dog’s decisions and ultimately I feel more even more aligned with their storytelling than I was before, with one exception. While I’m more connected to the narrative than ever, the repeated loop of the Day 1-3 through the lens of Ellie and then Abby still feels jarring and certainly like the less optimal way to deliver the sequence of events. Beyond this, in 2024, the plot of The Last Of Us Part II is still as dark, depressing, and deeply impacting as it was in 2020, in all of the most engaging ways.
As a gameplay experience, the mechanics of The Last Of Us Part II remain the same, however players have an opportunity to take their skills and apply them in a new setting with the ‘No Return’ mode. No Return is a roguelike mode that allows the player to assume the role of Ellie, Abby, or any of a large line-up of unlockable characters, and fight through waves of enemies, and eventually a boss, to successfully complete the run. Unlike other PlayStation first party roguelikes, such as Returnal or even the recently launched Valhalla expansion for God Of War Ragnarok, No Return is much more gamey in nature. A full run of No Return can be completed in under 60 minutes, and there’s no narrative component unlike its first party peers, but it does pull across the gameplay systems of the core game and the implementation of each feels like it was designed explicitly for No Return and not at all like it’s been copied and pasted over.
As a gameplay experience, the mechanics of The Last Of Us Part II remain the same, however players have an opportunity to take their skills and apply them in a new setting with the ‘No Return’ mode. No Return is a roguelike mode that allows the player to assume the role of Ellie, Abby, or any of a large line-up of unlockable characters, and fight through waves of enemies, and eventually a boss, to successfully complete the run. Unlike other PlayStation first party roguelikes, such as Returnal or even the recently launched Valhalla expansion for God Of War Ragnarok, No Return is much more gamey in nature. A full run of No Return can be completed in under 60 minutes, and there’s no narrative component unlike its first party peers, but it does pull across the gameplay systems of the core game and the implementation of each feels like it was designed explicitly for No Return and not at all like it’s been copied and pasted over.
Players will take on one of five different mission types on their quest for survival, from Assault where your goal is take out all opponents, Capture where you need to evade enemies to claim the contents of a safe, Holdout where you and a CPU fight off a swarming wave of infected, Hunted where you’re trying to survive long enough for a clock to countdown, and of course, the final boss mission with thrusts you into an arena with some of the games’ biggest threats. There’s enough to keep you busy with the enemies ranging from infected to WLF, and the Seraphites, each posing their own types of threats that pair differently with the mission type before you. Players will accumulate resources with each completed levels that you can spend on weapon upgrades, schematics for other weapons, medicinal items, and more, but balancing the use of these, which upgrades you’ll make, all with the needs of the next mission (and those to come) will present players with constant challenge. No Return is just as brutal as the core game and will test the mettle of all.
On the meta side, a vast number of difficulty levels, mirroring that of the main game make No Return incredible accessible for players of all levels of roguelike experience. For those with a more competitive edge, each run, successful or otherwise will also end with a scoreboard that tallies up everything you’ve accomplished in that playthrough, of course tempting you to compare with friends. Challenges are available for for players to unlock new characters, skins, gambits, and more. Daily runs are also a feature. In this instance, all players have one attempt to complete the daily with a leaderboard being assembled for everyone to claim (or shy away from) bragging rights. You can also create custom runs which allows you to lock in what mods and enemies are available, while also tweak the match modes, gambits, timers and more; simply put, it’s more of that Naughty Dog accessibility-driven focus that’s shining through again.
The Last Of Us Part II Remastered also does something that few other games have ever done, which is give players a playable look at lost levels. There are three (largely combat-free) sequences, that are introduced by Neil Druckmann who talks you through the scene before you jump in and check out what could have been, with developer commentary also available to explain the rationale behind the sequence, and even why it was cut. For players eager for a deeper look at what makes the development scene tick, this is a fascinating reference. Players can also leap into Guitar Free Play modes, apply graphical filters, complete speed runs and more. There’s plenty to do.
As a visual spectacle, there will be many that say 2020’s The Last Of Us Part II still holds an edge over many PS5 games to launch today, so that gap widens a bit further with this remaster. The improvements aren’t going to be incredibly striking to all but the most trained eyes, but the sharper picture and rock-steady framerate make this remaster the clearly definitive version. The soundtrack, voice-acting and sound effects have not diminished in quality over the subsequent years either – The Last Of Us Part II is a sensory delight, just as much as it can be an assault.
If you’re new to the series through the TV series, or are even just willing to dip in and see the game for yourself, checking the internet noise at the door, you’re going to be in for a wonderfully dreary time. From the opening shocking hour, all the way through to it’s heartbreaking conclusion, and now the tension continues with hours of No Return. You’ll find yourself returning regularly for it.
The Last Of Us Part II Remastered was reviewed on PS5 with a code kindly provided by PlayStation Australia.
