2013’s The Last of Us needed no sequel. Developed by Uncharted studio Naughty Dog, it is an excellent action-adventure survival horror game where its real monsters weren’t its many infected foes but humanity itself. It’s a really tough game to surpass due to its fantastic story and endearing characters. While 2020’s The Last of Us Part II is an entertaining sequel it doesn’t feel as essential as the first game. However, that didn't stop it from being a critical and commercial success for publisher Sony, resulting in the inevitable remaster for the PS5 cleverly titled The Last of Us Part II Remastered.
Set four years after the events of The Last of Us, you find yourself in the role of Ellie, a young girl immune to the virus that plagues the game world, turning humans into mindless cannibalistic creatures. While the previous title had you playing as Joel, a grizzled old smuggler tasked with escorting her across the country, here you’ll explore its detailed locales as Ellie. You don’t need to play the first game as Naughty Dog has ensured that you don’t miss any of its crucial story elements that connect it to The Last of Us Part II Remastered.
And speaking of the story, The Last of Us Part II Remastered is largely set in Seattle with Ellie on the hunt for members of a group called WLF short for Washington Liberation Front.
Without spoiling much, The Last of Us Part II Remastered tries to tell a serious, deep story with some riveting moments. However it falls short as there’s a lot of time spent explaining specific characters and their motivations with flashbacks versus actually showing off what’s going on in the here and now. The approach of book-ending sections of gameplay with these flashbacks tries to build up certain moments in the game’s timeline but you’ll probably be too exhausted to care by the time you get to the narrative pay-off.
This is because the actual gameplay of The Last of Us Part II Remastered does a lot. You’ll find yourself exploring an area, discovering what happened to those who used to be there through notes left behind, scavenging ammo and supplies, moving to the next location, and either gunning down its many zombie-like foes and trigger-happy humans or simply moving past them quietly. Along the way you’ll progress through the story and indulge in some hectic moments like escaping a lethal horde of monsters, surviving an ambush from well-equipped soldiers, and much more.
The pacing of The Last of Us Part II Remastered rarely gives you a moment to take in the nuances of the story it wants to tell. There’s no good reason for its drama to be curtailed by gameplay in such a way and vice versa. It just doesn’t feel as well-paced a game as its predecessor. The elaborate tale it wants to show off feels at odds with how its combat, exploration, and in-game events play out, and that makes playing through it feel more tiresome than it should be.
Furthermore, the gameplay of The Last of Us Part II Remastered is deceptive. While the combat is a welcome step up over the first game, Naughty Dog has gone out of its way to make you feel guilty for every gun fired, every knife stab, and every molotov cocktail thrown.
Why? Well because the developer went ahead and gave every single non-zombified enemy you kill a name. So when you kill one, his or her buddy will react by shouting their name in agony
Granted other games have had enemy AI react to your actions in a similar manner like the Halo titles but it never has been this specific or in your face as it’s presented here. This made combat fun until you eventually killed a human enemy. The same applies to taking down its guard dogs. For one, they actually look adorable and secondly their handlers shout their names too when you down them. If the intent from Naughty Dog was to make us feel like monsters, it has achieved its goal.
And while each chapter of The Last of Us Part II Remastered has you feel like you’re doing a lot, outside of its guilt-inducing gameplay, there’s very little that feels particularly innovative. If you’ve played any of the recent Uncharted games you know what to expect here in terms of gunplay, while the combat up close is similar to the first entry as is its stealth, crafting, and upgrade systems. There’s nothing particularly new or different this time around.
Rather, it refines everything Naughty Dog has done in the past so the controls feel a lot more responsive. However it makes us wonder if there was anything left in terms of gameplay mechanics and systems that didn’t make it to the final game because this feels pretty odd for a title in development for over seven years.
Other aspects of The Last of Us Part II Remastered are less puzzling. While most of the action takes place in Seattle, there’s an insane amount of variety. From flooded districts to quiet, desolate streets, every single area looked gorgeous on the PS4 and PS4 Pro and carries over to the PS5 as well. Though when compared to native PS5-developed titles like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West or even Spider-Man 2, it does fall a bit short and isn't a major step up from the PS4 original. That said, it oozes attention to detail with excellent voice work and subtle facial animations while the fast load times are a blessing.
As for what else is new with The Last of Us Part II Remastered, the controls are elevated thanks to DualSense. Adaptive triggers and haptic feedback make each weapon feel unique with subtle variations in weight and resistance. It's a welcome addition no doubt. Though 3D audio adds even more to the experience, making every noise from its stalkers, shamblers, and other assorted monsters all the more authentic and immersive when you have headphones on.
With a story that took as 25 hours or so to get through, The Last of Us Part II isn’t a short game by any means and its inconsistent pacing makes it feel like a chore to play at times even with its polished (albeit safe) gameplay. If you’re a hardcore fan of the first game and the PS4 sequel, you probably already had this pre-ordered on the PS5.
In terms of new content, there are the Lost Levels, No Return, and Guitar Free Play. The Lost Levels are three levels that didn't make it into the final game along with developer commentary. They're not crucial to understanding The Last of Us universe but do add context to how The Last of Us Part II was made and gives some needed insight into the game development process.
No Return is a roguelike twist on The Last of Us Part II's combat. It doesn't add anything to the story. Instead you pick a character and difficulty level. The game then throws up a host of challenges ending in a boss fight. These include Assault (killing a finite number of foes), Hunted (survive hordes of enemies until the timer runs out), Holdout (protect an ally), and Capture (crack a safe guarded while dealing with enemies. No Return is a fun addition if you're seeking the same gameplay from the campaign but it's not a must play by any means.
There's an earnest attempt to build depth into The Last of Us Part II Remastered with this mode but makes me wonder how much better this could have been as an overall package with Factions — the multiplayer mode that shipped with The Last of Us on PS3 and The Last of Us Remastered on PS4.
Finally there's Guitar Free Play. Progressing through the story and No Return nets you unlockables for what is a mini-game that as the name suggests, let's you free play a guitar rather than gunning down an assortment of infected creatures that you'd usually associate The Last of Us games with.
If you just have a passing interest in The Last of Us like many PS5 owners in this country, it’s tough to justify the Rs. 2,999 price with what it offers, making the wait for a price drop the better move. [7]