While the game is not without controversy,The Last of Us Part 2earned near-universal acclaim from critics when it first released in 2020. With the originalLast of Us 2knocking it out of the park on PS4 and readily available to play on PS5 thanks to backward compatibility, some may wonder if there’s really a need forThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredisn’t a massive leap forward, but it does provide enough compelling content to make it well worth the $10 upgrade for those that already own the original.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredfeatures the same heartbreaking and utterly engrossing story that was featured in the original game. Anyone who has already had their fill ofEllie’s blood-soaked quest for revengemay not feel the need to play through the entire emotionally exhausting game again, but that’s not the main selling point of the remaster anyway. It’s nice to be able to experienceThe Last of Us Part 2’s story with slightly better graphics and DualSense support, but the real draw ofThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredis the new content that Naughty Dog added to sweeten the pot - like its Lost Levels, for instance.
The Last of Us 2 Remasteredtreats franchise fans to three never-before-seen “Lost Levels” that were cut from the original release. These stages are brief and unfinished, but provide an intriguing peak behind the curtain. Each one is preceded by an intro from game director Neil Druckmann, with optional developer commentary in the levels themselves.
The first stage is set near the beginning ofThe Last of Us 2and is simply about Ellie walking to a party. It can be over in a matter of seconds if players make a beeline straight to Ellie’s destination, but those who take their time to check out the area will find carnival mini-games and a face painter to interact with. The second level is a little more exciting, as it sees Ellie being swept into the Seattle sewer system. It has some hazards Ellie has to overcome and one rather intense moment that we won’t spoil here.
The third level has Ellie tracking a boar to an abandoned store, with players challenged to take it down. It’s certainly the most action-packed of the three levels, and while all of them are interesting, especially for die-hardLast of Usfans, describing them as “levels” is a little disingenuous.Last of Us 2 Remastered’s Lost Levelsare all so short that those who only planned on playing these unfinished levels may want to hold off on spending the $10 to upgrade toThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, but it should be noted that these stages are only a small part of the overall package.
The Last of Us Part 2’s No Return mode is the best part of the Remastered package.
The real meat ofThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredis its new No Return roguelike mode. Perfect for those wanting quick hits ofThe Last of Us 2’s brutal combat without jumping back into the story mode, No Return gives players the chance to play as Ellie, Abby, Joel, Tommy, Dina, and a handful of other popularLast of Uscharacters. Players have to conquer a variety of stages themed afterlocations visited inThe Last of Us 2’s story mode, dealing with dangerous human enemies as well as Clickers and other types of infected. Death means starting over from the beginning, but the game showers players with unlockables, so runs never feel wasted.
From the get-go, players have goals to strive for and challenges to complete that unlock new playable characters. New gimmicks, encounter types, and other features are gradually introduced the more one playsNo Return, adding extra depth to the experience and giving players more to do beyond simply trying to survive each stage. For example, Gambits challenge players to take out enemies in specific ways in exchange for upgrade materials, while Dead Drops ask that players drop off items in exchange for a reward back at the hideout.
Between rounds, players visit their hideout where they are free to upgrade their guns and purchase new gear. The hideout is also where players plan their next move, choosing between a variety of stages on a branching path leading to an ultimate showdown with a powerful boss. No Return’s boss encounters can be downright terrifying, amplified by the threat of permadeath making the stakes so high.
No Return is challenging, rewarding, and hard to put down. It would have easily justified the $10 it costs toupgrade toThe Last of Us 2 Remasteredon PS5by itself, but there’s even more to the game. The graphics were already cutting-edge and honestly don’t seem to have gottenthatsignificant of a boost from the PS5’s hardware, butThe Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredis still a noticeably smoother experience compared to its PS4 counterpart. On top of that, the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers help with immersion, used cleverly to give melee attacks and simple actions like reloading a gun extra weight. There are also some other new game modes and features inThe Last of Us Part 2 Remastered, from the Guitar Free Play mode to the story mode’s new Speedrun option to the nice selection of unlockable skins and filters. There’s a lot more to the game than some might have expected, makingTheLast of Us Part 2 Remastereda steal at $10.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredis a more fully-featured and overall superior version of an already-incredible game. No Return makes it worth the $10 upgrade by itself, and the game is an absolute must-buy for anyone who has never played thePS4 original. The Lost Levels are a bit of a letdown and the graphics haven’t gotten as much of an upgrade as some may have hoped, but this is still the definitive way to experience Naughty Dog’s masterpiece.
Play the winner of over 300 Game of the Year awards, remastered for the PlayStation®5 console. Relive or play for the first time Ellie and Abby’s story, now with graphical enhancements, new gameplay modes like the roguelike survival experience No Return, full DualSense® wireless controller integration, and more.Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure.the last of us part ii remastered carNo Return – A roguelike survival modeExperience deep combat via an entirely new mode! Survive as long as you can in each run as you choose your path through a series of randomized encounters featuring different foes and memorable locations from throughout The Last of Us Part II, all culminating in tense boss battles.Unique gameplay modifiers can offer new and unexpected challenges as you fight to succeed – and survive – in a host of different encounter types. Play as a variety of characters including never-before-playable characters like Dina, Jesse, Lev, Tommy and more,2 each with unique traits to offer different playstyles, and unlock skins for them as you progress to use in the mode.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remasteredreleases January 19, exclusively for PS5. Game Rant was provided with a PS5 code for this review.
