This review contains spoilers for The Last of Us Part II. Some images may contain graphic content.
The Last of Us Part II is one of the most conflicting narratives in modern gaming history—a tale of two women hell-bent on revenge.
It is also one of the best games I’ve ever played. The story, gameplay and impeccable visuals make it a modern marvel.
Now, developers Naughty Dog have breathed new life into the award-winning PlayStation game for the modern console.
READ MORE: Review | Hands-on with the PlayStation Portal ‘A Taste of the Future’
Despite being released in 4K for the PS4 Pro, I never had the privilege of experiencing it at its best.
The game was released just months before the PlayStation 5 launched, so it’s only right that they’ve now optimised it for the console.
The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered
The game looked incredible in 2020, just like it does now. But for someone who has never experienced Part II before, this is how it’s meant to be played.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered is one of the best looking PlayStation 5 games to date.
So, what’s new in the remaster?
The Last of Us Part II Remastered boasts enhanced native 4K performance, an improved framerate, and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support.
The game also fully embraces the DualSense controller, providing distinct haptic feedback and adaptive triggers for a heightened sense of immersion.
Firing a revolver into the head of a clicker has never felt so good.
READ MORE: Review | Spider-Man 2 (PS5)
The Last of Us has always had great accessibility, but they’ve improved on that too. A couple of additional accessibility settings have been added, including “speech to vibrations”, which allows you to feel a character’s voice through the controller haptics.
Did they change or add anything in the remaster?
One of the only changes I’m aware of is where Naughty Dog swapped out flashbacks of Ellie with the Part 1 remake character model. It all flowed so naturally, so it’s not something I really noticed on the first play through.
READ MORE: Review | Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (PlayStation 5)
Rereleasing a game like this just a few years later needs more than just a graphical boost.
The Lost Levels
The Lost Levels are a great addition to the game, and it’s something I wish more developers gave us a chance to experience.
Players can enter three new levels that didn’t make the final cut. These levels, while greatly detailed, are in early stages of development and are missing some voice acting and graphical finesse.
One of these levels gave us an early glimpse of Ellie’s PTSD over Joel’s death, as she comes face to face with a dead infected in a tight sewer tunnel.
This flash of Joel’s bloodied face hit me hard and gave me a greater understanding of the late game barn scene. I would’ve liked to see this included in the full game, though developer commentary does explain why they made the decision to ditch it.
The commentary is a great addition to the remaster, not just in The Lost Levels but also the main game. I’m on my second playthrough and have loved the insights by director Neil Druckmann and team — especially during iconic cutscenes.
But wait, there’s more…
There’s a fully interactive Guitar Free Play mode, with multiple instruments including the banjo.
READ MODE: Review | House Flipper 2 (PC)
I played guitar as a kid and I still remember my basic chords, so incredible to see how accurate finger placement is along the fretboard. While I’m not enthusiastic enough to have a crack and playing a song, I can’t wait to see what people come up with.
But the biggest and best addition to this remaster is a standalone, Roguelike game mode.
No Return – Roguelike Game Mode
The combat in The Last of Us is intense and strategic, blending stealth and action elements to create unique encounters every time.
It only makes sense to give us a game mode with combat and survival as the focus, and a Roguelike couldn’t be more welcome.
Hot off the heels of God of War: Ragnarok’s Roguelike take, I was keen for more.
No Return gives players a fresh and expansive mix of firearms, melee weapons, and stealth tactics to confront both human and infected enemies.
You’re not kitted out from the get go, you’ll need to survive and thrive. Each successful encounter sees you unlock new skills, skins, levels and more.
Scattered throughout encounters are your typical crafting materials. Load up on Molotovs, set some trip mines and sharpen some shivs! The emphasis on resource management adds the perfect survival aspect.
READ MORE: Review | Pokémon Scarlet And Violet: The Indigo Disk (Switch)
In No Return, players will need to navigate randomised encounters, face diverse foes in a variety of familiar locations, and tackle challenging boss battles.
Wild and random “mods” can change encounters, from a simple photo filter to enemies exploding or Molotov Cocktails raining from the sky.
It’s an action packed bloodbath.
Exhibit A:
(Graphic Content Warning)
One of my favourite encounters types is “Capture”, where a group of enemies are guarding a large safe filled with goodies to improve your character and their gear. You’ve got to get to the safe, eliminate the enemies and claim your prize. My tactic here is to just run in guns blazing — and by guns, I mean explosives and Molotov cocktails.
The satisfaction of taking out a group within minutes of launching an encounter was unrivalled.
There’s no storyline in No Return, which is very welcome. Story needs to be left to the main game or a potential Part III.
But all I wanted was to play as Joel. That was my mission — and let’s face it, we deserve it.
In the beginning, only Ellie and Abby are available to play. So after deep diving into the challenges menu to see how to progress. Unlocking Joel was going to need some work.
READ MORE: Review | Life of Delta (PlayStation 5)
To unlock Joel I need to play as Ellie. After progressing with Ellie I could unlock Dina, then as Dina I could unlock Jesse, Jesse would then unlock Tommy and finally, I could play as Joel.
Holy shit. What a task.
Thankfully, the playable characters on the journey to Joel are pretty good. They’re all beloved characters from the story.
I was reluctant to play as Abby in No Return at first, but after playing through the main game she grew on me.
Abby unlocks a series of characters, including Lev, Manny, Mel and Yara.
Every character has their own perks. Abby’s skill tree has a perk that heals her slightly with each successful melee hit. Joel cannot dodge, but starts off with a powerful revolver. Lev’s excellent with a bow, and Dina is a master crafter — there’s variety across the board.
No Return is the game mode I never knew I needed, and is one that I’ll be playing for a long time ahead.
Skins are unlocked after some encounters, but for those wanting to change the look of their character, there’s a slight (25 hour) speed bump — unless you have an old save file.
You won’t be able to access new skins without completing The Last of Us Part II. So either get cracking on the remaster, or import a save file.
Was it worth a remaster?
Absolutely. The additional content alone is worth the upgrade, and for $20 it’s a steal.
If you’ve never played The Last of Us Part II before, now’s the perfect time. This game is a true masterpiece and will stay with me for the rest of my life.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered releases on PlayStation 5 on January 19th. To accompany the release, Naughty Dog is sharing a feature-length documentary that follows the making of the game.
Quest Daily scores The Last of Us Part II Remastered:
10/10
Quest Daily was granted early access to The Last of Us Part II Remastered with thanks to PlayStation Australia.
