The Last of Us Part II Remastered, a (remastered) experience for fans

The Last of Us has become one of the benchmarks in the video game world that has elevated the state of electronic entertainment in recent years. Beyond the games, the HBO series has helped take the story of Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic world even further. Now, with the arrival of the second season, we have the upcoming release of The Last of Us Part II Remastered, a version that takes us back to some of the most difficult moments in video games and asks if this new edition is worth it.

Back on the road to revenge

The Last of Us Part II Remastered, as its name suggests, is the remastering of Naughty Dog’s game released in 2020, and now comes with new features that take advantage of the power of the new generation, as well as new game modes that complement the experience of this raw narrative.

On this occasion, we will not talk about its story and other elements that made The Last of Us Part II the game of the year 2020, because none of this has been changed. If you have already played the original version, the story is the same and there is no more or less bloodshed than what you have already seen. However, this version comes with all the elements you would expect from a remaster making the jump to PlayStation 5.

From the start we have a performance that takes the game to 4K in Fidelity mode, improvements in frames per second, a higher resolution of textures, shadow effects and other visual details. Honestly, the detail is almost imperceptible compared to the PS4 version, which shows how good the version already looked on that console. Where we can talk about where it shines and improves is in the loading times, which have been reduced considerably. On the other hand, the gameplay becomes more personalized with the DualSense adjustments, allowing the haptic trigger feedback to be felt differently when we shoot with a gun or feel the bowstring tighten. At the same time, we can bring the vibration of the dialog to our controller to feel the in-game dialog differently.

Test your might

One of the most striking extra modes is the new roguelike mode No Return. As a good mode in its genre, this will allow us to perform a run where we will eliminate enemies, obtain items and at the end we will unlock the necessary elements to unlock new weapons, traps and others. One of the most striking aspects is the amount of permutations and characters to unlock. You start with Ellie and Abby, each with their own traits, but as you use them more and progress through the sequence of levels, more characters are unlocked (which we will have to use to unlock the next level), as well as different changes that may appear.

The game system warns that you need to have some experience with the gameplay of The Last of Us, and wow, it can be a good challenge, either in combat with the infected or other humans. Each of the locations we visit is inspired by one of the different scenarios in the game and there will also be some elements that will make the encounter different, such as enemies that drop a bomb when eliminated. The gameplay is a great experience for those fans who like the game’s combat.

Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before

Another of the extras included in this version is the Guitar Free Play mode. One of the elements of the original game that attracted attention throughout history was the moments when our characters would stop at points to play the guitar. At the time, players and even artists used these points in the story to record and pay tribute to songs from popular culture. Now, it will not be necessary to have a specific save point to replay one of these points, as it is now one of the game’s new features.

Here we will be able to play with Ellie, Joel and even the maestro Gustavo Santaolalla himself. There is also the possibility to unlock from bass guitars to electric guitars and even use distortions to change the sound of the guitars. Something that would have been incredible would have been a tutorial to learn how to play a song, or a larger catalog of characters.

The Druckmann’s Cut

Finally, another interesting section that the game offers is the Lost Levels. This is a collection of 3 small scenarios that were cut from the final installment and were taken to show us part of the development of The Last of Us Part II. Although they are quite short, they become a kind of interactive documentary about how the development of a video game can be and how sometimes certain ideas are discarded or transformed into other elements.

The mode has a preview where Neil Druckmann himself talks about the scenario, where it is in the story and what you may or may not find. There are also a few points within these scenarios where we can hear some of the developers comment on an area or element.

A lot to unlock

Just like the original, there will be hundreds of items to unlock, from character models, concept art, skins, swappers, and more. One of the advantages is that you can transfer your save file from the original version to this new version, so if you have already finished the game, you can start with the New Game Plus, as well as having enough credits to start unlocking everything you can. Considering that the No Return mode also has its own challenges, this version will keep completionist fans of Naughty Dog’s work hooked for a long time.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered has the elements that make it the ultimate fan experience. It is an improvement in the graphics that, being very recent, perhaps did not need so much polishing, but it is in the performance part and in the use of DualSense where it shines. Beyond the story, it offers a series of extras that between Lost Levels and Guitar Free Play, but the real meat is in the No Return, allowing you to play and demonstrate your skills in ways never seen before.