After the release of Part 1’s next-generation remake, it was only a matter of time until The Last of Us Part II arrived on the PlayStation 5. The Last of Us Part II Remastered, as its title makes clear, is not a remake, in contrast to its predecessor. If I had to choose, though, The Last of Us Part II for the PlayStation 5 is the better deal between the two games because it has a few significant enhancements and can be upgraded for a nominal price. This is true even if it is a remaster.
The Last of Us Part II, which debuted in 2020, is a technological marvel that stretched the capabilities of Sony’s aging hardware and may be viewed by some as the final chapter in the PlayStation 4 series. The Last of Us Part II Remastered escapes its bottleneck with its PlayStation 5 release, utilizing the extra headroom provided by its Performance and 4K Fidelity Modes, complete Dualsense compatibility, and lightning-fast loading times.
I adhered to The Last of Us Part II Remastered’s Performance Mode for my playthrough, which allows users to use VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) implementations on compatible screens to seemingly uncap framerates. I observed that the game barely ever dropped a frame on my 120 Hz LG display. There were a few instances were I could sense judder, but nothing that interfered significantly with my gameplay or lasted longer than a second.
Even yet, because The Last of Us Part II Remastered is built on a last-generation experience, extra performance choices like ray tracing and 120 Hz support would have been good to see. For the majority, though, what is offered is more than sufficient to support its status as a stand-alone PlayStation 5 experience.
“The Last of Us Part II Remastered breaks free from its bottleneck with its release on the PlayStation 5—taking advantage of the added headroom with its Performance and 4K Fidelity Modes, alongside full Dualsense support and incredibly quick loading times.”
In addition to speed improvements, The Last of Part II Remastered comes with a few extras, such as never-before-seen cut content that comprises of early peeks at levels that were omitted from the game’s original release. For those who have already played The Last of Us Part II, there is enough new material to make it worthwhile to upgrade from the PlayStation 4 version or double dip, in addition to a new commentary that dives into the game’s creation.
Three levels make up the cut content: The Hunt, Seattle Sewers, and Jackson Party. These early takes on levels, which take place at different times in the campaign, are best saved for a post-game analysis because they have forwards written in the form of a DVD commentary by creative lead Neil Druckmann. The levels themselves are an engaging and unique way to experience extras or behind-the-scenes stuff of a game, despite its modest size and unfinished state; other creators should take note of this in the future.
The Seattle Sewers part is my favorite of the three reduced levels that are provided, without giving too much away. The trimmed version of the sequence extends the otherwise brief segment included in the complete release and includes various water-based environmental challenges, in contrast to the final level that came with the game.
The Last of Part II Remastered offers certain bonuses in addition to performance improvements. These include never-before-seen cut content, which is comprised of early-stage exploration of areas that were omitted from the game’s original release.
Other small additions include the incorporation of Activity Cards and a free play instrument option that lets the user play some strings alongside Gustavo Santaolalla, the composer of The Last of Us series, in addition to Ellie and Joel. Players can unlock other string instruments, like as electric guitar and banjo, in addition to the standard guitar. These instruments include authentic sound samples.
Naturally, the all-new No Return game mode is the largest addition to The Last of Us Part II Remastered. No Return is a roguelike mode designed for single players that progressively lets them take over the roles of The Last of Us Part II’s enlarged cast. Each character has distinct skills and characteristics that inspire exploration.
I say progressively because at first, No Return only lets players play as Ellie and Abby. Based on alliances made by either character, players can then access other campaign characters. Characters can usually only be unlocked when three levels are completed. You’ll need to play with new unlockable characters in order to unlock the next one up, so if you want to unlock the entire roster, you’ll need to invest a lot of time in No Return.
Fortunately, if you enjoy roguelike games and want a sandbox to test out The Last of Us Part II’s gameplay principles, the No Return game option is a lot of fun to play. No Return offers player-playable tweaks, weapon augments, and even new game types in addition to unlockable characters.
The Holdout mode is my personal favorite among the unlockables. It challenges players to fend off waves of infected while constructing defenses and preserving the life of their AI partner. Holdout, which is action-heavy in contrast to the other modes in No Return, notably the story, turns The Last of Us’ frequently tense and atmospheric mood into a silly and extravagant action game that is akin to Left 4 Dead or Call of Duty’s Zombie mode.
If, like me, you have a favorite game mode, No Return lets you create custom game types that offer a variety of modifiers the player can toggle, such as only allowing certain enemy encounters or disabling specific mods, such as preventing invisible enemies or, of course, restricting the types of encounters to the ones you like.
“…the No Return game mode is a lot of fun to play, especially if you’re interested in trying out the gameplay mechanics of The Last of Us Part II in a sandbox setting.”
The flexibility is rather granular, which might lead to interesting endeavors from broadcasters and content makers as The Last of Us Part II Remastered develops.
Every round of No Return takes place in a randomly selected area taken directly from the campaign of The Last of Us Part II. A corkboard in one of the two center locations allows players to choose between these levels for Ellie- or Abby-oriented characters. Overall, for those who have previously played The Last of Us Part II’s original release, No Return is a great reason to double dip as a bonus mode in an already feature-rich game.
The majority of the content is the same as that of The Last of Us Part II on the PlayStation 4, but with a smoother framerate and enhanced controller fidelity thanks to Dualsense integration. This brings the contentious sequel up to par with the recent remake of The Last of Us Part I, which also made use of the updated engine from the second game.